Anxiety Among House Dogs- Any Answers?
27Feb2008 Filed under: HarfordPets.com, Pet Health Author: Kendra
Does anyone else out there have issues with anxiety among their pets. Our middle dog Ashton has been a nervous nelly since he was a pup. When he was a little guy he would get so nervous and anxious when we were not there that he would poop all over his crate and we would come home to a big mess and have to wrap him in sheets and give him a nightly bath in the backyard. He is lucky we love him so much!
Our vet had offered up the suggestion of a pet psychologist but that was a wee bit expensive and time consuming. We managed to curb some of his behaviors over the years and Ashton is a wonderful dog but living in this area and near the Army base proves to be very tiring some days. The bomb goes off and here comes Ashy, all 75 pounds of him, running towards you to lay between your legs and shake. Some days you can just smell the fear, literally (I know gross, right?)
I was recently told to try Benedryl. I have given him 25mg of the medicine hear and there and it has seemed to do the trick. Has anyone else found something that works? Please share your knowledge because I don’t even want to go into what happens during a thunderstorm in July!
- Tags: anxiety, dogs, house pets
2 Responses to “Anxiety Among House Dogs- Any Answers?”
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Melissa
February 27th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Hello! i am a veterinary assistant at a local clinic. We see a lot of uptight pets! Everything from being left alone for 20 minutes, to high tailing it under the bed during storms, fireworks or anything louder than a ladybug sneeze!
My very first piece of advice is: If your dog seems extremely stressed when you leave the house, consider (if you don’t) crating them. A LOT of people feel that crating is cruel. i could seriously go on for quite a bit to argue that. Instead i will just say that crating is caring. Its a mantra. Leaving your worried and sometimes destructive dog to run the house while you are gone is like leaving a 3 year old child. There is tons to get into.
Dogs that feel they are in position of authority in the home, (Alpha) tend to worry every minute a member of THEIR pack is not with them. Hence, tore up furniture, inappropriate elimination and or non stop verbal complaints. My suggestion is not prozac. (unless every other option is exhausted) A lot of the dominate issues should be squashed by a trained professional (dog trainer). There is a group called Bark Busters. It is VERY expensive but, the trainer takes their time and will come back to your house if you need more help for the lifetime of the dog. Meaning…if you need them to stop by 6 months later or 6 years later, it is no cost to you. Thats kinda nice. The down side is that you have to do a load of exercises with your dog everyday for “x” amount of time. This is a great idea for people that can manage their schedule to fit in the “homework”.
Seperation Anxiety is mostly the worry of what the rest of the pack is doing. You need to assess the situation by taking the Alpha role and letting Fluffy know that they are not in charge. This will make them more at ease and able to do what they were intended to do…just be our loyal companions. Sounds easy? It sometimes isnt. This is where training classes are most useful. And i hate to say it but, $100 training course at petsmart aint gonna do it!!
Anxiety due to a situation can be eased with drugs. Although i frown upon the pill popping world we have settled in…sometimes it is just plain neccessary as a last resort. There are other options out there that are easier on the system. One medication we carry is pretty much a bunch of herbs that have been proven to help settle the mind of the canine. It won’t make them loopy or see pink elephants..just takes the edge off. i dont really recommend hardcore pills for a dog that freaks out during a situation. i would suggest preparing for it as much as possible. For example: during the summer months ask the vet for something to help calm them if one should pop up. The main drug we dispense is called acepromazine. We give enough that the client can have some on hand for a few incidents. So if you catch the weather and they predict storms overnight, one before bed…for afternoon storms…one in the morning etc. Also, if living on base, see if you can get a schedule of when all the big booms are gonna happen and be ready to give a dose of the happy stuff to your dog. But think in moderation people. i dont want a county full of drowsy pooches with little to no personality!! Only use when and if needed.
As far as dog shrinks go…i guess that would be a great idea if all else fails. But, a trainer would be my first option. i mean…what kinda issues does my dog have? He only knew his mom for 8 weeks and everywhere else he was before i got him, he was just wanting to be fed and played with. Not like mom was an alpo junkie and worked nights at the racetrack. Good Luck!! and let me know if you need anything else!!!
Kendra
February 27th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Awesome Melissa. Thanks and just to ease your mind I do not drug my pooch with loads of Benedryl, just when he is shaking and secreting all over my house and there is no calming him, a few times a year.