Pet Anxiety Medication Online: What Florida, New York, and Virginia Telehealth Vets Can and Cannot Prescribe for Dogs and Cats

Quick answer: Usually not the medications people ask about. Trazodone, Prozac and gabapentin are human-labeled drugs, and federal rules require a veterinarian to examine your pet in person before prescribing a human drug for an animal. Florida's telehealth law says the same. A video visit can still assess your pet's anxiety, build a behavior and home plan, recommend over-the-counter calming aids and, where state rules allow, prescribe an FDA-approved veterinary product such as Sileo for noise aversion in dogs. For cats, the anxiety medications vets use most need an in-person exam first.

Fireworks, thunderstorms, car rides, being left alone: anxiety is one of the most common reasons pet parents look for help online. This guide explains which anxiety medications a vet can prescribe after a video visit in Florida, New York and Virginia, which ones need an in-person exam, and what else helps while you sort out the medication question.

What a video vet can prescribe for anxiety, by state (as of October 2026)

• Florida. A vet can establish care over live video. In Florida, a veterinarian who has seen your pet only by video may prescribe only FDA-approved animal drugs used as labeled, for up to 14 days (1 month for flea-and-tick-only products), and cannot renew without an in-person exam. Human-labeled drugs need an in-person exam first, and controlled substances need an in-person exam within the past year.
• Virginia. A vet may examine your pet electronically, using video, photos and records, and the state sets no telehealth day-supply cap. The vet still decides case by case, and gabapentin is a controlled substance in Virginia.
• New York. There is no veterinary telehealth law yet. A New York vet can give advice and follow-up by video, but whether a first video visit can support a new prescription is unsettled, and many vets will want to see your pet in person first.
• Every state. Federal rules (21 CFR 530.3) require a relationship built on an in-person exam or a visit to where the animal lives before a vet uses any drug off-label. Every human drug given to a pet is off-label.

Our state-by-state guide to online vet prescriptions covers the other states and the sources behind each rule.

Common anxiety medications for dogs and cats, and how each can be prescribed

• Trazodone (dogs and cats). Given before a predictable trigger such as a storm, a car ride or a vet visit. Trazodone is a human-labeled drug, so a veterinarian needs to examine your pet in person before prescribing it. More in our trazodone guide.
• Fluoxetine, sold for people as Prozac (dogs and cats). A daily medication for ongoing anxiety that takes several weeks to work. Prozac and human generic fluoxetine are human-labeled, so a veterinarian needs to examine your pet in person before prescribing them. A veterinary fluoxetine for dogs, Reconcile, is FDA-approved for separation anxiety; where a pharmacy can supply it, it follows the same rules as clomipramine below.
• Gabapentin (cats and dogs). Often used for cats before vet visits and for dogs whose anxiety comes with pain. Gabapentin is a human-labeled drug, and a controlled substance in Virginia, so a veterinarian needs to examine your pet in person before prescribing it. See whether gabapentin is a controlled substance.
• Alprazolam and other benzodiazepines. Sometimes used for severe storm or noise panic. Alprazolam is a controlled substance, so a veterinarian needs to examine your pet in person before prescribing it.
• Bonqat, or pregabalin oral solution (cats). FDA-approved in 2023 for anxiety and fear around car rides and vet visits. Pregabalin is a federal Schedule V controlled substance. RexVet does not prescribe controlled substances by video, and Florida requires an in-person exam within the past year.
• Sileo, or dexmedetomidine gel (dogs). FDA-approved for noise aversion and given 30 to 60 minutes before fireworks or a storm. It isn't for dogs with severe heart, lung, liver or kidney disease, so the vet reviews your dog's health history first. Because it is an FDA-approved animal drug, a vet who decides it is appropriate can prescribe it after a video visit where state rules allow. In Florida that prescription covers up to 14 days and can't be renewed without an in-person exam.
• Clomipramine, sold as Clomicalm (dogs). FDA-approved for separation anxiety alongside behavior training. It takes weeks to work, and a Florida prescription after a video-only visit is limited to 14 days with no renewal, so in Florida ongoing treatment needs a vet who has examined your dog in person.

Whether any medication fits your pet is the veterinarian's decision after the exam, and a video visit never guarantees a prescription. Medication also works best alongside the behavior and home changes below, and some pets need only those.

What a RexVet video visit can do for an anxious pet

• Work out what's driving the anxiety. Triggers, timing, how severe it is and how your pet copes, seen in the place where it happens.
• Spot what needs an in-person exam. Pain, illness and age-related changes can look like anxiety. The vet will tell you when your pet should be seen in person and why.
• Build a behavior and home plan. Step-by-step desensitization for noises or departures, a safe space, routines and what to avoid, such as punishment, which makes fear worse.
• Recommend over-the-counter aids. Pheromone diffusers (Adaptil for dogs, Feliway for cats), a pressure wrap such as a ThunderShirt, white noise and carrier training for cats.
• Prescribe an FDA-approved veterinary product where state rules allow, such as Sileo for noise aversion in dogs, if the vet decides it is appropriate.
• Prepare you for the in-person visit. What to tell your regular vet, what to ask about medication, and when a veterinary behaviorist makes sense.

RexVet is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit veterinary telehealth service for pets in Florida, New York and Virginia. A live video visit is $64.99, and the Family Plan is a one-time $120 for four visits over 12 months, with no subscription. Book a video visit.

Behavior and home changes that help anxious dogs and cats

Noise fears (fireworks, storms). Set up a quiet, covered den in an inner room before the season starts, play white noise or music to mask the bangs, and keep your pet indoors and leashed outside on big nights. A snug pressure wrap and a pheromone diffuser help some dogs. Gradual exposure to recorded storm or firework sounds at a low volume, paired with treats, builds tolerance over weeks.

Separation anxiety. Practice short absences and build up slowly, keep departures and returns low-key, and leave a food puzzle or long-lasting chew. Training is the core of treatment; medication, when a vet prescribes it, makes the training easier rather than replacing it.

Cats. Leave the carrier out as furniture with treats and bedding inside, cover it during car rides, and use a pheromone diffuser in the room where your cat spends the most time. In multi-cat homes, spread out litter boxes, food and water so no cat has to pass another to reach them.

When your pet needs an in-person vet instead

• Aggression toward people or other pets, or self-injury, such as chewing or licking until the skin breaks. These need an in-person vet or a veterinary behaviorist.
• A sudden change in behavior, especially in an older pet. Pain, an overactive thyroid in cats, or cognitive decline in senior dogs can look like anxiety and need a hands-on exam and bloodwork.
• Ongoing daily anxiety medication. It needs a vet who can examine your pet in person and follow up over months.
• Emergency signs: a seizure, collapse, trouble breathing, or a pet that swallowed someone's anxiety medication. Go to an emergency hospital now. For a possible poisoning you can also call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435; a consultation fee may apply.

If your pet already takes anxiety medication from another vet

A RexVet vet can't refill or renew a prescription your regular vet wrote, because refills come from the vet who prescribed the drug. A video visit can still help with questions about side effects, timing a dose before a trigger, or what to do after a missed dose, and with what to ask your vet next. For how refills work in each state, see online vet prescription refills in Florida, New York and Virginia.

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