Dog Getting Worse Dealing with Storms and Fireworks

my mother in law just got 2 dogs that have the same issues, her doc told her to give the dogs each a benadryl they are like 60 lbs... She gave it to them last time we were there and they were mellow but not passed out, and if you wanted them calm but not completely out you could probably do 1/2 a pill. Worked for her!

"I am left with a doped up dog who gets the munchies." LOL I'm sorry but I laughed so hard when I saw that.

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Oh bless her heart. I had a dog that I found as a stray who was the EXACT same way. I think she had been abused so that was part of her issues but she was my meterologist (sp?). Any the first vet that I had used said to deal with it but I was not happy with that answer b/c I was worried she was going to have a heart attack or something. The next vet was wonderful and gave me a anxiety pill for her. I can not recall the name but it started with an A_____. I sure if you asked they would know instantly. It really helped I would give her a pill or two when the weather got bad or 4th of July and she would just stumble around the house in this sad little drugged up haze but she was much better. Unfortunetly she is no longer with us due to a nasal tumor but I think of her every time the weather turns bad :( Good luck with it.

Hi J.:

I don't have experience with this, but I have taken all of my dogs (I now have 2 labs) to a wonderful trainer with 30 plus years of experience. She may have an answer for you. She was also a vet tech for many years. She usually has an answer to any dog question I have had, so it may be worth a try. Her name is Cindy and her phone is ###-###-####. The name of her training business is Establishment Dog Training. Good luck!!!

Hi J.-
I don't know where you're located, but my friend is a vet and dog owner who knows all about the anxiety meds..her dogs (or at least one of them) has to be given these meds for severe thunderstorms...if she uses them as a vet, I would definitely trust her judgement. Her name is Dr. Bochnowski with Crown Point Animal Hospital if you are close...she always gives us and others quality advice outside of office visits, so maybe she could talk to you about it if you call into their office and ask for her. My dog suffers from separation anxiety and has been impossible to deal with since my oldest turned 1...but she is our "first child" and she is ours till the end! Good luck...I know it can be frustrating, especially when they destroy things!!!

I give my dog some pills from the vet alprololam 1/2 if its a storm and a full pill for 4th of july or a bad storm coming, calms her down,

You might want to do some reading on the temperment of Australian Shepherds. Genetically speaking you may haev ended up with the a pup on the timid side. I had a pure breed and she was really good until she hit about 1 1/2 or 2 then started shying away from strangers or strange things quite a bit. I got her the gentle leader and that seemed to give her a little more security out on walks when someone honked or there was some loud noise. In the house she had a crate so she would just go in there when she was scared.

J.
I have a dog who is now 9 who had similar problems. We had to have her on meds for a year while we worked on her anxiety issues. We would make loud noises while one of us was next to her and would pet her to make her relax. We would hold her and love on her while the noises went on. The meds doses started high and as time went on were lowered as she calmed more quickly. We had her crate always open with a big soft bed and it was covered with a big banket making it like a dark cave for her. This gave her a space to go to if she felt too stressed.
Now when she hears the fireworks or heavy thunderstorms she just lays where she is looks up sighs and goes back to sleep.
Keep consistant working with her and reasuring her that everything is ok. I now we all hate to dope up our pets but sometimes it is best for them.

Good luck and if you have questions my email is ____@____.com

I work at an animal hospital so let me give you a little advice from what i have experienced. First the tranquilizers should be given on a empty stomach atleast 1 hour prior to desired effect, so if you know a storm is coming give it ahead of time and you can redose every couple of hours. Second there is an anti anxiety drug called clomicalm, but it has to be given couple times a day depending on the weight of your dog, and regular bloodwork needs to be checked to make sure it isn't affecting liver or kidneys. Eventually you should be able to wean her off of clomicalm, but some dogs revert back to their old habits. Hope this helps a little

I'm sure there are natural calming remedies you can try before getting the pharma stuff from the vet. Check out Dr's Foster and Smith online catalog, you might find something there you can try before shelling out the big bucks at the vet.

There are also some people who run a home dog training company called Bark Busters, and their web is barkbusters.com and # is 877-500-BARK Their card says "Training Dogs the Aussie Way" I met them once and got their card for a friend that had a shelter dog w/separation issues.

We did the tranquilizers during days where we knew there would be a lot of fireworks or a big storm - that way it's not all the time. On the other days, as much as a pain as it is, maybe consider turning on the air conditioning and a radio for your dog to block out the noises from outside. It's tough when they're scared and big. Unfortunately you can't rationalize with them.

Hi J.. Wow! YOu just described our dog. We also have a 4 yr. old Aussie Shepherd/Border Collie mix. She has anxiety attacks during fireworks and storms also. We know it's going to thunder when our dog starts running around the house panting like crazy and crying. We have not given her any meds for this, but may try it this year for the 4'th of July. I have a friend who is a vet and she said that the best thing to do during a storm or fireworks is put the dog in room with the lights off until it is over. This helps calm the dog and the dog won't run all over and lets the dog feel more in control in a smaller environment. We have been doing this for so long that our dog goes in the laundry room as soon as any of the storms or fireworks start. This does help some, she still barks thw whole time, but her breathing is better and isn't running. She will lay down on a blanket in there for her and bark at every thunder. Make sure your dog is alone in there, trust me it really helps. Now this 4'th we may try meds for our dog because she was so bad last yr., but not for thunder, that's too much dope for my dog. I know you can also try benedryl. This calms the dogs too, but we haven't done that either. I have read that Hearding dogs, Aussies, are like this because of their breed. They are used to being outside and paying attention to loud, not ordinary noises, so this causes a reaction. I hope this helps, I know it's long, but really try the dark room. At night too. If you are sleeping, I'm sure your dog wakes you if a stormis coming, put her in the dark room and get her in the morning. Our dog looks to go in our laundry room when this starts. Good Luck to you and your doggy.

Our dog used to freak out with fireworks and thunderstorms at a much lesser level than yours. We would take him to the basement where it was quieter and spend time with him there. It worked some of the times.
Have you tried Narnia in Aurora (www.narniapets.com) for advice? The same dog had other behavioral problems and our vet recommended this training center. It was quite far for us but definitely worth it. We did one on one sessions and also signed up for a class.

Good luck,
J.

J. have you tried like a dog eglo or something like that...I know that is not the latest house fashion lol..but maybe he wont tear up your house...my dog one year door up my outside screen on the 4th of July because we left her outside while we watch the fireworks..needless to say we wont do that one again...Good luck

I hope you get help with your dog! When I was a kid we lived on a farm and had an outside only dog, an Irish Setter, who never ever came in the house. Yet, every single year, around the 4th of July when the bangs began, this dog would rip through our front porch door to get into the house. He would also do this if there was loud thunder. We replaced a lot of screens on the door. We learned to keep the front door closed if we could anticipate the noises, but sometimes we couldn't. I don't think there were doggie meds back then, but I think we might have tried them if there were. All we could do was go outide with him and try to comfort him. He would end up hiding in one of the barns. We moved when I was 13 and he went to live with a nice family in a nearby farm community, and they did keep in touch with us. I never heard if they had to deal with this problem, but I suspect they did. There were no dog trainers around there at the time either. I hope you get some good advice here to help you and the poor dog! It sounds like there is more help available out there today than there was in my day, so hopefully you will find a solution.

I read somewhere that if you reassure and try and comfort your dog when it is afraid, you are reinforcing/rewarding the fearful behavior.

Maybe you can try to decondition your dog by playing a tape of a thunderstorm starting out very short amounts of time and very quietly. Play with your dog so he has fun during that time and sees that you are not worried. Each day that you do it increase the volume and time you play the tape a little bit at a time.

Hi J.!

My dog has anxiety. She has separation anxiety. She destroys things when we leave her, and when she is left in her crate she would try so hard to get out she would harm herself. My vet put her on Prozac. I can't say that she is a completely changed dog, but she is definitely better. I can leave her out when we leave the house without worrying about her chewing up my furniture.

She used to be so attached to us that she actually jumped into the shower with my husband, but now she'll lay quietly on our bed.

I am not sure if this will help with the firworks/storms sort of anxiety. I know there are some natural calming formulas out there for dogs. Also you could look into Bach Flower remedies as another natural, holistic approach.

Talk to your vet about it. You certainly don't want to tranquilize your dog all the time. Maybe Prozac will help.

I hope your little baby feels better soon.

My dog was 2 when I got her and I noticed when it storms she had her panic attacks, she would jump on the water bed, popped it once. Couldn't put her in her cage, she was worse. So I took her for a walk during a storm and calmed her, she is 7 now and she looks at me when it thunders and I revert her attention towards somethiing else, pet her and reassure her.

Oh - you're poor dog. It's hard to deal with this type of thing - especially when you love them - but don't want them tearing your house apart. We had a friend that had a lab & he had an anxiety disorder. Everytime they would leave him - he would just tear the house apart. If they were with him or someone else was with him - he was fine. He just couldn't deal with being left alone. They ended up putting him on a daily anxiety med & all was well. I guess it's similar to humans that take it daily for stress disorders. So I would talk to your vet about it & try it. I agree you can't medicate upon every firecracker or storm - it takes to long for the meds to kick in. You'll have to do something full time to help remedy his stress levels. Good Luck.

I once read that when animals get freaked out before/during a storm it is because of the electricity in the air. The article suggested rubbing them with a bounce sheet. Not sure if it works, but it's worth a try! Good luck!

Oh J.,
I feel your pain. It is so hard to watch your first baby be so upset, I know. I have a 13 year old border collie who has had lots of problems with fireworks and storms over the years (it started when she was about 5 years old).
We have given her ACE, a shortened name for the doggie tranquiliers and we only give her 1/4 of a pill at a time because she reacts ways to much to a full dose to the point where she can't walk. You can always try cracking the pills into a smaller piece to lessen the dose. Out Tara prefers hers in cheese.
I agree that this is not the best course of treatment when it is for the fireworks or a short passing through storm. Our vet in New Lenox recommended a natural sedative for her that is liquid. It just takes the edge off. We add it to her water and it has a calming effect without drugging her up. If we later feel that she needs more we can always add a quarter of a pill. The liquid is called "Homeopathic Anxiety TFLN" and can be put on bread or in wateror whatever to get her to take slowly or all at once. Good luck with your doggy.
J.

Jan,

I have an 8 year old Am. Staffordshire Terrior. He is the same way and has gotten so much worse over the years. It is driving me crazy because he wakes me up all night. I have not found anything that works.Just wanted to say your not alone and thanks for the question maybe someone can help me too.

T.

I have a 9 year old pekinese/pug mix who is getting worse and worse dealing with storms too. He paces and barks and shakes so bad I'm afraid he's going to have another stroke or a heart attack. (he had a stroke last year, unrelated to storms) I try to make sure he's always with someone during a storm who can sit with him and reassure him everything will be O.K. The key is to remain calm because if you start acting anxious he will pick up on that and be much worse. I've also been giving him "doggie downers" when needed, but I really don't like giving them, plus like you said, they usually don't kick in til it's too late! I also turn the TV on, especially at night so the lightning and thunder aren't so noticeable. I would definitely try the anti-anxiety meds as your dog sounds like the perfect candidate. It's better than having him stress out so bad all the time! Good luck!

Hi J.-
My in-laws actually have a dog with the same issues. Major anxiety, and during rain/thunderstorms will climb into ANYTHING to hide. He's climbed into toilets and ruined the dashboard of a car! They took him to the vet and now actually have him on Prozac. It has helped tremendously, although they do still have to be cautious during storms. They will kennel him during a storm. I don't now how expensive it is to have a dog on Prozac, but it did help them!

Morning J.. Sounds like you are having a tough time with your pouch!!!!! There is a product on the market called "content-um" which i believe you can get from petco. Its an nartural calming product and i have heard good things about it, so its worth a shot! good luck with it.