Things you wish you could say (everywhere)

I didn’t know Puppy Uppers were making a comeback. And congrats to Force10 for getting the 1000th post on this topic.

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We should check with @MSUAlexis. She might be able to get them wholesale.

Mine got the Doggy Downers instead… It was timing for his twice-a-year serious grooming, and it’s the only way to keep him from going completely nuts. He still bit $Wife hard enough to draw blood (partially because she twisted her hand) which she then had to explain to her boss because she was officially off the clock and didn’t want to report it as a workplace incident.

We only deal in downers. Most people don’t want their dogs MORE rambunctious and destructive… :slight_smile:

Is puppy Prozac considered an upper or a downer?

Google search says antidepressant. I assume that would be upper.

A lot of human-type people I’ve known who’ve taken Prozac says it helps remove emotional lows (allowing them to function) but also tends to blunt the highs. So you’re not hung up on depression, but you also never get really ecstatic.

It’s one reason doses on such stuff need to be adjusted and monitored. And follow the doctor’s recommendations on drinking and such. Not that your pets should be drinking anyway, that’s a whole different issue. I’m guessing my dog would be a mean drunk.

We use Prozac for management of anxiety and aggressive behaviors. So for us it works more as a downer. It works by inhibiting the re-uptake of serotonin back into the body, allowing it to sit in the receptors in the brain a little longer. It helps stabilize moods in this way, as too little serotonin has been linked to depression and aggression. In the same vein, drugs like LSD and Ecstasy cause a huge rise serotonin, which is why they make people feel so good. But the stabilizing effects are why we use them. We also use xanax and trazadone, depending on the case and what we hope to accomplish. All of these drugs must be used with behavioral therapy, and if clients are not actively searching for or working with a proper trainer, then I am hesitant to prescribe them. Especially the ones that are controlled drugs. I’m a tightwad when it comes to those, as they have a huge potential for human abuse.

/pharmacophysiology lecture :grin: :smirk:

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Obviously, I’m not well versed in drug/controlled substance issues

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That honestly sounds more like lithium, which is used to treat bipolar depression (also known as manic depression). Unipolar depression (also known as clinical or major depression, which is more common) is often treated with SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) drugs that work the way Alexis described. I’m currently taking Celexa, which is one of these drugs (as is Prozac, which I’ve taken in the past). I can tell you that it makes a huge difference and I would probably classify it as more of a downer because if I don’t have it I become a raging basket case after a week or two.

PSA: Never quit antidepressants cold turkey.

I learned this the hard way. My mother flushed mine down the toilet when I was 17. I found out later that the medication had a side effect of increased suicidal ideation when A) taken by teenagers, and B) when quit cold-turkey.

My parents’ (and siblings’) insurance agent/financial planner did not mass-email their entire list of clients today and put everyone in the To: field instead of BCC:.

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Don’t worry, the exact same thing happened when I was buying my house. The side effect of this is that I know that another one of the people interested in the house was called Mr Richards, and had the email address omnomnomfish@[redacted].

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Fuck off, world.

I’m taking a vacation from bullshit.

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I was in my 30s when I quit cold turkey because I lost my job and insurance. So no suicidal ideation, just a shit-ton of anxiety and feeling crappy in general. WTF was your mom thinking?

She was paranoid schizophrenic with narcissistic and borderline personality disorders. Nobody was/is allowed to be sicker or more upset than she was. And psychologists, psychiatrists, and prescription medications were her mortal enemy.

You can’t bring your dog in here.

I’ll bet you $5000 that you’re wrong. And I expect to be paid in full before I get to the register.

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I obviously don’t know the circumstances here, but people taking animals places they perhaps shouldn’t go to has been a recurring subject of late.

I’ve been involved in some recent discussions about this topic: For the US, the big determiner seems to be that there’s Service Animals and Emotional Therapy Animals.

Service Animals are registered and very heavily protected. There’s pretty much no where you can’t take one, and denying access is violation of federal laws. However, these tend to be extremely well-trained dogs (and other animals) and do a lot. Most are well-trained and will happily sit while people eat tasty, tasty steak around them.

My dog would never qualify for that job.

Emotional support is a lesser qualification and is not that ‘official’ in many ways. It also has minimal legal backing depending on your jurisdiction. A lot of greeters at restaurants don’t know this, though. You can often get this paperwork with minimal effort, possibly even online.

I am annoyed by people who abuse the second category as it causes issues for the first.There’s people who probably do gain a lot by a support animal, but if your support chicken/turtle/beaver/alpaca isn’t fit to go to the local diner and sit quietly while you eat, it’s unfair to force it on people. Find an alpaca-friendly restaurant.

And, yeah, some people get the support animal paperwork because it does help, but others get it because they want to abuse the system.

It’s kind of like the similar concern over allergies to me. I hear a lot of people claim allergies for food they don’t like. A “proper” response to allergy concerns in a good kitchen isn’t just “Don’t add the peanuts” (or whatever) but is a lengthy process: They re-clean every tool involved, the cooking appliances, etc. Some chefs will even stop and talk to patrons to confirm details. It slows the kitchen (so everyone’s food gets backed up) and causes extra work. It definitely causes the kitchen to make less profit but few, if any, places actually charge more for allergen-free meals.

Sorry, rant over.

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Seriously, can you morons stop taking up the entire staircase when going down? It’s wide enough for you to move to the right so others who don’t want to spend all day on them can get through quicker. You’re darn lucky someone doesn’t just plow you down.

This wasn’t a restaurant. It was a fricking dollar store.

And Missy is fully registered as a support animal, which in the state of California is considered equal to a service dog (closing a loophole in the ADA).