Sorienew Posted July 5, 2018 Report Share Posted July 5, 2018 My 13 YO BC is afraid of both! what do you do for your dog to help keep the calm during both. It may seem to late to ask about fireworks but they go on in our town for a week later. UHG!!!!! Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted July 5, 2018 Report Share Posted July 5, 2018 Ever since my first border collie over 35 years ago, I have never been without at least one dog that not frightened by them. Some have been terrified. There are a number of things you can try, with various effectiveness depending on the dog. I use melatonin for my current dog. Make sure it's pure melatonin and doesn't have anything added to it. Dosage for a medium size dog is 3 mg, but you can safely double it. It's for occasional rather than long term use. I give it about 1/2 to an hour before storms or fireworks are anticipated. It doesn't work for all dogs but for him it takes the edge off enough so that he's worried (and wants to cuddle) but not terrified. I've heard of dogs it does nothing for, so you'd have to try it. Fortunately it's cheap and it's safe, a chemical the brain already makes. There are a number of calming treats with different combinations of ingredients, so you may have to experiment to see what works. Most are available in pet stores or on line. Rescue Remedy. I sometimes combine this with melatonin for fireworks or heavy thunderstorms, especially now that Bodhi's more frightened as he's getting older. Adaptil or other pheromone product. Ditto with combining it. Body wraps like ThunderShirts and other brands help many dogs. I've never tried one. If all else fails, talk to the vet about medication. Side note: I know all the advice about not "coddling" a dog that's afraid. Sound advice for some fears, especially during puppy and adolescent fear stages. But IMO this is different. It's biological in origin and the dog has no real thought process going into this. So if my dog wants to be cuddled I cuddle and comfort him. I even hug him tightly during the worst of it. It does make a difference; I can feel him relax somewhat and the panting slows dramatically. I started this based on something I read by Temple Grandin about firm hugs being effective in calming autistic children. And, of course, my own compassion won't allow me to just ignore my dog in those moments of fear (again, not talking about most other kinds of fears) if there's something I can do to help alleviate it. Wishing you the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted July 5, 2018 Report Share Posted July 5, 2018 You can also try diphenhydramine - generic for Benedryl. Veterinary recommendation is 1 mg/lb of body weight. Pills come in 25 mg size, so for my 40 lb dog I use 1 and a half tablets. It's over the counter, BTW, no prescription necessary. And cheap. I use it as a sleep aid myself when I'm having trouble w/staying asleep. I tried a thunder wrap on Gibbs last night and don't think it did much good. The diphenhydramine does take a bit to kick in. That, combined w/the sound of very loud fireworks sounding like they were right next door, was pretty rough. Gibbs didn't care for being held at all. I stayed where he could see me, put on some soft music. The meds took about 20 minutes to take effect, and then he was just drowsy. His ears would prick up when there was another boom, but he'd lost that wild-eyed look. I really don't like fireworks either. Ruth & GIbbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baderpadordercollie Posted July 5, 2018 Report Share Posted July 5, 2018 About the "not coddling" thing: here is an article that I found interesting and helpful. https://eileenanddogs.com/cant-reinforce-fear/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynep Posted July 5, 2018 Report Share Posted July 5, 2018 Rey, my 2 year old BC is scared of storms and fireworks. I had a Gordon Setter previously that was just the same. We use Composure Pro by VetriScience that’s sold by our vet. It seems to take the edge off and then Rey will lay next to me making sure she is touching me. That’s about the best we have been able to do. Those two things and she will stay put and chill out and not shake very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 The Thundershirt helps our Dan. It doesn't eliminate the problem but definitely takes the edge off his discomfort and makes the loud noises more tolerable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 15 hours ago, waynep said: Those two things and she will stay put and chill out and not shake very much. Just so you're aware, if she's shaking at all she's not chilling out. Sometimes taking the edge off so the dog's not terrified is about all we can do. And it's a big improvement over the alternative. As I mentioned above, my dog's definitely still nervous with what I do to help, but he's not panicking and can at least cope with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sorienew Posted July 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 Thanks for your feed back. You've all been very helpful. I thought I was just being over sensitive!! Birdie has the shirt on as we speak as there is a storm with loud thunder. Poor girl she can't win. I don't think the shirt is helping but this is the first time I've used it. DH thought she needed it after watching her eyes 2 nights in a row with fireworks. I'm going to put the shirt on her tonight again (when the fireworks start and they will) and I'm going to go ahead and give her the calming drug (its all natural) I've given her for a long time. I don't think it will be to much. I'll be watching close. She's not much of a hugger either! It really seems to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denice Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 I have found lights on in the house help especially for lightening and thunder, tv or radio on, air conditioner so windows are closed all help. Thundershirts also help. Some dogs I crate in the same room with me, some just hunker down somewhere. I do not let them out in the fenced yard near dark around the 4th without me also. if really scared I would also leash them but we just have dinner and go out earlier while it is daylight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 3 hours ago, Sorienew said: I don't think the shirt is helping but this is the first time I've used it. DH thought she needed it after watching her eyes 2 nights in a row with fireworks. Well, here's the rub. By this point the triggers may have stacked enough that she may be beyond its really being able to help her much. These days of double storm/fireworks whammies are awful for these noise phobic dogs (trifecta in much opf the country with extreme temps that have also stressed the dogs). Thundershirts don't work for all dogs. It's hard to say if it might help at a later date after all the current commotion dies down. You might get different results if you try it again later when things are just starting up (or better yet, when you know they're coming but before they've begun) before she's had a couple days to build her stress hormones up. They'll take several days to dissipate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynep Posted July 8, 2018 Report Share Posted July 8, 2018 On 7/6/2018 at 8:58 AM, GentleLake said: Just so you're aware, if she's shaking at all she's not chilling out. Sometimes taking the edge off so the dog's not terrified is about all we can do. And it's a big improvement over the alternative. Yes I understand. She seems about as content as possible laying next to me during these things and doesn’t want to run off somewhere else. She does like the bedroom so we will go there and lay on the bed and watch tv when there is a storm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sorienew Posted July 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2018 Well we used the thunder shirt (after the 4th) but lots of loud ones going off. It works great. I really never expected it to. But she wasn't even shaking after the second day of getting used to it. I'm so grateful not having to drug her anymore. But will keep them on hand just in case! Thanks all I hope all your doggies survived the 4th ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.