4th of July and your dog(s)

Annie714 · 06-28-2011, 12:16 PM

So as my favorite holiday approaches I remember how it is totally NOT Annie's favorite holiday at all.

Even on the evenings leading up to the 4th there are people lighting fireworks and driving Annie up the wall. That day I take her for a very long and hopefully tiring walk and then I usually put Annie in her crate kind of early in the evening on the 4th, turn on the TV for her, and do potty checks throughout the night. Doesn't matter what I do though, the noises freak her out.

Is there anything that you do for your dogs that works to help calm their nerves?

PS...fireworks are illegal here but that doesn't stop people from lighting off Disneyland style explosives in the park by my house!

Mikey T · 06-28-2011, 02:22 PM

noise senitivitis are treatable with

1. thunder shirt

2. melatonin

3. DAP dog appeasing pherimones

thunder shirt

Quote:

The Thundershirt is an excellent solution for dog anxiety. Use the Thundershirt for fear of thunder or fireworks, separation anxiety, car or travel anxiety, crate anxiety, reactivity, general fearfulness, and more. Thundershirt's patent-pending design applies gentle, constant pressure on a dog's torso. This pressure has a dramatic and amazing calming effect for most anxious, fearful, or over-excited dogs. In fact, based on surveys completed by over 1,000 Thundershirt users, over 85% of the dogs show significant improvement in anxiety symptoms when wearing the Thundershirt. That's why the company is able to offer a 100% satisfaction, money-back guarantee.

Melatonin

Quote:

The following is an excerpt from an email sent by Dr. Aronson to one of our Guardian Angels, Rich Brady: "To treat thunderstorm phobia, I use a dose of 3mg for a 35-100 lb dog. Smaller dogs get 1.5 mg, and larger dogs may get 6mg. The dose is given either at first evidence of thunderstorm - dog becomes agitated, distant rumbling of thunder, etc. or prophylactically before the owner leaves the house when thunderstorms are predicted. Dose may be repeated up to 3 times daily. The latter may be used as a dose for animals with more generalized stress related disorders."

]

Thunderstorm Phobia

DAP

Quote:

Dr Neilson reported a study "Evaluation of dog appeasing pheromone as a potential treatment for fear of fireworks in dogs" by Sheppard and Mills, published in Veterinary Record 152: 432-436 . The authors identified 30 dogs with a fear response to fireworks. Owners recorded a baseline of the type and intensity of fear in these dogs prior to treatment. Then the DAP plug-in diffuser was provided to the owners to use. Again owners were asked to record type and intensity of fear during the treatment period. Owners reported improvement in 9 of the 14 signs of fearfulness during treatment with DAP.
However there was no placebo control group, ie group receiving a dummy plug-in diffuser that did not dispense DAP. Since we know from some other studies that placebos can have substantial effects on dogs and on humans, with up to 30% of dogs and humans responding to a placebo, a comparison of observations reported by a placebo group of owners is needed to validate the study

Annie714 · 06-28-2011, 02:57 PM

Melatonin! Wonderful...I'm looking into this as I thank you.

Mikey T to the rescue again!

Esther · 06-28-2011, 03:13 PM

thundershirt?
for REAL?

my humans saw that and said we call bs

Wworm · 06-28-2011, 03:40 PM

oh yes, Estha, it is for real... i posted this below for McFrecks when she was having her rough day. "Thundershirts" is just the brand product (you could use other things or make your own, really), but the idea is a sound one. Works for dogs, cows, and even people (if you watch the movie below, you see how it works for Claire Dane's character... dunno if you like movies, seems like you watch Andy Griffith tho...):

----------------------------------------------------------------

ps. re: "thundershirts" how interesting they make this. there is a good movie w/Claire Danes about Temple Grandin, a woman w/fairly severe autism who eventually got a PhD against the odds. she actually made a "thundershirt" contraption for herself, after finding that it relieved her anxiety too. there is a lot of evidence for this type of body compression helping w/anxiety. in the first minute of this preview, you can see the wooden contraption:

YouTube - ‪Temple Grandin - HBO Original Film starring Claire Danes‬&rlm;" target="_blank">YouTube - ‪Temple Grandin - HBO Original Film starring Claire Danes‬&rlm;

YouTube - ‪Temple Grandin - HBO Original Film starring Claire Danes‬&rlm;" target="_blank">YouTube - ‪Temple Grandin - HBO Original Film starring Claire Danes‬&rlm;

MollyMcFrecklesMom · 06-28-2011, 03:49 PM

This is Molly and Winston's first Fourth of July, so I'm really not sure how this is going to play out. With Molly's Addison's, the vet explained how I need to up her Prednisone for that day and then quickly taper it back down to normal. I'm hoping that my worry is for nothing.

Esther · 06-28-2011, 04:15 PM

wonder if a thunder shirt woulda tamed ernest t bass

CatherineM · 06-28-2011, 04:46 PM

My last basset (new puppy hasn't dealt with fireworks yet) used to love fireworks. He knew they meant kids were around, and he loved kids. He would insist on being walked when he heard them.

Wworm · 06-28-2011, 05:08 PM

yay for Gandy's first 4th of July. mine, too. i dunno what all the commotion is about yet. sounds a bit scary if u ask me. well, i will see.

Annie, Annie-- ya gotta come up one 4th of July to the basset waddle, the one u were telling me about. all of us bassets will stick together and then u won't be so afraid anymore... i'll purtect ya, since Boomah your bf can't be here in person... i mean in dawg... (tho i'm still trying to figure out what i'd be purtecting ya from... )
--Worm

Mikey T · 06-28-2011, 05:47 PM

There is some research in to a gentic cause for noise phobias there at least seems to be genetic links in some hearding breeds that have upward of 30% of the dogs effected by noise phobia.

06-28-2011, 12:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
Annie714 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 1,164	4th of July and your dog(s) So as my favorite holiday approaches I remember how it is totally NOT Annie's favorite holiday at all. Even on the evenings leading up to the 4th there are people lighting fireworks and driving Annie up the wall. That day I take her for a very long and hopefully tiring walk and then I usually put Annie in her crate kind of early in the evening on the 4th, turn on the TV for her, and do potty checks throughout the night. Doesn't matter what I do though, the noises freak her out. Is there anything that you do for your dogs that works to help calm their nerves? PS...fireworks are illegal here but that doesn't stop people from lighting off Disneyland style explosives in the park by my house! __________________ Blog about the antics of Annie and I. http://thechickandthehound.blogspot.com

06-28-2011, 02:57 PM	#3 (permalink)
Annie714 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 1,164	Melatonin! Wonderful...I'm looking into this as I thank you. Mikey T to the rescue again! __________________ Blog about the antics of Annie and I. http://thechickandthehound.blogspot.com

06-28-2011, 03:13 PM	#4 (permalink)
Esther Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 1,038	thundershirt? for REAL? my humans saw that and said we call bs

06-28-2011, 03:49 PM	#6 (permalink)
MollyMcFrecklesMom Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southeast PA Posts: 1,182	This is Molly and Winston's first Fourth of July, so I'm really not sure how this is going to play out. With Molly's Addison's, the vet explained how I need to up her Prednisone for that day and then quickly taper it back down to normal. I'm hoping that my worry is for nothing.

06-28-2011, 04:15 PM	#7 (permalink)
Esther Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 1,038	wonder if a thunder shirt woulda tamed ernest t bass

06-28-2011, 04:46 PM	#8 (permalink)
CatherineM Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Edmonton, Alberta Posts: 692	My last basset (new puppy hasn't dealt with fireworks yet) used to love fireworks. He knew they meant kids were around, and he loved kids. He would insist on being walked when he heard them.

06-28-2011, 05:08 PM	#9 (permalink)
Wworm Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Left Coast Posts: 1,970	yay for Gandy's first 4th of July. mine, too. i dunno what all the commotion is about yet. sounds a bit scary if u ask me. well, i will see. Annie, Annie-- ya gotta come up one 4th of July to the basset waddle, the one u were telling me about. all of us bassets will stick together and then u won't be so afraid anymore... i'll purtect ya, since Boomah your bf can't be here in person... i mean in dawg... (tho i'm still trying to figure out what i'd be purtecting ya from... ) --Worm

06-28-2011, 05:47 PM	#10 (permalink)
Mikey T Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: West Warrwick, RI Posts: 7,729	There is some research in to a gentic cause for noise phobias there at least seems to be genetic links in some hearding breeds that have upward of 30% of the dogs effected by noise phobia.

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