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Tonight for dinner I gave Ruby her dinner with a Xanax that she was given for her S.A. I also gave her some Rescue Remedy that I put on her food. None of this seems to be helping at all. She has been pacing back and forth to her crate in the bedroom for the last 2+ hours. I have tried to sit with her, talk to her, turn the TV up louder and remain calm, but she is in such distress. I know there is not much else I can do but I feel so bad for her. I will be so happy when this week is over and the firecrackers end.

Karen

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Poor thing :( I've found that the xanax has to be given BEFORE the dog starts to panic...otherwise it doesn't seem to work.

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Michelle...forever missing her girls, Holly 5/22/99-9/13/10 and Bailey 8/1/93-7/11/05

Religion is the smile on a dog...Edie Brickell

Wag more, bark less :-)

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Does the Xanax help her in other situations? The fireworks might just be too strong of a stimuli. Sometimes adjusting the dose or switching to a different med might work better. Xanax is usually my first choice. If that doesn't work, I'll try Valium, and have recently heard of a number of cases that have done well on trazodone when the others don't work well enough. Unfortunately, finding the right drug can take time, and it doesn't help with her current distress. :(

Jennifer &

Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On),

Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice

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I've tried a lot of things this time of year. Positive reinforcement before the fireworks started has helped a lot, giving both dogs Calm K-9 biscuits before dusk really helped a lot, too. Both are sleeping in my room (not normal for a regular evening, but much better than pacing around). I can't say enough good things about these biscuits.

 

Sounds like a horrendous war zone outside - constant banging.

Sunsands Doodles: Doodles aka Claire, Bella Run Softly: Softy aka Bowie (the Diamond Dog)

Missing my beautiful boy Sunsands Carl 2.25.2003 - 4.1.2014

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I did give her the Xanax about an hour before the noise started. We have tried several meds in the past to try to lessen her SA but none of them worked, including the Xanax. I was just hoping to ease her misery a bit, but no luck. Poor girl. She hasn't came out of her crate now in about an hour but is just standing there. I am headed to bed and hopefully with me a bit closer and the fan on for noise, she will lay down.

 

Where do you get the Calm K-9 biscuits ? I have never heard of them and would love to get some.

Karen

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Hate Hate Hate fireworks! I tried Valium last year and Xanax this year. I think the Valium worked better for Fletcher but the Xanax worked better for Sallie. I might look into those biscuits, the drugs help a lot, but make them kind of wobbly on their feet, and Fletcher is pretty wobbly anyway, it makes me nervous.

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Dale Edgar Calm K 9. I bought them directly from their website and used the coupon code facebook332 for 25% off. I cannot believe how well they work, it's kinda freaky. My vet said just to be careful and not give too many, they could cause diarrhea. I've only had to give one per evening and no one had the runs the next day. I gave my friend two last night for her greyhound who isn't any too happy about the sound of all the fireworks - she reported a little bit ago that he was sleeping through them tonight, too! I think she's going to buy a jar, too.

 

They had a booth at the PetExpo in April and had free samples. I tried them the first night the Dodgers had a Friday home game (fireworks for every Friday home game) and Carl laid on his dog bed next to me at the computer and didn't so much as raise his head! The windows were open and neither dog could have cared less. I was immediately sold and went online that night and bought a big container of them.

Edited by seeh2o

Sunsands Doodles: Doodles aka Claire, Bella Run Softly: Softy aka Bowie (the Diamond Dog)

Missing my beautiful boy Sunsands Carl 2.25.2003 - 4.1.2014

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Also wanted to mention more natural/supplemental options although I tend to use these for milder cases as I don't find them to be as useful for severe anxiety. Willow is mildly to moderately anxious during storms and fireworks - panting some and trying to hide in corners or closets. I've found Anxitane and NutriCalm made by RxVitamins to both be helpful. The NutriCalm makes her just a little sleepy. Not as obvious an effect from the Anxitane, but she does seem calmer on it. For severe storms or fireworks, I give her both. While she's still a little nervous and pants a little, she settles much more quickly and doesn't try to squeeze into small spaces.

Jennifer &

Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On),

Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice

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Guest cruzNhounds

Diazepam is working well for Bennie, it's a good thing cause It sounds like a war zone here in Clark County ! with the possible ban on fireworks next year people are setting them off like crazy. It starts quieting around 1:00 am. :riphair

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Trazadone is the best drug for fireworks ever! Gracie pant, paces, quivers drools and is just terribly stressed by fireworks and thunder. I started the Trazadone Saturday since we have been having some fireworks almost every night, she did really well, but tonight was the big test ... it's world war three around here for several hours. Gracie was calmly snoozing away, later when I came in to check on them I was greeted at the door and she walked out back with me while there were still fireworks going off!

 

This has been the best 4th in 6 years!

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Charla, Mom to Carl ( Bella Monsoon ) 5/2002 - 9/2016 and remembering Gracie Rose ( Cee Bar Xtreme ) 2/2002 - 1/2014

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Trazadone is the best drug for fireworks ever! Gracie pant, paces, quivers drools and is just terribly stressed by fireworks and thunder. I started the Trazadone Saturday since we have been having some fireworks almost every night, she did really well, but tonight was the big test ... it's world war three around here for several hours. Gracie was calmly snoozing away, later when I came in to check on them I was greeted at the door and she walked out back with me while there were still fireworks going off!

 

This has been the best 4th in 6 years!

 

What dose Trazodone do you give her, and how much does she weigh?

Glad to hear she stayed comfy.

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Poorr baby. I pity the poor animals who get stressed over fireworks. We had a ban this year and it was fine with me, although my dogs do not have firework issues..lucky me and lucky them.

"Then God sent the Greyhound to live among man and remember. And when the day comes God will call the Greyhound to give Testament, and God will pass judgment on man."

Persian Proverb

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Guest maidmarcia

Hmm, I hope no one gets mad but I'm gonna go off on a tangent and ask about cats.

My cat gets dreadfully matted every summer despite all the brushing in the world and he is strictly an indoor cat so he's pretty scared of things.

I've taken him to get groomed twice (trimmed, nails, etc). The first time I took him, he behaved tolerably well but got a bit agitated toward the end.

The second time was a disaster. I gave him a bit of Gravol which I thought would settle him a bit. No such luck. He clawed me in the face, bit and clawed the groomer, clawed my BF. It was a blood bath, haha.

So now he needs to get groomed again and I have no idea what to do. I called my vet and asked if I could get a prescription through them for a mild sedative and they said no. They also don't offer cat grooming.

Is there anything I can use that would help at all with this?

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Lady was panting so hard last night I was afraid that she was going to over heat. She had already had all the melatonin that I could give her and it was not helping. I got a hand towel and soaked one end in cold water and starting sponging her down. After I was done I draped the wet end of the towel over her entire head. Amazingly she calmed down! She snuggled right up next to me and was much calmer the rest of the night. Every few minutes I would turn the towel over to make sure that it stayed cold. I am wondering if the wet towel sort of insulated her ears?

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Molly Weasley Carpenter-Caro - 6 Year Old Standard Poodle.

Gizzy, Specky, Riley Roo & Lady - Our beloved Greyhounds waiting at the Rainbow Bridge.

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Trazadone is the best drug for fireworks ever! Gracie pant, paces, quivers drools and is just terribly stressed by fireworks and thunder. I started the Trazadone Saturday since we have been having some fireworks almost every night, she did really well, but tonight was the big test ... it's world war three around here for several hours. Gracie was calmly snoozing away, later when I came in to check on them I was greeted at the door and she walked out back with me while there were still fireworks going off!

 

This has been the best 4th in 6 years!

 

What dose Trazodone do you give her, and how much does she weigh?

Glad to hear she stayed comfy.

 

I have 50 kg tablets and the vet said 100 - 150 mg every 12 hours. I started her Saturday on 100 mg and noticed she was very calm with all the stray the pops and booms throughout the evening. I continued at that dose until yesterday when I gave her 150 mg every 12 hrs. Last nights fireworks lasted a little over three continuous hours with stray booms until about 2;30 AM. What really amazed me was that she didn't appear to be sedated , wasn't uncoordinated and dazed, she was just Gracie.

 

Gracie is a tall very slim 72 pounds.

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Charla, Mom to Carl ( Bella Monsoon ) 5/2002 - 9/2016 and remembering Gracie Rose ( Cee Bar Xtreme ) 2/2002 - 1/2014

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Not every drug works the same on every dog. You may need to try a differet one or a different dosage. Xanax is a fast-acting drug and is not usually effective for generalized anxiety disorders like SA. Others have mentioned valium and trazadone, both of which may be more useful for thunder and fireworks.

 

For generalized anxiety (and SA) you should look into SSRIs Like prozac and paxil. The canine drug Clomicalm was developed specifically to help with SA. All three drugs take several days to weeks to build up to a clinically effective level, and the dosage may need to be fine-tuned after that.

 

One other thing to remember is to try and remain calm yourself. She will pick up on your stress for her and it will compound the situation. Carol Ann's solution with Lady was great, and some here have resorted to stuffing cotton balls in their dogs ears.

Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora)

52592535884_69debcd9b4.jpgsiggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr

Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly

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Hmm, I hope no one gets mad but I'm gonna go off on a tangent and ask about cats.

My cat gets dreadfully matted every summer despite all the brushing in the world and he is strictly an indoor cat so he's pretty scared of things.

I've taken him to get groomed twice (trimmed, nails, etc). The first time I took him, he behaved tolerably well but got a bit agitated toward the end.

The second time was a disaster. I gave him a bit of Gravol which I thought would settle him a bit. No such luck. He clawed me in the face, bit and clawed the groomer, clawed my BF. It was a blood bath, haha.

So now he needs to get groomed again and I have no idea what to do. I called my vet and asked if I could get a prescription through them for a mild sedative and they said no. They also don't offer cat grooming.

Is there anything I can use that would help at all with this?

 

I know cats can take Valium, I have used it for travel issues. Not sure why your vet wouldn't OK this. Maybe ask specifically for Valium rather than a sedative? You can also give cats melatonin, .5-.8 mg every 12 hrs. I have not done this myself, but know people who have. I would still hesitate to do anything without a vet's OK, cats are so small :)

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Cats can take oral anti-anxiety meds, but I tend to use Xanax rather than Valium. There have been reported cases of cats going into liver failure due to an idiosyncratic reaction to oral Valium. However, oral sedatives are probably not going to be enough for a cat who has shown such a severe panic response to grooming. Many groomers will not do cats for this exact reason. Some groomers require that all cats be sedated (injectable sedation to completely knock them out).

 

If your cat absolutely has to be shaved, I'd consider finding a vet clinic with a groomer so that they can sedate him if necessary. Depending on your cat's personality, there may be no other safe way to do it (ie. safe for the people involved, and non-stressful for the cat). If your cat is one that usually tolerates handling well, having a very patient groomer who has a cat savvy assistant can work wonders.

 

Finally, you mentioned that your cat gets "dreadfully matted every summer despite all the brushing in the world". If your cat is cooperative and allows brushing in all the areas he gets matted, then I hate to say it, but you're probably not brushing very effectively. Maybe you have the wrong type of brush or comb? Brushing at least 1-2 times daily with an appropriate brush should effectively prevent matting.

Jennifer &

Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On),

Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice

gtsig3.jpg

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We have tried the Colmicalm, Paxil and several others before giving up and letting her be outside when we are gone. That solved her SA problems with us leaving and I like that she isn't on any drugs daily.

I am going to order those biscuits and give them a try. Thanks !

Karen

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Karen, I just ordered another jar of them, they just work so well. Use the coupon code "july4" through the rest of this month to get 25% off if you order directly from their website. Shipping was free, too!

Sunsands Doodles: Doodles aka Claire, Bella Run Softly: Softy aka Bowie (the Diamond Dog)

Missing my beautiful boy Sunsands Carl 2.25.2003 - 4.1.2014

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FYI: Calm K-9 Order. I've been following this subject not because Annie Bella has SA but has anxiety on long car trips. Well, she is anxious every time in the car, but most trips are 30 minutes or less so I don't treat it. It's long trips I treat, and Xanax has never worked very well. I just ordered the Calm K-9 directly from the Dale Edgar web site and paid with PayPal. There was a small glitch in completing the order. It got hung up between the PP page and returning to the Dale Edgar Calm K-9 page. I got it to work by clicking on BACK (upper left in navigation bar) and was able to complete the order. Don't know if it was my machine, PP's server or the retailer's server. The facebook332 coupon code also still works.

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When I placed my order yesterday, the "july4" code didn't work, so I sent them a message via Facebook, they answered right away and fixed the problem immediately. I was going to use the facebook coupon code, too, but the july4 one was fixed right away.

 

I sure hope it works as well for your dog(s) as it has mine. I know others rave about Rescue Remedy, but I've never had a single dog helped by it. I was lucky to have gotten a free sample of the Calm K9, when it worked for the Dodgers fireworks I knew it was a winner in my house. I've been sharing it with my friend's dogs around town, that's why I needed to buy another jar!

Sunsands Doodles: Doodles aka Claire, Bella Run Softly: Softy aka Bowie (the Diamond Dog)

Missing my beautiful boy Sunsands Carl 2.25.2003 - 4.1.2014

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I tried to order the biscuits earlier today but the code wouldn't work. I just tried the JULY4 and it worked great. I can't wait to see if they will help my sweet, high anxiety girl. She doesn't like car rides either and this would be wonderful if they work. Thanks for the suggestion. I had never heard of them. I have tried Rescue Remedy with zero results.

Karen

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Just have to write that I ordered the Calm K-9 biscuits and received them yesterday. To try out its effects I gave one to Annie Bella today for a short car ride -- an hour round trip with a 10-minute stopover while Annie Bella and I stayed in the car -- and she was much less anxious. She was never crazy anxious in the car. She usually laid down, but she would pant 90% of the time and just look horrible. I gave her the biscuit 30 minutes before leaving, and she mostly slept or laid on her bed looking around, with just a bit of panting. This is a complete reversal, and as we all know, if they are feeling better, we are feeling better.

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I ordered some and got mine yesterday too ! Did you notice if they changed her poo ?

I haven't had a reason to try them, so not sure if they will work for Ruby or not, but will try them the next time we are going for a ride or to the vet. Sure hope they work for her since nothing else has. I was so impressed with how quickly the biscuits came. I think they were here 3 days after placing my order. Amazing.

Edited by Busderpuddle

Karen

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