Friday, June 19, 2009

Helping Your Dog's Anxiety Through Thunderstorm Season and Fireworks Displays

Hi ,

I don't know if this method works but for those who have tried everything else mentioned below it might be worth a shot.

Karen :)

Does your dog lose his cool during the hot storm seasons? Do you have trouble finding what to do about it? You're not alone. Noise canine anxiety is very common; more than five million dog owners are in the same situation. But finding a good treatment can be daunting. Most veterinarians suggest that two different treatments: drugs and / or modification of behaviors. While one of them could work for you, there are other treatment options to consider.

First, let's examine the possible disadvantages of extensive behavior modification training.

Behavior modification may work for your dog, but you must be aware of its limitations before starting what could become a long, expensive, and sometimes frustrating training process, both for you and your pet.

Behavior modification are often difficult and time-consuming even as most dog owners have no extra time to spend with their dog already. The time that could be given over to a happy summer walk in the park is instead now allotted to this task. Even if you have an excess of time, the dog training is not easy for many of us and cannot guarantee success, even with persistence. Many owners who experience a lot of success with training their dog to sit, shake, and not jump on visitors can still fail to train a dog's noise anxiety away, due to it being a more nuancial and less obvious objective. The desensitization by an expert can be professionally completed, and yet still fall short - and then, there's a bill remaining to pay.

A lot of the disadvantages of the drug solution to dog noise anxiety will be obvious, as they're the same as for humans: an often prohibitive cost with a need for regular resupply (every storm season in this case), and potential side effects, interactions, and even liver toxicity. Don't forget that just as we need a doctor's visit for a prescription, you'll need to go through a veterinarian, which is another annoying fee. One thing that makes drug administration to dogs far worse is the fact that you'd have trouble asking even the most intelligent of dogs how the drug makes them actually feel. You may be leaving your pup sadly dazed just to get them through the stresses of a storm and firework summer.

Two other problems with sedatives:
1. You have to anticipate the event in time to give a dose, which isn't always a possibility, leaving you unprepared and back at the same problem and
2. Your dog will be affected for hours after the storm has passed and may be a danger to herself, sedatives combined with physical activity can throw off your dog's usual coordination and could potentially result in a broken leg.

Have you heard of a dog anxiety treatment that is inexpensive, requires no training, has no negative side effects, and displays results in most dogs? This may sound like the too-miraculous boasts of of an infomercial, but it is a real alternative with a number of testimonials findable on the web or from knowledgeable vets. The use of pressure wraps or vests for the treatment of anxiety in animals has been around for years. Unfortunately, it remains not so well known, and many veterinarians are not aware of this remedy (or even of the certainty of the noise anxiety many dog owners have directly observed).

The purpose of these enveloping wraps are to create a slight pressure on the body of the dog. The current hypothesis is that this pressure gives a pleasant sensation for the dog (similar to them being held or having a blanket wrapped softly around) and / or distracts the dog from their fears. Many dogs show a great reduction or elimination of the symptoms of the first use of the cape. Some others may take some time to become acclimated and really benefit from it - but no drugs or arduous training are necessary, and so it seems worth serious consideration

In conclusion, if your dog suffers from dog noise anxiety disorder, your hopes include, but are not limited to, expensive drugs or an elaborate training process. It is fortunate that there are simpler treatments to try to save you time and money and avoid potential side effects of drugs. Try pressure wraps, or try a combination of treatments, but make sure and show your dog you love them by giving them comfort and years of joy.

Tom is an amateur comedic writer, Shakespeare scholar, and servant to his three dogs. He has found the pressure wrap called the Thundershirt from http://www.thundershirt.com to be the best dog anxiety treatment for thunderstorms and other loud noises.

1 comment:

Drmsnatchr said...

Rescue Remedy works really great for Thunderstorms too