12 replies to this topic

[RoseAmy]

Just wondered if anyone has ever tried these. I stopped at the pet store to pick up some fish oil and noticed some. On a whim I bought some to try on my one dog.

Lass has always been very excitable and so much of her training time is spent on enforcing the stop and keeping her head in the right spot. Well it's been three days and I'm not sure if its working but this morning when I took her to sheep she was so relaxed and focused it was unbelievable. Yes she was still a fast and high powered dog but she was just so willing to work as a team and stay focused.

Just wondered if anyone else has ever tried these and what their results were.

[Cyberdog]

I thought it was all a scam so I looked up some studies on DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheramone) and it seems like it works! Now they make sprays, collars, and diffusers with the stuff.

[SS Cressa]

Idk. It doesnt ever seem to help my anxious high boy. Or at least i never notice a difference with him. And neither of my dogs like it. As in when i spray it in a room or area, they tend to avoid that area. I got mine from the vet though.

[RoseAmy]

This isn't dap. It's a combination of different herbs..Comes in a little dog biscuit you feed one per 10 pounds of weight up to six a day.

Like I said I bought them on a whim..don't really believe these things work..but it does seem to allow her to focus better.

[Smalahundur]

This isn't dap. It's a combination of different herbs..Comes in a little dog biscuit you feed one per 10 pounds of weight up to six a day.

Like I said I bought them on a whim..don't really believe these things work..but it does seem to allow her to focus better.

Oh, like hash brownies...

[waffles]

If they are the same ones my local store sells they are made by Pet Naturals and they have L-Theanine in them. When we first discovered Levi was petrified of fireworks I researched every calming product out there and Theanine kept coming up as one of the best natural remedies that worked. I went to our local health food store and got a bottle of L-Theanine (these are tablets for humans and he gets one or 2 a day when we hear fireworks). I did see a noticeable difference. Everything I read said it can take a couple weeks to really see a difference but in a couple days he was able to hear fireworks and be able to eat food and be out of hiding in the house, something that wasn't happening before. The human tablets are much cheaper in the long run than the treats and you can give a higher dosage if needed.

[Jumpin Boots]

I haven't personally used items like this, but we have a few clients dogs who use DAP and seem happy with it. The Feliway spay for cats seems pretty awesome, we've had some very fractious cats that after spraying a blanket with Feliway and laying it over them are able to be handled!

I've heard really good things about Thundershirts; you see them all over at agility trials. A friend of mine has an older dog who is typically a nervous/shaky mess when away from home, who is definately improving.

Apparently royal canin now has a dog and cat food called 'calm' too...

[Cyberdog]

I was asking the vet techs at work about Composure treats. L- Theanine is a serotonergic agonist. Its a really mild one like tryptophan in turkey. Prozac is a selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitor, so it has similiar ( but waaaay stronger) effects on the brain.

[beachdogz]

Is any of this like Rescue Remedy?

[Root Beer]

Is any of this like Rescue Remedy?

Yes and no. Rescue Remedy is a mixture of flower essences. Some people and dogs actually are calmed by it, but it doesn't work at all for others.

The DAP is a synthetic version of the pheromone that is secreted, I believe, by the mother dog while pups are nursing. It is something altogether different from Rescue Remedy, but results do vary. Some dogs are helped greatly, others not at all.

L-Theanine was described well by Cyberdog above. It's a supplement. I've heard really good things about it, and I wish I had known about it back when I was trying all of these things for Dean's noise phobia years ago. He is on prescription meds, but I wish I had known to give L-Theanine a try at that point.

The Thundershirt is non-chemical and is like an anxiety wrap, giving dogs a feeling of security by the tightness of the fabric around the torso. Many people get good results from it.

All of these options, along with many others, are pretty different from one another. If one doesn't work, it is worth trying another.

[rushdoggie]

Is any of this like Rescue Remedy?

Well, there's a little actual positive research behind L-Theanine whereas there's no real evidence flower essences do much of anything. (I am a flower essence/homeopathy skeptic and have spent a long time reading about them.)

[Sasha's Mom]

My old Shepard takes "Shen Calmer," which is a Chinese herbal blend. It was apparently developed for horses, but my vet (who does complimentary medicine) thought it would be worth a try for his dementia and mild anxiety. I think it's a subtle improvement, but once when I ran out, his wandering and random barking and getting stuck in rooms seemed worse. So he gets his dementia herbs for now.

[mickif]

My old Shepard takes "Shen Calmer," which is a Chinese herbal blend. It was apparently developed for horses, but my vet (who does complimentary medicine) thought it would be worth a try for his dementia and mild anxiety. I think it's a subtle improvement, but once when I ran out, his wandering and random barking and getting stuck in rooms seemed worse. So he gets his dementia herbs for now.

I started my, sometimes over the top, boy on Shen Calmer about 6 weeks ago. After a couple of weeks I really saw a difference in his focus without losing his zest for life, and even his breathing slowed when resting (he can be a real nut bag and reactive ). We started on 2 2x a day but it appeared to be a bit too much, dropped him to 1 2x a day and am watching to see if this is a good dose. I have tried everything, and this is the first time I have seen an improvement. He seems much more at ease with life in general without effecting his drive and fun way of being. Thumbs up for Shen Calmer!