Clomicalm (Clomipramine HCl) Tablets for Dogs

Clomicalm (Clomipramine Hydrochloride) Tablets for Dogs

For dogs over six months of age. Prescription required.

Product Description

Clomicalm is the brand-name clomipramine tablet from Virbac, indicated as part of a comprehensive behavioral management program to treat separation anxiety in dogs.

Separation anxiety is a behavior disorder that appears when the owner or other attachment figure leaves. In controlled trials the signs evaluated were vocalization, destructive behavior, excessive salivation, and inappropriate urination or defecation. Because it happens only in the owner's absence, it's easy to misread as spite — but it isn't. It's anxiety, and punishment is not appropriate for a dog experiencing it.

Clomicalm is designed to work alongside behavior modification, not in place of it. Medication makes a dog calm enough to learn; the training is what produces lasting change. Accurate diagnosis matters too, and that means a full history and an assessment of the household environment, not just a description of the damage.

Specifications

Active ingredient: clomipramine hydrochloride
Species: dogs over six months of age
Form: tablet
Prescription required
Available in three strengths — use the one your veterinarian prescribed

How to Use

Give exactly as prescribed, at consistent times each day. Follow the strength on your prescription rather than adjusting on your own.

This medication takes time. Clomipramine typically needs several weeks of consistent daily dosing before its full effect shows, so don't judge it after a few days or stop early because nothing has changed yet.

Do not stop abruptly. Your veterinarian will taper the dose when it's time to discontinue.

If a dose is missed, give it when you remember unless it's nearly time for the next one. Never double up.

Keep working the behavior plan alongside it. Departure training, gradual desensitization, and managing your dog's alone time are what resolve the underlying problem.

Important Safety Information

Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. For use in dogs only. Not for use in cats or humans.

Do not use in dogs with a known hypersensitivity to clomipramine or other tricyclic antidepressants, or in breeding male dogs.

Do not give with, or within two weeks of, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, including selegiline and amitraz-containing products such as certain tick collars. Tell your veterinarian about every medication and supplement your dog receives, particularly other behavior medications.

Use with caution in dogs with cardiovascular disease, seizure disorders, glaucoma, liver disease, or urinary retention. Your veterinarian may want baseline bloodwork and periodic monitoring.

Common effects include sedation, dry mouth, vomiting, diarrhea, and reduced appetite, often easing over the first weeks. Contact your veterinarian if your dog becomes markedly lethargic, strains to urinate, develops a rapid or irregular heartbeat, has a seizure, or becomes more agitated rather than calmer.

Keep out of reach of children and pets. Overdose is serious and can cause seizures and cardiac arrhythmias. If your dog eats extra tablets, contact your veterinarian or an animal poison control center immediately.

See the full package insert for complete prescribing information.