Issues W/ Italy

[Guest SuperiorItaly]

Hey all -

 

Hope everyone had a great 4th. We've recently run into a few issues with Italy and I wanted to get your take on them:

 

1. We had a bad storm 3 weeks ago that has rattled her with everything now. Last night we had a little storm and she walked back to her bed in my room and just shakes and pants. And 4th of July was obviously not a fun night for her. We gave her 6-7 of those chamomile chews before we left for a party. We came back and she was in her bed doing the same thing and even as we went to bed right next to her she was shaking and panting. I sprayed her neck and collar with some of that aromatherapy calming spray but that didn't do anything either.

 

2. And maybe because of #1, she's afraid of going outside. Monday she did not want to go out at night. We took her out at 3ish for a long walk and tried to take her out at 9 or so and she got to the top of the stairs and I had to push her butt get down the stairs. Then when she got to the landing, she turned around and walked up the stairs back into the condo. Good news is that she held it from 3 pm Monday to 8 am Tuesday. This morning was the same deal. She didn't act like she was in a hurry to go outside and I had to coax her down the stairs. I'd reward her with treats, but that doesn't help, which leads me to...

 

3. Doesn't seem like she's eating a whole lot lately. I know she's especially sensitive to heat and I know that when it's really hot I'm not exactly hungry. She'll eat maybe 1 cup of her Pro Plan throughout the day. I've stopped mixing it with yogurt or pumpkin because I don't want it to get soggy. So even when offered treats, she doesn't go nuts for them.

 

All in all, her demeanor doesn't seemed to have changed. She's still cuddly and hyper sometimes but seems a little quicker to cower down if there is a big noise or if we're walking in with a bunch of grocery bags or something. It's been a rough month with storms, firecrackers, and heat so maybe she's just a little rattled.

 

The good news is that I am back in the office and she's all adjusted with her SA. She no longer barks and freaks out when I leave which is nice.

[Guest SuperiorItaly]

Oh and any time there is a storm, I act like nothing is wrong and talk to her so she doesn't think I'm stressed out about it. But that doesn't seem to help.

[Guest Energy11]

Italy sounds like our Cari. Ever since a few of the big storms, if it is even overcast, she refuses to go out.

 

We are going to take her to a GH savvy vet that was recommended in our area for a full physical and bloodwork, to rule out thyroid issues. Personally, I think she might need to be put on Prozac or something like it. Cari comes with a past though. When in Florida, during one of the hurricanes, the roof of her racing kennel fell in, and of course, the females are on the top! She ALWAYS looks up!!!

 

I'd probably suggest a vet visit for Italy, and explain everything to him/her, that you did here. I'd also suggest a good exam and bloodwork. It DOES sound like she is traumatized, though.

 

Sending you and Italy lots of hugs!

Edited July 7, 2010 by Energy11

[TheFullHouse]

Sounds like the last month has been a little much for her. You might try giving her some melatonin to take the edge off. Sometimes that's all it takes to calm them down enough so you can again work on getting her out at night without a struggle and get her eating again. I know if there is even a hint of a storm at meal time, Bebe will refuse to eat. It takes her a few hours to get her appetite back after the storm has passed.

[Guest SuperiorItaly]

Sounds like the last month has been a little much for her. You might try giving her some melatonin to take the edge off. Sometimes that's all it takes to calm them down enough so you can again work on getting her out at night without a struggle and get her eating again. I know if there is even a hint of a storm at meal time, Bebe will refuse to eat. It takes her a few hours to get her appetite back after the storm has passed.

 

Thanks. The problem is that even if I dip a little melatonin pill in PB, she'll come up and sniff it for a sec and walk away. I have been leaving that for her in her food when I'm going to be gone for a while.

[DevilDog]

You may just have to pop that pill down her throat. Hold her muzzle up, open the trap, drop that pill in as far as possible, and hold her mouth shut and gently massage the throat. They can be sneaky sometimes, make sure she really swallows it before releasing!

[TheFullHouse]

You could try crushing the pills and then mixing them with something really stinky like liverwurst or tuna or something that will overwhelm the smell of the pills. BTW I give Bebe up to 3 3mg. tablets for really bad storms and that seems to help.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

You may also stop "free-feeding" her. Put the food down for 5 minutes, then pull it up. Do this twice a day. I would bet her appetite comes back sooner than you think.

 

As far as the "coaxing her to go downstairs", don't. Just grab the collar like a suitcase and take her outside, and don't let her back up the stairs until she has eliminated. Nearly every single foster that I have ever had is freaked out about my open wood stairs leading to the back yard (10 stairs, open design-no riser). I don't coax or bribe. I simply grab the collar and pull them over the top stair keeping their head close to my hip for them to understand that I am supporting them the entire way. They will hesitate at the top, once they get over the first step, they all release their hesitation and walk down the stairs. What happens is then they get nervous for the first few days they are here knowing that they will have to go down the "evil" stairs. It lasts for a few days, then they realize there is nothing to be afraid of and will follow my 3 hounds up and down the stairs all day long. Long story short, I would not alter your routine. She will be just fine, it may take a few days or weeks for her to get over the fear of going outside, but she will.

 

Please do not misinterpret my comments as me "grabbing the collar and dragging the hound" everywhere. At no time to I raise my voice or otherwise "punish" the hound. The entire time I am even-keeled about it, saying "ok, lets go outside". Do I pull the hound, yes, I do not drag the hound, there is a difference. Same thing when you get to the bottom of the stairs, if she hesitates and will not go outside, again, simply grab the collar like a suitcase, hold her head against your hip or leg, and walk. She will understand she has no choice and that you are there to support and protect her.

[Guest SuperiorItaly]

You may also stop "free-feeding" her. Put the food down for 5 minutes, then pull it up. Do this twice a day. I would bet her appetite comes back sooner than you think.

 

As far as the "coaxing her to go downstairs", don't. Just grab the collar like a suitcase and take her outside, and don't let her back up the stairs until she has eliminated. Nearly every single foster that I have ever had is freaked out about my open wood stairs leading to the back yard (10 stairs, open design-no riser). I don't coax or bribe. I simply grab the collar and pull them over the top stair keeping their head close to my hip for them to understand that I am supporting them the entire way. They will hesitate at the top, once they get over the first step, they all release their hesitation and walk down the stairs. What happens is then they get nervous for the first few days they are here knowing that they will have to go down the "evil" stairs. It lasts for a few days, then they realize there is nothing to be afraid of and will follow my 3 hounds up and down the stairs all day long. Long story short, I would not alter your routine. She will be just fine, it may take a few days or weeks for her to get over the fear of going outside, but she will.

 

Please do not misinterpret my comments as me "grabbing the collar and dragging the hound" everywhere. At no time to I raise my voice or otherwise "punish" the hound. The entire time I am even-keeled about it, saying "ok, lets go outside". Do I pull the hound, yes, I do not drag the hound, there is a difference. Same thing when you get to the bottom of the stairs, if she hesitates and will not go outside, again, simply grab the collar like a suitcase, hold her head against your hip or leg, and walk. She will understand she has no choice and that you are there to support and protect her.

 

Got it, thanks. They way she can get sometimes, I do pull but I have to stop a point because she just won't move. She gets to the top of the stairs and it's like she goes limp. I don't coax her so much as I get behind her and push her down the stairs by her butt. Once she gets outside she seems fine.

 

She still hasn't eaten the food I gave her last night. I called our vet (a grey specialist) and might take her in the next couple of weeks to make sure everything's ok.

[Guest SuperiorItaly]

You may also stop "free-feeding" her. Put the food down for 5 minutes, then pull it up. Do this twice a day. I would bet her appetite comes back sooner than you think.

 

As far as the "coaxing her to go downstairs", don't. Just grab the collar like a suitcase and take her outside, and don't let her back up the stairs until she has eliminated. Nearly every single foster that I have ever had is freaked out about my open wood stairs leading to the back yard (10 stairs, open design-no riser). I don't coax or bribe. I simply grab the collar and pull them over the top stair keeping their head close to my hip for them to understand that I am supporting them the entire way. They will hesitate at the top, once they get over the first step, they all release their hesitation and walk down the stairs. What happens is then they get nervous for the first few days they are here knowing that they will have to go down the "evil" stairs. It lasts for a few days, then they realize there is nothing to be afraid of and will follow my 3 hounds up and down the stairs all day long. Long story short, I would not alter your routine. She will be just fine, it may take a few days or weeks for her to get over the fear of going outside, but she will.

 

Please do not misinterpret my comments as me "grabbing the collar and dragging the hound" everywhere. At no time to I raise my voice or otherwise "punish" the hound. The entire time I am even-keeled about it, saying "ok, lets go outside". Do I pull the hound, yes, I do not drag the hound, there is a difference. Same thing when you get to the bottom of the stairs, if she hesitates and will not go outside, again, simply grab the collar like a suitcase, hold her head against your hip or leg, and walk. She will understand she has no choice and that you are there to support and protect her.

 

Got it, thanks. They way she can get sometimes, I do pull but I have to stop a point because she just won't move. She gets to the top of the stairs and it's like she goes limp. I don't coax her so much as I get behind her and push her down the stairs by her butt. Once she gets outside she seems fine.

 

She still hasn't eaten the food I gave her last night. I called our vet (a grey specialist) and might take her in the next couple of weeks to make sure everything's ok.

 

She is now eating all of her food. Mowing it down like normal.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Just an idea, if your hound is balking at going down stairs, you probably dont want to push from behind as this may cause them to go down the stairs faster than you intended and you have no control as to how fast they go. If you hold the collar close to your hip, you control all aspects of how fast she goes down the stairs.

 

Chad

[Guest SuperiorItaly]

Just an idea, if your hound is balking at going down stairs, you probably dont want to push from behind as this may cause them to go down the stairs faster than you intended and you have no control as to how fast they go. If you hold the collar close to your hip, you control all aspects of how fast she goes down the stairs.

 

Chad

 

Makes sense. Thanks, Chad! She's been so great for the last year but this last 2-3 weeks has spooked her. She's probably wondering what's coming next/

[Guest SuperiorItaly]

I forgot to add that last weekend there was a street festival with a DJ right outside my place. She's had nonstop storms, loud music/bass, more storms, and fireworks over the past 3 weeks.

[Guest iconsmum]

If the melatonin doesn't work, you can buy a DAP diffuser and plug it in somewhere near where she hangs out in the house. We had an airshow up here last August that featured a stealth bomber. The darn thing flew around above Toronto breaking the sound barrier as it rehearsed the show -for about 4 days straight. By the end of the weekend EVERybody's dogs were a wreck, not just my hounds. The stance was legs planted, looking up into the air, heavy panting and out of control shaking - very sad to see, not to mention infuriating for us to have our dogs terrorized so. I'm a trainer and sometimes I forget to take my own advice, lol, so it took me a whole day to clue in to grab the DAP bottle in my office and plug it in next to dogs' beds...4 hours later I had different dogs, and a day later, we were (cautiously) fixed....it isn't really cheap but it's nicer than chlomicalm and more reliable than essences (at least in my experience) hth

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Iconsmum, while you may not like the noise, it is the sound of freedom. By the way, for the record, you couldnt have been hearing sonic booms from the stealth bomber, it is a subsonic aircraft (cant break the sound barrier which is a "sonic boom").

 

Chad Pierson Ssgt. USAF ret.

Edited July 8, 2010 by Greyt_dog_lover

[Guest iconsmum]

I take your point completely. It did make a terrific noise though......