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[Guest GiJenn51]

It's not lightning. I wish it was. But I've got a HORRIBLY thunderphobic hound who just keeps getting worse. And in FL its not getting better. We've tried loud movies, Benedryl, touch, and today- ACE. I gave it to her about 40 minutes ago, just before the storm, and she's now shaking uncotrollably. She's mildly better, by not pacing, but I think its because she can't stand very well.

 

We've worked with her to make sure its not lightning-- and it is most definitely the thunder. Any help would be appreciated.

[Guest KyGrey]

Have you tried putting a t-shirt on her? That helped Lee so much. He is now a lot better. When things get really bad I also give him melatonin or benedryl but he seems to know the shirt helps him. I can post a pic of him in his shirt if you want. He now wears one 24-7 but that was his choice.

[Batmom]

I put Zema to bed and cover her up, all the way up to her eyebrows. She *asks* to be put to bed but usually won't do it herself, little weirdo:

 

 

 

She will usually stay in bed, under the covers, until the storm is over.

[Guest GiJenn51]

Jey-- great idea. Patty you too! But I already worry of her over heating. I've got a towel in the freezer for her all the time.

[Guest KyGrey]

Do you have a copy of Canine Lullabyes?

[Guest GiJenn51]

No---

[Batmom]

Jey-- great idea. Patty you too! But I already worry of her over heating. I've got a towel in the freezer for her all the time.

 

With the Ace on board you will want to watch that. But, at least for Zema, the cover doesn't have to be heavy. Even a bedsheet, one layer, will do.

 

First couple times I had to make her lie down but IIRC she stayed put once covered up. I didn't have a t-shirt or cape for her and she isn't much on clothes so I just tried the next best thing. Likely won't work for everybody but cheap and easy to try.

[Guest gr84me]

Have you thought about a storm coat?

 

One of my group members has a really thunderphobic dog and she swears by it.

[Burpdog]

It won't help today, but many have had good results with Xanax. I resorted to ace when Tootsie was well enough to try & go thru windows, but it is nasty stuff and just incapaciates them--I don't think it takes the fear away.....and it's back on my do not use list.

 

Tootsie really likes Dog Lullabies. She will stand in front of the CD player and has layed down next to it many times. Pablo will get under his dog bed if it's real bad. Grace goes to her crate or in front of the toilet.

[CaliforniaGreys]

Have you thought about a storm coat?

 

One of my group members has a really thunderphobic dog and she swears by it.

We don't have thunder here in the desert, but I know so many people who have had success with this coat. And t-shirts as well. I sure hope you find something that helps. I hate seeing them so afraid

[Ruth]

Try 3 MG of Meltaonin when the barometric pressure changes. It may not be thunder at all but change in the pressure BEFORE the storm even gets there. I have one that is very sensitive to the pressure, so bad we can't take her on any trip because of the mountains around us. Yep we use Melatonin. She is sensitive to things like lawnmowers and trimmers and noisy things but the fireworks don't bother her. Now go figure that one out. There was an article not long ago on Melatonin for seizure pups. If you are interested in it PM me and I'll send it.

 

Ruth

[Guest MorganKonaAlex]

We started desensitivity training with Kona but didn't get very far before our CD player ate the CD. It's a CD of thunder and you're suppose to play it very very softly during mealtime so the dog associates good things with the sound. If the dog shows any stress, you need to back off. Slowly increase the loudness of the CD. Might be worth a try.

[Guest Snowy8]

Have you tried putting a t-shirt on her? That helped Lee so much. He is now a lot better. When things get really bad I also give him melatonin or benedryl but he seems to know the shirt helps him. I can post a pic of him in his shirt if you want. He now wears one 24-7 but that was his choice.

I put tee shirts, and I've put a light flannel coat on Snowy & it worked fantastic! Another thing that worked really fast, I put her in a wire crate with a sheet over it. She instantly laid down & went to sleep.

[greyhndz]

I agree with Ruth about the melatonin, although you'll find that each individual hound will have its own individual response to any type of treatment.

 

Jenn, do you have a bathroom with an exhaust fan or a laundry room? What finally worked for Kody (stormphobic extraordinaire) was a combination of:

 

being in a closed-in environment with background noise - either a bathroom with an exhaust fan, or even better, a laundry room with the washer/dryer running.

 

Inderal 40mg (propranolol) given preferably at least an hour before a storm.

 

and Melatonin 3mg about 1/2 hr before the storm is due. (Also, and don't laugh, classical music!)

 

I tried him on xanax 2mg, valium 10mg, prozac - you name it. None of that helped, but other dogs have done well on those meds.

 

Good luck!

Jordan

[Guest Snowy8]

Jey-- great idea. Patty you too! But I already worry of her over heating. I've got a towel in the freezer for her all the time.

 

With the Ace on board you will want to watch that. But, at least for Zema, the cover doesn't have to be heavy. Even a bedsheet, one layer, will do.

 

First couple times I had to make her lie down but IIRC she stayed put once covered up. I didn't have a t-shirt or cape for her and she isn't much on clothes so I just tried the next best thing. Likely won't work for everybody but cheap and easy to try.

I got the covering the crate idea from Jey when she mentioned she covered Zema...Snowy wasn't into the covering up thing, so I put her in a crate & put a sheet over it, boom...laid right now & went to sleep. I left the opening of the crate open with the gate shut so she could still see out & see me...it seems like they need something over them.

[6greyhounds]

I put a thunder coat on Koolaid and she stops panting and shaking - they are very easy to make and if anyone wants directions on how to make them PM or e-mail me. A fleece thunder coat that I make if you hit it right at JoAnn Fabric will cost about $4.00 but then if you want to get fancy more

[CaliforniaGreys]

I put a thunder coat on Koolaid and she stops panting and shaking - they are very easy to make and if anyone wants directions on how to make them PM or e-mail me. A fleece thunder coat that I make if you hit it right at JoAnn Fabric will cost about $4.00 but then if you want to get fancy more

Ya think that would work for the trash truck? Wayne makes himself so sick he actually throws up...every trash day

[NHNora]

We tried LOTS of things for Nora (I-will-jump-through-windows-and-claw-down-the-door), and we were about to give up until we hit on the valium. That works good for her, but doesn't 100% take the fear away. Out of desperation last month, I bought a DAP and plugged it into the bathroom (where she'll sometimes go to on her own) and now the bathroom is like her doggie-cave. The DAP helps her calm down enough for the valium to really kick in and help her out. I was beginning to think all these things were just voodoo, until now I actually have seen results! (I still can't choke down the cost to try a storm defender cape. . . ) So you may find that a combination of meds and non-med methods will do the trick! It's only taken us FOUR YEARS of trial-and-error to get this far!

[RobinM]

Jen- I have tried all the natural remedies for Polli, the cape, a shirt \, a sheet over the top of a crate and finally I broke down and gave her valium which really helped. I wouldn't want to do it every day, but once in a while. In the meantime, if they are frequent, buy a CD of storms to try and desensitize.

Edited July 6, 2008 by RobinM

[Guest houndstooth4]

Lilac likes a cave. If we put a blanket over a crate, that will work. She also likes a nice bed in our hallway with the doors closed and the lights off. Sometimes she'll also go to the basement where it's dark and there's not a lot of light down there, either. We give her benedryl and sometimes it helps, and sometimes not. Usually we have to give it to her a little ahead of time for it to work.

[6greyhounds]

I put a thunder coat on Koolaid and she stops panting and shaking - they are very easy to make and if anyone wants directions on how to make them PM or e-mail me. A fleece thunder coat that I make if you hit it right at JoAnn Fabric will cost about $4.00 but then if you want to get fancy more

Ya think that would work for the trash truck? Wayne makes himself so sick he actually throws up...every trash day

Who knows even the Thunder Coats (Hilda named them that) don't work for all the hounds. When Koolaid starts we just talk to her telling her everything is okay and she can lay down and it usually work with her. First sould of thunder we put the coat on her.

[tbhounds]

Time to try Zanax

[MandysMom]

My Mandy has suffered from thunder phobia for some time. I tried the natural remedies and shirts/covers, but nothing seemed to really work. The DAP diffuser does help some. Well, we had a major series of storms about a month ago. Mandy got so freaked out, I was sure she was going to have a heart attack. I could see her heart trying to beat out of her chest. She had the frantic bug-eyed look, was pacing through the house, panting and drooling.

 

I took her to see our vet, who suggested we start with Amitriptyline (50mg every 12 hours) since she also has SA. We tried that, had some light storms about a week later and she was a tiny bit better. So, talked to the vet again, and we tried adding Xanax (1/2 of a .5 mg tablet to repeat every 4-5 hours as needed) to the mix on an as-needed basis for acute situations. We made it through July 4 with a thunderstom and some idiots setting off fireworks and firecrackers a few feet from our balcony. She definitely noticed the noise, but didn't get frantic. I'm hoping we are on the right track, I hate seeing her so upset.

 

Every dog is different, just like every person is different, but hopefully you can find the right mix for your baby!

 

Beverly

 

 

[Guest GiJenn51]

Well, I put a sheet on her, and it did help a bit. Now to try it with no ACE. Rather not use drugs if its not needed. She typically likes her cave, but I'd like to find a solution as to her phobia. It's not pressure or lightning. Its pure noise. She is used to the TV-- so I'll try the thunder noises on it---

[Devotion]

Hans used to be so scared of the thunder. It's like he could feel it not only hear it. I would leave my closet open with a blanket and he would go in there. He would bury himself in the blanket and stay until the horrible noise was gone. It seemed he became worse with age. There were times, I was worried he would give himself a heart attack he was that scared, but he was always ok. He would be so excited and wag his tail for hours when that monster was gone!!!!