Herbsmith Calm Shen Herbal Blend for Dogs & Cats, 90 Tablets

This has been such a life saver for my adopted cat . . . And even better, my functional medicine doctor said it’s great for her kidneys and my goal should be to have her take it the rest of her life. My little cat is finally relaxed and enjoying her best life in her forever home ♥️

I have been using this product now for a few months and it has been the only medication that works for my hyper vigilant dog! We tried him on composure, solliquin, and prozac. My female dog is on pharmaceuticals for various issues so in general I am a strong believer in using prescription medications when appropriate. However, when I had my male dog on the prozac it was not a good result. He would shake and seemed even more frightened, and frightened of new things he never cared about before. For him I wanted to try a more nature approach and this has done wonders. It definitely took a while for it to work but what I like about this med is you don't really see it work.By that I mean you don't see a different personality in your dog. I notice it now with barking. We did frost our front window and have made some environmental changes to reduce anxiety months before we started this. However, now when he barks he doesn't go full on crazy and I can calm him down. Not only can I actually calm him down now, but he will actually relax. This seems to make him an average dog which is what I wanted for his anxiety. He isn't drugged up and he is still the same dog I love just not hyper vigilant. We have tried so many other meds with my female dog. I even stopped this and tried something else for a while and it did nothing. This really does work and best yet I don't have to put it in anything. He just takes it as is and it's chewable.I will say when we first purchased this from a store near us they told me my dog should like it because it was peanut butter and banana flavored, and he did. It didn't smell that bad either. However, now they must have changed something. Although the ingredients don't look any different on the box, it does smell kind a bit gross now but my dog still takes it and eats it. It still seems to have the very same effects so that makes me happy. I just wish they went back to the original for my sake.

The jury's still out on to what degree this product helped "take the edge off" our dogs' apparent stresses and anxieties as we entered into a training regimen a little late in their lives. Our training instructor felt that they were too stressful to immediately benefit from the change toward a more disciplined lifestyle, and so suggested we try this product. While their stress levels have deceased noticeably over the past several months since beginning the use of Calm Shen, that change also has clear connections to the actual training and leadership advancements we have all gained through instruction. This much I can report from our own experience; if there was a calming response to the use of this product I believe it was likely subtle, and probably overshadowed by the improvement in handling and relationship gained through effective training instruction. My personal feeling is that Calm Shen could be a good supplement to careful and skillful behavior modification methods. One small "pro tip". We've had to exchange two containers since we started use of Calm Shen (small glitches, but we're extra-careful). One we exchanged through Amazon, the other through Herbsmith directly. I don't wish to burden the good people at Amazon, but the exchange through Amazon was *much* easier to accomplish than the one via Herbsmith.

I felt compelled to write a review in response to the few bafflingly low ratings. This product is suprisingly effective. All I have to say to those who have found this product ineffective is that there is no "magic drug" for dogs just like there is no "magic drug" for humans (Studies show anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications are most effective in conjuction with therapy). Behavioural conditions can fluctuate depending on factors like stimulation or not feeling well. I have fostered many dogs with behavioural issues, PTSD and various anxieties and behavioural issues take diligent, constant work and patience from a training standpoint, in conjunction, not instead of such aids as Calm Shen. For my big pitbull it took I believe less than a week or two to take effect. But perhaps certain dogs process it differently. I have had my dog on prozac, and this works just as well and dare I say maybe even better than Prozac. For some time I had her on both, and once I increased her crate training and incorporated other behavioural exercises, I dropped her off the Prozac altogether. It is the more affordable version of the pill form, and have used both.

My otherwise normal cat literally eats large holes out of clothing and blankets, and my vet thinks it's due to anxiety, so they suggested this supplement. I ordered the powder because another review online said that the tablets are large and therefore difficult for a cat to eat. Unfortunately the powder has a funky herbal smell, so when it's mixed into my cat's food, he refuses to touch his food (and I don't blame him)! The manufacturer needs to redo the product into tablets and powder that are appealing to cats as well as dogs.

Helpful in calming the pup. Hoping that with more time it will work better (not as calm as needed and does take the edge off).

We adopted a Golden X 16 yrs ago who was a tad neurotic. The Calm Shen really helped her settle in; it got her thru fireworks, thunderstorms, vet visits, etc. I did not have to use it daily, just per event. She is gone now, but I got some for our new Pittie rescue for his first week, and gave him just one in a pill wrap at bedtime just so he could chill and sleep thru the nite. It worked great. I will give him ONE for his upcoming "new vet" visit. Here's the thing; when a nervous dog gets to experience something that might be unnerving to it, and " survives" he/she will eventually learn that no harm will come to them. Bonus!