jfaircloth Posted August 7, 2018 Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 Our border collie, Gomer, is so dang scared of storms, and it just gets worse as he ages. We've tried natural remedies, the Thundershirt, Xanax, Klonopin, and now Trazodone. The Trazodone seems to be helping a little but we're struggling with getting to the right dose. I've recently heard about Sileo, which is specifically for dogs with noise aversion. I have one friend who's tried it on her terriers and swears by it, but I was wondering if anyone with an extremely thunder-phobic Border Collie has tried it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted August 7, 2018 Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 Have you tried doing a search? I'm sure it's been discussed in another thread, and IIRC one of the vets on the Boards contributed to the conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfaircloth Posted August 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2018 Thank 6 minutes ago, GentleLake said: Have you tried doing a search? I'm sure it's been discussed in another thread, and IIRC one of the vets on the Boards contributed to the conversation. Thanks for the suggestion! There are only a couple of threads and they're 2 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted August 8, 2018 Report Share Posted August 8, 2018 I looked into Sileo but gave up on that idea when I saw the cost. And it only lasts 3 or 4 hours. But the reviews were really good. People said the dog just wasn't nervous any more. That would be nice My dogs get Trazodone 100 mg. My 32 lb. dog gets 1 pill and my 40 + lb. boys get 1 and a half. It lasts about 12 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted August 8, 2018 Report Share Posted August 8, 2018 I have a friend who used it on her extremely thunderphobic border collie with good results. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfaircloth Posted August 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2018 1 hour ago, Tommy Coyote said: I looked into Sileo but gave up on that idea when I saw the cost. And it only lasts 3 or 4 hours. But the reviews were really good. People said the dog just wasn't nervous any more. That would be nice My dogs get Trazodone 100 mg. My 32 lb. dog gets 1 pill and my 40 + lb. boys get 1 and a half. It lasts about 12 hours. Tommy, our guy weighs about 45 lbs and when we tried 100 mg on him, he got so extremely sedated that we had a hard time waking him up. Maybe we just need to try again. I’m also going to ask our vet about Sileo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 I wouldn't try again until you talk to your vet. He may be having a bad reaction to the drug. My dogs just mostly sleep but they wake up right away and are alert . May not be the right drug for you. Have you tried xanax? That works pretty well for some dogs. Just plain old melatonin works for some dogs. Just be sure it does not have xylitol in it. For some reason some companies are adding xylitol and that is very toxic to dogs and cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 All my dogs have been scared of thunder. My vet told me I could give them 1 mg/lb of body weight of Benedryl ~ generic is diphenhydramine. Knocks my current boy out if I give my current boy the whole dose, so he gets 1/2 to 3/4 of a pill. Very inexpensive if you buy generic, and there's a children's liquid version. That's easier for some people. Ruth & Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrecar Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 Re Trazodone, my vet has me work up to the 100 mg for my 55 lb Aussie/BC mix by giving her 50 mg per day for three days prior to the 4th of July (when she needs it), then 100 mg on the 4th and on the ‘festive’ days that follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 4th of July is a BIG day here, too. And, New Year's Eve there are fireworks about 6 -7 miles away that we hear very clearly, thank you. I always have benedryl in the house. It's OTC, and I'll take a half of one if I'm having trouble sleeping. Great stuff. And, a friend's dog is seriously allergic to wasp stings. Her vet told her to keep liquid benedryl on hand, (I think you're supposed to keep it in the fridge) and if Pony gets bitten again, to give her about 30 mg and THEN get her to the vet. So good for a lot of things. Ruth & Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrecar Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 I cannot edit my post, so I just want to add that I agree with Tommy. I wouldn’t give Trazodone again had my dog reacted with extreme sedation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 There is a warning out on Sileo. The dosing mechanism needs to be locked securely into place or an overdose is possible. Just a heads up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfaircloth Posted August 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 Thanks for all the advice and responses. I’m definitely planning on talking to our vet. We are fortunate that she is willing to work with us to find the right solution. We did try Xanax; it works but can wear off quickly. Benadryl has zero effect. I did hear about the dosage issues with Sileo, which convinced me to try Trazodone first. We’ll just keep plugging away at it until we figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfaircloth Posted August 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 Quick update: we’re having an extended round of storms here in NC right now. I gave him a half a Trazodone a little over 2 hours ago, and he is getting calmer. We just had a giant thunderclap and he barely flinched. YES!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 That's some good news! Ruth & Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 Great. I was going to suggest trying a lower dose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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