Thunderbolts & Lightning...

[eddiememphis]

Very, very frightening indeed.

Popcorn the beagle is now 5 and her fear of thunder seems to be getting worse.

I have tried a number of things including, loud tv or radio to cover the noise. Thunder shirt and their pheromone spray. Various calming concoctions from Amazon. A quiet nest in the closet.

One helpful lady at the park suggested past life regression hypnosis. I smiled, thanked her and walked quickly away.

Nothing has helped. She will stand still and shiver and drool and whine like the Earth is gonna 'splode.

For you long term and multiple pooch owners, any ideas other than vet prescribed drugs? I hate to see her terrified like this everyday, so I'll try 'em as a last resort.

[Little Dutch]

Vetriscience Composure.

Long story short, we saw an amazing turnaround when we put our thunder-storm anxiety dog on it.

They sell a version on Amazon. I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think the "good" composure may be veterinary prescription now. It might be worth a call to your vet to ask about it, but I'm recommending it either way.

Edit to add - It's been a while since I've used it. I think it works best if they are on it before the anxiety hits. We were dosing daily during thunder storm and fire-works season, not waiting to give one when the rain moved in.

[Fentonite]

Trazodone works well, but it takes about 30' to kick in. That's great if you know the storm is coming, but for surprises, not so much.

[BPTactical]

A Thunder Shirt does wonders as well as calming CBD treats with tryptophan.*
https://thundershirt.com/products/thundershirt-for-dogs


*female unit has been in the pet food/treat business for 15+ years.

[Jer]

One of our dogs had debilitating anxiety over thunder and smoke detectors. The thing that we found that worked the best was Rescue Remedy for pets.



Our vet recommended it and I was skeptical at first given it's natural & homeopathic marketing. It was inexpensive though and my research lead me to the conclusion that it wouldn't be harmful even if it was ineffective so, for the cost, it was worth a shot. The worst was the thunderstorms at night because he would wake us up and keep us awake with his shivering until the storm passed and usually for quite a while afterwards. We previously would give him OTC allergy medicine (Benadryl) since it's safe for pets and the upper end of the dosage would generate a side effect of lethargy. He had bad allergies too so often times this was a two birds, one stone situation plus we were told it was totally safe.

We had this Rescue Remedy stuff for a while but hadn't yet used it. One night a particularly aggressive thunderstorm rolled through so I decided it was worth a shot as the Benadryl tended to take longer to take effect and I was tired. I hopped out of bed, red the label that said four drops (he was less than 20lbs so not sure if it would be more for a larger dog or if it's a one-size-fits-all solution, YMMV) and counted them as they went into his mouth. He made a face as he clearly didn't find the stuff tasty but didn't seem to off-put by it. I was prepared mentally to get up and go get the Benadryl but was shocked when he laid down and stopped shivering only minutes later. Before long he was sleeping as the thunder and lighting continued around us. It was next to miraculous for us and a real game changer. Ever since then I've made it a point to sing it's praises to anyone going through something similar in hopes that it may help them too.

Just make sure to get the Rescue Remedy version made for pets that's safe for dogs. We used them sparingly so they wouldn't lose their effectiveness (I'm sure they would eventually develop a tolerance to it if it was overused, even like the Thundershirt lost it's effectiveness over time) but always did the trick when administered. Good luck!

[rondog]

My Beagle Snoopy is terrified of thunder and fireworks also, it's very sad. Thundershirt is pretty much a waste of money, for him anyway. We have a RX sedative for him that knocks him out well, but who wants to dope up their pets?

Those Rescue Remedy drops sound promising, can you get that at Pet Smart or Petco?

[eddiememphis]

Tried the drops. No lessening of anxiety and gives her the shits.
The Vetriscience worked for half a summer several years ago but now she associates the smell with thunderstorms and won't eat them.
The thundershirt does nothing for thunder, although it makes a nice jacket for playing in the snow.
Never tried CBD.

I guess I could move somewhere there is never thunder or rain but the only place I can think of is Antarctica is that is too long of a commute.

[Little Dutch]

Tried the drops. No lessening of anxiety and gives her the shits.
The Vetriscience worked for half a summer several years ago but now she associates the smell with thunderstorms and won't eat them.
The thundershirt does nothing for thunder, although it makes a nice jacket for playing in the snow.
Never tried CBD.

I guess I could move somewhere there is never thunder or rain but the only place I can think of is Antarctica is that is too long of a commute.

That's too bad. You've tried all the standard advice I know of. Perhaps a combination of Trazadone (or similar) with one of the various OTC calming meds mentioned here?

We, too, tried everything else before we were recommended Composure. If it works well enough to mess with you could try pilling (cramming it down their throat to force them to swallow it) the Composure. We had to pill the heartworm chews on a dog that hated them. It was kind of funny, the thunder anxiety dog would eat any raw pill I offered to him but the boxer wouldn't eat a flavored chew. Weirdos.

Good luck.

[Grant H.]

My SIL has a corgi mix that had seizures, terrified of men, terrified of storms, etc...

She started getting him active THC treats and he has turned around dramatically. Hasn't had a seizure in years, is cautiously friendly with unfamiliar men, and will hang out by your feet during a storm, but doesn't totally lose his shit.

The "downside" according to SIL is that he gets real munchies, and started packing on weight. Side affect of making them walk him more doesn't hurt either...

I'll ask her for the brand if you want.

[theGinsue]

I guess I could move somewhere there is never thunder or rain but the only place I can think of is Antarctica is that is too long of a commute.

I was temporary duty just outside of Antarctica; terrible storms with lots of thunder. I don't think Antarctica would be a good option either.