Thunderphobia

[Guest Greensleeves]

Susan took the words out of my mouth--er, fingers!

 

Yep: EXERCISE! After the storm is over, a quick, brisk walk outside to burn off some of that nervous energy can work wonders. I know when I'm edgy (I have phobias), I need to get up and *move,* exercise, scrub the house, do SOMETHING, because sitting still and worrying just makes it worse.

 

Whistler used to have a hard time "coming down" after a stressful vet visit. The vet recommended I take him outside every hour to two hours and walk him round the cul-de-sac until he calmed down.

[Guest Winterwish]

Oh Greensleeves and Susan,I agree.

 

Edited August 16, 2008 by Winterwish

[krissn333]

Sounds like he's chilled out now but wanted to answer some of your questions. We have used Xanax on a few dogs at the kennel in the past. I am not sure of the dosage on that, maybe someone that has used it will know that (or something to ask the vet about). I think it was half a pill, but I don't know if the pills come in different dosages. Actually we used it a couple of times on SusanP's Zippy when she was still at the kennel!

 

The biggest fear I would have with him not being able to calm down is the possibility of overheating...they hyperventilate and you can actually see them turning red sometimes (belly/chest is the best place to see this). Something you can do if you're worried about that & the power goes out is soak some large towels in cold water, and place them in the freezer while it's still cold...drape them over him if he won't lie down, if he will, you can drape it over his chest/belly or wad it up and place it on key points on the body - under his armpits and in the area between his rear legs and his, erm, private parts. You can also use ice packs for this too if you have them handy.

 

I am most fortunate to only have to deal with upset dogs when there are fireworks...storms don't seem to bother them at all. However, I have a friend with an extremely thunderphobic dog and she keeps a DAP collar on her all through storm season, it really makes a difference, because no matter where she goes, the DAP is with her...might be something to try.

[Guest SillyDog]

Poor babe .

 

The thing I worry about is overheating. (Also panicking and trying to escape, but none of mine do that.)

 

Batmom,I can't imagine what would happen if we lost power - that would mean the ac,and even fans. Just across the street they have no power,and thru' out the area here and there is no power.

can you imagine if I couldn't cool him?

 

Nancy,I know you mentioned you guys didn't get that storm,but it was terrible. I was scared too.

 

But Dreamer needs to be able to rest. I just made him a hamburger and he ate a bite and that all. Like when you're very upset,want to eat,try,but can't.

 

Does anyone know if I should I call my brother to have him bring me a xanax for him? He offered to do that. Would that be okay? That's what I was going to get a prescription for,or at least ask about it.

 

 

I give my 11 yr old Xanax for car rides & vet trips. It's safe, but it'd be a good idea to get it fromthe vet. If I take Xanax it's .25mg to .5 mg. The vet prescribed 2 mg, which was a smidge too much for Prancer and now he'll be on 1-1.5 mg. She said the dosing is hard to get right because, in general, dogs need a lot more than people, but some dogs are more affected by it than others. Prancer looked like he'd had a couple of beers & 6 tequila shooters on the 2 mg. I had to carry him around using a harness from 9am to 4pm when he finally got his land legs back. He was so uncoordinated he couldn't even sit down right. Later on that afternoon he was walking in a diagonal line! I had to stay home from work to make sure he wouldn't hurt himself. So, unless you're prepared to carry around a dog that's high as a kite, go to your vet first, and test the dosage before the storm on a day you don't have to be anywhere.

 

 

I really hope you all don't get more storms any time soon. Poor Dreamer and poor you! It's just horrible when you have no control over something they're phobic about. I hope he continues to get better.

[Guest Winterwish]

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Edited August 16, 2008 by Winterwish

[Guest SillyDog]

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Sillydog,thank you,I agree. Even tho' I've been a nurse for some time now,I still was hesitiant about it,so I said I couldn't give him one unless the veterinarian ok'd it.

It's just that after so many hours,and Dream still intensly anxious,I wondered if I should just go ahead and ask my brother to bring one or 2 over for him.

Or one for him and one for me!

 

 

No problem. I understand how hard it is when they suffer, whether from pain or fear. Hope he's feeling better now and that you find something that will help him out before the next storm.

[Cynthia]

I feel for you and Dreamer. My Dannie is a severe thunderphobic. She was returned after two years because it had generalized. July and August are very tough months for her, and I do use Xanax which is an anti-anxiety. I saw someone posted that they use Ace. Be careful with that as it really just sedates the dog and it can increase their fear as it does nothing for the anxiety and drugs them so that they can't act out. Sedatives are not good solutions for managing anxiety.

 

I've also been giving Dannie extra vitamin C as that inhibits cortisol (fear hormone). With all of the variables I've introduced (more exercise, raw diet, living with other dogs, structure, training, counter-conditioning) it's hard to tell what helps, but in this worst part of the storm season she is not vibrating as badly as last year, and I don't need to put bath towels under her head to catch the drool. She will also take really interesting food if we're not right in the middle of a storm. Sometime it was so bad last year that she did not 'come back' until half way through the next day. This year, I can get her to come downstairs for supper as long as the food is offered in her crate in the basement. The basement is a shelter and the crate is a shelter. She also likes the bathtub. It's important to let them go where they feel most comfortable.

 

Here's an article from Whole Dog Journal on anxiety meds. Click on 'anxiety medications' at the top of the page.

 

WDJ Anxiety Article

 

At the bottom of the WDJ article are more links. A very important article for you to read and print and possibily share with your vet is the one by by Karen Stoverall, VMD. She provides excellent detailed information to help you understand how drugs work and how to administer appropriately to help your dog. She also has a lot to say about the inappropriate use of Ace, explaining that it is a sedative that heightens the sense of hearing and scrambles perceptions. She believes that the death of her mother's phobic dog could have been prevented with anti anxiety meds.

 

Good luck to you with Dreamer. My older dog (Monty, 12) had moderate thunderphobia when he was 10 and he is now 99% better with just the use of a storm cape and some counterconditioning. He rarely needs the cape now and barely reacts to most storms. I hope Dreamer is like Monty (and not like Dannie) and can get past this with a little help from you. But please read the articles, I think you will find the Stoverall article very informative.

Edited August 11, 2007 by Cynthia