alligande Posted July 2, 2012 Report Share Posted July 2, 2012 This year I am going to try Rescue Remedy to see if it helps him be a little less uncomfortable tomorrow and Wednesday with all those nasty fireworks going off. I have never used it before and have no idea of what is the best way to give it to him, how much, how often etc. His firework phobia has been getting worse and this is the first year that we have decided that we have to stay home to keep him company, does not seem fair to go out when one of your dogs is hiding behind the couch looking miserable. For years we only had organized displays and the occasional random fireworks, now they are legal poor Brody is miserable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waffles Posted July 2, 2012 Report Share Posted July 2, 2012 Rescue Remedy is from a flower and you could technically give your dog as much as you want without harming him (so I have been told). I do think the bottle says to start with several drops though. I don't know anyone who says RR has helped their dog though. Last year when I discovered my dog had a severe phobia of fireworks I did a lot of research and decided on L_Theanine. There are a couple of dog treats out there that have Theanine in it and are marketing as 'calming' treats. I found it a lot cheaper to just go to our local health food store and buy a bottle of L-Theanine. From what I researched, 50-100mg (I gave him 100mg) was recommended plus they recommend giving it to your dog a few weeks ahead of time. I personally found that it did help bring my dog back to a more normal state during the fireworks season (which lasted almost all summer here), plus I didn't use it for weeks ahead of time-in just about a week we started to notice changes in his behavior after hearing fireworks. Here is a quick bit of info on it: http://reactivechampion.blogspot.com/2010/06/supplements-for-reactive-dogs-part-2.html Hope this helps, even for next year. I understand how awful it is to watch your dog suffer when you know they are safe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted July 2, 2012 Report Share Posted July 2, 2012 I wouldn't recommend it, honestly...there's never been one study that showed it had anything other than a placebo effect and while placebo effects are useful in people, I don;t think you will help your dog much. I would consider the L_Theanine or melatonin if your dogs reactions are not severe, and if he is really scared see a vet and get some Xanax or Valium to help. Your dog will feel a lot better and so will you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted July 2, 2012 Report Share Posted July 2, 2012 Yes ^^ I agree with Rushdoggie. I have valium for Kipp. It takes the edge off and he can relax. I'm thinking about giving the melatonin a try now since fireworks are only in the distance here and he seems to have gotten a bit better about noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted July 2, 2012 Report Share Posted July 2, 2012 For an all natural, safe, over the counter product try some dog appeasing pheromones. This product comes in collars, spray and a diffuser. I've been trying it on my phobic dog at home and so far have been quite pleased. It does not take the place of his meds, but does help take some of the edge off. Adaptil is available in the USA both at vet hospitals and some pet stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted July 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2012 Thanks for everyone's input, hopefully I can get to the health food store tomorrow and buy some L_Theanine, Brody's symptoms are not severe he just looks miserable and either hides behind the couch or tries to get under the coffee table, certainly not a candidate for Valium . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 Brody's symptoms are not severe he just looks miserable and either hides behind the couch or tries to get under the coffee table, certainly not a candidate for Valium . I think I make the same post every year but I will say it again. Don't think about anti anxiety meds as a "last resort." If your dog is afraid, he will benefit from medication to prevent him from being afraid. Theres nothing normal about fireworks, theres nothing abnormal about him being afraid. The anti anxiety meds Xanax and Valium (and their generic equivalents) only sedate dogs a little and can help them a lot. Some dogs can get worse with continued, unpredictable exposure. Certainly try the OTC stuff but if it doesn't help him feel better, then consider meds. I owned 2 dogs who were afraid and I resisted, and once I saw how much happier the first one was with some medication, I didn't hesitate with the second. I'm lucky now that the two dogs I have left don't get very upset, but I still stress about the fireworks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 Don't think about anti anxiety meds as a "last resort." If your dog is afraid, he will benefit from medication to prevent him from being afraid. Theres nothing normal about fireworks, theres nothing abnormal about him being afraid. The anti anxiety meds Xanax and Valium (and their generic equivalents) only sedate dogs a little and can help them a lot. Some dogs can get worse with continued, unpredictable exposure. Certainly try the OTC stuff but if it doesn't help him feel better, then consider meds. Agree!! Valium keeps Kipp from stressing out over storms. He went on it after a particularly strong storm made him go from relatively okay with storms to a anxious wreck about them almost overnight. I asked the vet about drugs the next day and have had valium on hand ever since. Anxiety feeds anxiety and I didn't want it to get worse. Storms still bother him a little, but he can cope with them after I give him his pill. He can curl up and relax in a pretty normal manner. And he's gotten a bit better about them - if it's in the distance I can just give him a stuffed kong now and he's okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 While I agree that a dog suffering from acute anxiety due to situational stress will likely get help with the "big guns" Valium & Xanax, I don't agree that Rescue Remedy is useless for dogs. I have know several people who had good results using it for dogs that were all keyed up going into Field Trial situations, and some who had results with noise-phobic dogs. I have used it successfully on dogs that were stressed by riding in cars. There was a definite improvement in their state of mind in cars. There has been at least one study that showed some positive effect of Rescue Remedy for reducing anxiety levels in (human) subjects with severe situational anxiety. http://chp.sagepub.com/content/12/1/3.abstract I suffer from anxiety and panic disorder myself, and while what I reach for when hit by a panic attack is Xanax, if it wasn't available I wouldn't turn up my nose at Rescue Remedy. It has been a help at times for both me and my pets. I also know people who have had good experiences with the Thundershirt, or just a plain T-shirt that was snugged up tight around the dog's torso. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 Sorry, Geonni, if I offended you by what I said, if it works for you then I say more power to you. Its not a matter of "turning up my nose" or looking down on anyone. I have done a lot of research into flower essences (I had a epileptic dog) and haven't found much (including the study you posted)that demonstrated anything other than a placebo effect. the Google Scholar pageI take this stuff seriously. But I stand by my point that the "big guns" are perfectly appropriate and should not be a last resort. If your dog is stressed, and you can make him feel better, why wouldn't you do it? Especially knowing that continued exposure can make a noise phobia worse. It isn't going to hurt your dog or have a long term negative effect, and its not expensive. It is not a reflection on your qualification or skills as a dog owner. I have never understood people's reluctance to try the drugs. And yes, I forgot the Thundershirt which can work really well for some dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 Sorry, Geonni, if I offended you by what I said, if it works for you then I say more power to you. Its not a matter of "turning up my nose" or looking down on anyone. I have done a lot of research into flower essences (I had a epileptic dog) and haven't found much (including the study you posted)that demonstrated anything other than a placebo effect. the Google Scholar pageI take this stuff seriously. But I stand by my point that the "big guns" are perfectly appropriate and should not be a last resort. If your dog is stressed, and you can make him feel better, why wouldn't you do it? Especially knowing that continued exposure can make a noise phobia worse. It isn't going to hurt your dog or have a long term negative effect, and its not expensive. It is not a reflection on your qualification or skills as a dog owner. I have never understood people's reluctance to try the drugs. And yes, I forgot the Thundershirt which can work really well for some dogs. No offense taken, Rushdoggie! Just hate to see someone toss out a possibility without hearing different views... For awhile when I first got Sugarfoot I thought of trying her out on Xanax - she was a mess! But she just kept getting better and better with behavioral stuff and lots of love, (and occasional doses of Rescue Remedy), so I never got around to checking into the dosage by weight. It would be a handy thing to know though... If I ever get to go back to Hawaii it would be great to dose her for the flight. I'm sure that would be stressful for her. Me too, and I know where the plane lands! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 I wouldn't recommend it, honestly...there's never been one study that showed it had anything other than a placebo effect and while placebo effects are useful in people, I don;t think you will help your dog much. Some ideas on the placebo effect in animals - http://skeptivet.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/placebo-effect-in-animals-and-their.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted July 3, 2012 Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 I'm not sure if this is an illustration of the placebo effect or not, but I once had a rough Collie that had a foreleg injury. We took him to the vet and he was duly treated, including a bandage. We were told he should be better in a week or so. Poor Chip... He was limping and looking sorry for himself, so we all made a big fuss over him and he got extra treats and cuddles. Two weeks later he was limping as badly as ever. We called the vet and told him what was going on. The vet said to remove the bandage and put it on the other foreleg. We thought this odd, but did as he asked. No sooner had the bandage been shifted to the other leg, Chip began to limp on the newly bandaged leg. His injured leg was all healed. Albert Payson Terhune said that Collies are psychic. I have seen enough to believe it's true. Double for my Border Collie. Maybe when I gave Rescue Remedy to my dogs they somehow got that I expected them to feel better, so they expected to feel better too. Who knows... I say, if it works, don't fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted July 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2012 I have been thinking about what everyone said about Valium etc and next time I am at the vet I will ask her for some, to late for this year but we will be prepared. The hardest fireworks to deal with are the random backyard ones, you never no when or how many, I have really started to hate the change in the law, it was so much more peaceful before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TucsonBC Posted July 4, 2012 Report Share Posted July 4, 2012 Hi All, We use Hyland's Calms Forte for our BC's to help with storm anxiety and fireworks. It is a homeopathic remedy that over time greatly decreased their storm anxiety. Available at most health food stores. Kind regards, Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonetotervs Posted July 4, 2012 Report Share Posted July 4, 2012 When I was in Germany and buying rescue remedy for my dogs, the instructions indicated that the person administering the drops to their dogs had to believe in their efficacy. It certainly sounded to me as though even the company knew it was marketed a product via placebo effects. I've had good experiences with Valium for my dogs when needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted July 4, 2012 Report Share Posted July 4, 2012 Albert Payson Terhune said that Collies are psychic. I seriously doubt it - they just read us better than we read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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