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Post by catstina on Aug 16, 2012 20:30:35 GMT -5
Saxon never used to be afraid of thunderstorms until about a month ago when we had a really bad storm with some of the loudest thunder I have ever heard. Now he is afraid of thunder and fireworks (even though he was ok with them on the 4th of July). So last night there was a thunderstorm and Saxon shook and panted so much he woke us both up (at 2am). Nothing we did calmed him down. So, I decided to get a thundershirt and try it out. We tried it on in PDog and he seemed to like it:  But, tonight, we got the chance to try it out when some jerk decided to set off some fireworks (Seriously!? It's mid-August!). I quickly grabbed the shirt, put it on Saxon, and... Nothing. He shook, panted and begged to be picked up just as much as he did without it on.  Oh well. We'll try it a few more times and if it still doesn't work for him, I'll return it. Any other suggestions for anxiety? I've never had such an anxious dog before. He's always been stressed out from yelling and swearing, though never this much, and he wasn't like this with storms until a month ago! |
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Post by catstina on Aug 17, 2012 19:54:06 GMT -5
Thunderstorm tonight. Got ahead of it and put the shirt on Saxon before the thunder, with a spitton of treats and praise. Still didn't help. He won't take treats, just shakes, pants and tries to climb in our laps.
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Post by maryellen on Aug 17, 2012 20:44:12 GMT -5
the shirt rarely works unfortunately, some dogs it works on some it doesnt.. rufus is terrified of tstorms, never used to be, then one weekend the storms were really bad and he started then. now i just play the radio really loud and keep his vari kennel door always open for him to go in there ..
if he feels calmer in your laps then maybe let him do that, or keep the closet doors open so he can go into the closet too
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Post by shandee20 on Aug 17, 2012 21:00:52 GMT -5
I don't have any advice to offer since I'm in the same boat with Aida but I do know how hard it is to watch them be scared like that and have no way to help. Although I do envy you lol at least you know what sets Saxon off... Aida can be set off by something as simple as a blanket on the floor to people fighting and sometimes even fireworks. And when she gets an "attack" it can last a few hours up to a week depending on what threw her into it  Hopefully something starts to help poor Saxon, I'll try to think of everything I've tried with Aida and let you know those. |
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Post by melonie on Aug 17, 2012 21:03:29 GMT -5
My lab was afraid of storms, fireworks, etc. All I ever did with him was lay on the bed, pet him and sweet talk him. After a while he got better, but never completely over it.
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Post by catstina on Aug 18, 2012 12:47:37 GMT -5
I'm returning it today to get some calming treats and rescue remedy.
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Post by loverocksalot on Aug 18, 2012 13:12:41 GMT -5
I just pet and calm Rocky when he seems scared. I had also given him very yummy food rewards every time the bad sound happened. This helped him to be more tolerant to the sounds that scare him. I think the best thing is to cuddle him and talk to him in a calm and comforting voice. Let him know that you are keeping him safe.
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Post by catstina on Aug 18, 2012 13:57:43 GMT -5
Saxon won't take treats when he's freaking out. I pet him, sing to him and hold him, but he doesn't calm down until the scary sounds go away. :/
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Post by loverocksalot on Aug 18, 2012 20:15:05 GMT -5
Poor boy.
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Post by sugar on Aug 20, 2012 9:37:25 GMT -5
The Chubby Protocol.
-2 tabs of benedryl
- wrap him in the thundershirt
- windows closed, shades down and lights on
- turn on TV
- extra special thunderstorm-only chew is given
*during very bad storms, I have to hide with him in our windowless bathroom with the regular lights on and the tv going (door to bathroom is closed).
The thundershirt doesn't work 100% with Chubby, but one thing that did help was I would randomly put it on (during a nice day) and give him lots of praise and treats. That way he doesn't really think that the thundershirt only comes out when scary things are happening. He still panics a good deal but it is getting a little better every time. If left alone during a really bad storm (like if I'm at work) then he pees on the carpet or sometimes I will find his blanket in the bathroom.
Sad, I used to love the sound of thunderstorms...now I know they mean sleepless nights! Welcome to the club.
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Post by catstina on Aug 20, 2012 10:05:07 GMT -5
Thanks for the tips, Kaleena. We don't have any windowless rooms other then our closets and they are too small to fit in. The calming treats work well for Saxon, but I haven't tried them with storms before, so I'll have to see next time we have a storm. They're made by Pet Naturals of Vermont and they are relatively cheap. If they don't help, next time I'll try benedryl.
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Post by sugar on Aug 20, 2012 11:16:33 GMT -5
My vet gave Chubby ace-promazine (sp?) once to helpw ith his thunderstorm anxiety and I hated what it did to him and didn't even help. So the vet said if the benedryl helps mellow him out (by making him drowsy) then just keep using that.
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