Thunder phobia dog on the way

[MaryP]

So, I recently turned down a dog for a rescue spot, mostly because I don't have any room, but also because I was told the dog is severely thunder phobic and can do major damage to a home and/or himself, if home alone when a storm comes. Well, no sooner did I turn that dog down when I learned that a dog that I had already committed to taking is thunder phobic. She is in a temporary foster home right now, but is supposed to be coming here this weekend. I was told that she was in a crate when the thunder started and she started to panic. They ended up letting her out of the crate and she found a place to hide. They were afraid that if they left her in the crate, she might have hurt herself.

 

So, my dilemma is what to do with her once she gets here. I don't really want to leave her out of a crate when I have no idea, yet, how she would be in the house (i.e., is she house trained?, is she destructive? etc.). Also, I can't really have a foster dog in the house loose with my dogs, especially when they are new. There's too much of a chance for a fight, especially with Skittles. I do have a baby gate that is permanently set up to separate the kitchen/living room area from the back bedrooms. But, it wouldn't take much for a panicked or detemined dog to knock that over. But, I'm concerned about leaving her crated, should a thunderstorm role through. This is the time of year in FL that you can expect late afternoon thunderstorms on almost a daily basis. It doesn't always necessarily rain, but there's often rumbling thunder nearby (there's thunder going on right now, as a matter of fact).

 

I've been using the search feature to look at past topics on noise phobias. I see that some folks have had some success with medication and I may talk to my vet about this. Of course, which, if any, are most likely to be effective? Where should I start? And, if she is on medication, will she be able to be crated? Also, storms are nearly a daily event this time of year. Would she need to be medicated every day? I can't exactly run home in the afternoon to medicate and/or baby-sit here during a storm.

 

Another option that I'm thinking about is having her stay at my bf's house. Though he basically lives with me, he still has his own house. It comes in handy when we need to quarantine a dog. If she is trust-worthy out of a crate, she might be able to handle a storm, if she can find a hiding spot at his house. But, I'd feel really bad if she ended up trashing his house. He's already suffered plenty of damage at the paws of some of the foster dogs that he has temporarily housed for me. Mostly that's been his own fault for letting them be free in the house unsurpervised when they haven't proven themselves trustworthy. But in this case, I'd be asking him to leave her loose, not knowing if she would be OK loose.

 

Any suggestions are welcome.

 

I can't ever just get an easy foster dog!

[sweet_ceana]

I think having the dog stay at BF's house and meds when storms are coming and the dog is left alone may be the best senario.( At least until you are familiar with the new dog)

 

On a side note I had the funniest mental image when you said

There's too much of a chance for a fight, especially with Skittles.

I just picture him in that bag as puppy saying "What's that buddy? Yeah, you keep giving me that look and I'm gonna make YOU taste the rainbow!"

[dracina]

hi Mary:

 

I don’t have a thunder-phobic dog, but I do know of some that have had success using alprazolam (Xanax). It is used sometimes for dogs that suffer severe anxiety. I believe that it is a sedative or sedative-like drug that it is used at the moment of anxiety (or when you know it will occur), rather than a daily dosage.

 

One of my dogs is on Prozac for anxiety and fear issues (not noise related), and that may help with a dog that has noise phobia. I would ask your vet. That is a daily dosage, and as far as I know, a non-sedative. It does help him be far more relaxed than he used to be in certain situations.

 

The Prozac is cheap if you get it at Target- $4/month. I am not sure about the alprazolam, though.

 

Best of luck!

 

Karrin

[Jedismom]

I can't ever just get an easy foster dog!

 

That's because you've been giving the easy ones to me!

 

I've read that some dogs like a bathtub to be in when a storm comes. So perhaps that would be a good "safe place" for her with some soft music playing in the background. She could even be fed there so that she can think of it as herplace. Perhaps the bathroom would feel less confining and she wouldn't feel the need to break out. I don't know... I guess it depends on how severe her phobia is. Also, I'd watch and see where she runs to when some thunder comes up. This would give you some insight on where she feels safe.

 

The BF's house might be a good idea if she can't be crated right now. If she were here, Cadi would feel the need to stop the neurotic storm phobic behavior, so I know I couldn't leave her uncrated at my house.

 

There's some info online for homeopathic remedies if the phobia is mild. Dr. Dodman did some studies on melatonin. Rescue Remedy, etc.

 

Please keep in touch on how it works out. What's her name?

 

Georgia

[juliepoudrier]

I know this isn't exactly what you asked, and I'm sure this will raise some hackles, and it may not even apply to this particular dog (I keep thinking of the dog listed in the rescue section who destroys walls), but I have to wonder if dogs who are severely thunderphobic shouldn't be euthanized for the good of everyone concerned. Note: I am not talking about dogs with an average amount of fear, but rather dogs that are so fearful that they are a danger to themselves and their surroundings. How likely is it to be able to find good homes for such dogs? Realistically. There are areas of this country where thunderstorms are practically non-existent, but are there rescues and available homes in such areas? Is it worth using limited rescue money and other resources to try and foster such dogs?

 

I manage several thunderphobic dogs who are not destructive, but are certainly reactive. It can be time- and sleep-consuming, and a source of concern if storms pop up when I am not home. And none of these dogs has destroyed a crate or damaged the house or themselves while reacting to noises like thunder. I have a friend who managed a severely thunderphobic dog for years, trying to come up with progressively stronger crates to contain him, medications (though she worked, so giving meds before an afternoon storm was problematic), etc. One day she came home after a storm to find that the dog had killed himself trying to escape a crate. She was horrified and devastated and still replays in her mind the scene she arrived home to that day. I just don't see how anyone would want to take that risk when confronted with a severely thunderphobic dog in rescue. And it's my understanding that such severe phobias generally worsen over time, even with medications.

 

Just my opinion, and not meaning to piss anyone off.

 

J.

[2 Devils]

Thunderphobic dogs are a pain to manage. Meds are only going to work when able to give before the storm really begins. I have xanax for Tempe and was told that unless I could give it at least 15-30 minutes before a storm then there was no point in giving it. They say if you give while the dog is already anxious it can make them worse. I also know people who will give it during high anxiety (in midst) and the dogs an chill out some. Now Tempe's thunderphobia is mostly based in the house. We can go outside during thunder and she is fine. We were at a tournament and a nasty storm came rolling through, we were in the RV, and Tempe was actually fine. It is weird.

 

I gave the xanax once to Tempe and it was July 4, 2 years ago. She could hardly walk and was stumbling a lot. I decided then I would only give it if I HAD to. Tempe has other issues and I give her melatonin daily. It has been helping her and even her thunderphobia is somewhat under control. There was a time even low rumblings would send her into an anxiety attack. She is not a danger to herself or things, luckily. She can now deal with low to mid level rumblings. Only house rattling thunder really stresses her out now but she is not trying to crawl into my skin with me so she is still better than she was. She also gets past the episodes faster.

 

Now I do know someone who has a severe thunderphobic that will cause massive damage. She has all kinds of drugs for him which don't help much but surprisingly enough she gave a DAP collar a try. He wears it daily. It has made a huge improvement and he is not hurting himself. He still has a brain during storms, etc...

 

Julie I can understand what you are saying. Sometimes euthanizing is more humane. I knew a dog that jumped out of windows during bad thunderstorms. The last time he did it killed him. He jumped through a closed second story window. His owners were devastated.

[elegy]

My stormphobic old pit bull took Clomipramine (generic Clomicalm) twice daily during thunderstorm season and Xanax when I could get it to him pre-storm. He wasn't a dog who would destroy the house or himself-- he shut down and paced and drooled and was generally miserable. The meds definitely helped, but he was never relaxed about storms. I cannot imagine how horrible it would have been for him to live where there were daily storms. It seems a horrible thing to kill a dog for a phobia, but it seems potentially more horrible to continually subject him to such terror that he can't escape.

 

I've heard good things about melatonin though it didn't do anything for Harv.

[sweet_ceana]

Julie, I can understand what you are saying as well.

 

You could even make the case that severe thunder phobia is similar to severe aggression in respect to quality of life for the dog. Depending on where the dog lived their entire existence might be miserable. I don't have a lot of experience with thunder phobic dogs, but from what I have seen it is a very similar state of mind as fear aggression. One dog leans more towards the fight reaction and the other leans more to the flight reaction.

 

Since most thunder phobia starts to present itself later in the dogs life (or so I have read), the odds are higher that someone has become emotionally invested and attached to their dog. I can't blame anyone for that; I am pretty emotionally invested in my dogs as I would imagine most dog owners are.

 

I think this is where my comparison to aggression starts to branch off. Aggressive dogs are a threat to others and can cause the person pain and law suits. I would imagine it is easier (not to imply such a decision is easy at all, just in a comparison discussion) to reconcile euthing an aggressive dog as opposed to a SEVERE thunder phobic dog. The severe thunder phobic dog is not a threat to you personally, nor are you likely to face a lawsuit due to their actions. (Unless you don't own the property that was destroyed) So add that lack of a tangible consequence to the human and mix it with the emotional investment and you will get very few people willing to Euth their friend. Which, from an emotional stand point, I completely understand. This is one of those topics that is so much easier when it is not your dog and you are detached. My logical part completely agrees with Julie, but I don't know what I would do if presented with that situation.

 

My ideal squishy solution would be to just spay and neuter all the immediate relatives so that the gene is culled and not the dogs. I don't think that fantasy is logistically possible, but it is a nice dream.

[bc4ever]

I used to look in on a friend's Golden Retriever when they had to be out of town. Angel was thunderphobic and rain phobic! She used Xanax and it worked some of the time. This poor dog could obviously sense when it was going to rain, hours in advance. It was next to impossible to catch her before she freaked out. And if it rained during the night, I didn't live close enough to be of any good.

 

She always ran for the bathtub, but one day after a nighttime storm, we found her in the clothes dryer!

 

Scooter could care less about storms (so far), but I'm wondering if there would be some way to teach this dog to "go to her place" during bad weather. Maybe you could play a CD of rain and storms and train her to go to this comfy, inviting place, so it isn't such a frantic thing. Just a thought.

 

It's so sad to see a dog so frightened that they actually do harm to themselves.

 

Good luck and keep us posted.

Pam

[ejano]

The first dog we had that was scared of thunder was a medium sized terrier who did not have a good relationship with my husband. I was working an evening shift when a storm came up. Ken was sound asleep, but was woken by the thunder, the dog yipping and then heard the dog pounding up the stairs and a great big quivering ball of fur jumped in bed with him. For Willie, "Sleeping with the Enemy" was better than being alone in a storm.

 

 

If the dog can't be safely crated during a storm, then you have a real problem.

 

The thunder phobia creates a very difficult dilemma, as Julie and Kim have pointed out. I tend to agree if the dog is severely frightened, euthanasia may be the kindest thing to do, though I wince when I say it. I don't believe in medication that isn't given on a daily basis because what would happen to the dog if you weren't there and a storm rolled in? I'm not so sure about even daily medication sometimes tranquilizers can actually amplify noise and each dog, like each person, reacts differently to medication.

 

My first question, is it the noise of the thunder or the flash of lightening? If its the thunder, its going to be hard to control if the dog doesn't feel safe in a crate...I'd be wary of letting a new dog loose in the house as well. Maybe put the crate in a big closet? Does the person you're getting the dog from have a good handle on how the dog reacts, or has that person just been letting the dog attempt manage its fear on its own -- i.e. running through the house looking for its own safe place (never a good idea). Scotty used to chase the rolling sound of thunder -- so he went into a crate at the first sign of dark cloud. But then, he loved his crate...

 

Brodie, our five month old pup ignores the thunder, but yaps continually at the flashes of light. He's also not fond of fireworks, again its the flash of light. A room darkening shade is in order and I've thought perhaps a towel over his crate, though I don't want to completely isolate him.

 

 

Kim noted that one of her dogs is afraid in one place, but not in another. Any ideas why?

 

 

Liz

[Root Beer]

I know this isn't exactly what you asked, and I'm sure this will raise some hackles, and it may not even apply to this particular dog (I keep thinking of the dog listed in the rescue section who destroys walls), but I have to wonder if dogs who are severely thunderphobic shouldn't be euthanized for the good of everyone concerned.

 

I actually wondered that about Dean at one point. It was tough watching him live with the escalating anxiety during thunder season, and the month of fireworks that we are subject to here in June/July didn't help. His anxiety began to generalize to routine sounds. He got to the point where he was almost always in a panic attack, to some extent.

 

Meds have helped my thunderphobic dog cope to the point where I don't feel that it is unjust to expect him to live with it. Some days are difficult - particularly in July - but many more days are good days for him and nobody would know that he has a severe anxiety disorder.

 

Granted, he is not, and never has been destructive. He is one who hides.

 

When his vet prescribed meds, she recommended that he not be confined during a time of high level noise, but left to find his own hiding spot. 99% of the time that works out perfectly. He doesn't run around looking for places to hide - he knows full well where he wants to be and at the first sound of thunder, he's there, and he stays there until the storm is over and then life goes on (with the help of his meds!!) There are very rare instances when I have to keep him crated during thunder (if I'm teaching and a storm comes up, for instance). I can usually avoid that by putting him in the car, which he considers a safe place. He'd much rather be in the car than a crate during a storm, so I'll put him there if I can if we are not at home when a storm comes up.

 

Mary, I would recommend talking to a vet about meds - maybe more than one vet. And I would definitely look into using your boyfriend's house if the dog is not destructive. If he's comfortable loose during storms but panics in a crate, loose really is the best way to go if you can manage it.

 

I know that Dean is just fine loose at home if it thunders when I'm not here. I have never come home to find anything destroyed, nor him in a panic, even when I know there has been a big storm that day. Based on what he does when I'm here, I gather he hides until it's over. Granted, that's him - he's on meds, and not all noise phobic dogs are exactly the same.

 

Another alternative might be confining the dog to just one room. I don't think Dean would be thrilled if I kept him confined to one room and thunder came up, but he'd do a heck of a lot better than he would in a crate.

 

So add that lack of a tangible consequence to the human and mix it with the emotional investment and you will get very few people willing to Euth their friend. Which, from an emotional stand point, I completely understand. This is one of those topics that is so much easier when it is not your dog and you are detached. My logical part completely agrees with Julie, but I don't know what I would do if presented with that situation.

 

Very true.

 

Presented with the situation, what I did was seek out ways to help my dog cope. Before I would consider ending the dog's life, I set out to see if I truly could help him deal with the issue to the point where quality of life was significantly better for him. I tried melatonin - no success. I tried Rescue Remedy - no success. I tried the thunder cape - very little success. I tried different things to make him comfortable when I was home during storms - no success. The vet prescribed Clomipramine - very satisfactory success. He's still storm phobic, but he can comfort himself by finding a safe place, and he recovers rather quickly after it's over. Fireworks are still hell for him - I am already looking for a place to take him in late June/early July next year where we can be away from the worst of those.

 

I am very interested in getting Xanax for him to use during storms and fireworks, but I need to find a vet who will prescribe it for him.

 

But for now his life is definitely better to the point where it is plain that his quality of life is excellent. He struggles with storms, but is able to recover, so it does not affect his quality of life to the point where I would even consider ending his life.

 

I'll admit that I'll try to screen for this problem in rescues in the future. Dean had been with us for over a year before it became full-blown and there was no way we would have given up on him without trying everything possible. I'd adopt another dog who is fearful of people and other dogs in a heartbeat (like Speedy), but severe noise phobia is extremely difficult to watch a dog live with and it's not an issue I'd choose to try to rehab if I knew before becoming emotionally invested in the dog.

[ejano]

s about storms (so far), but I'm wondering if there would be some way to teach this dog to "go to her place" during bad weather. Maybe you could play a CD of rain and storms and train her to go to this comfy, inviting place, so it isn't such a frantic thing. Just a thought.

 

 

I actually saw this one on of those dog training shows when I was watching hours of tv this winter during my recovery from surgery...the dog in this case was afraid of the storm in general...rain as well as thunder...you never know how these things work in real life...

[juliepoudrier]

Just to clarify, I'm not suggesting anyone euthanize their pet who is thunderphobic. I'm talking specifically about dogs coming into rescue who are *severely* thunderphobic (like the dog listed in the rescue section) and whether it makes sense for a rescue to spend time and money resources on them, when it seems to me it would be very difficult to find a suitable home that would be able to deal with the destruction or danger the dog poses to itself. These are dogs who are being given up, in the one case I'm referring to because of the phobia. I'm sure owners of such dogs don't wish to make a difficult decision either, but I think people also need to be realistic when it comes to rescue dogs with severe thunderphobia. I do know of people who have made the very hard decision to put thunderphobic pets down as well--when all other resources were exhausted and it was clear that the dog was a real danger to itself. No, it's not like aggression, but I'd like to think that people would still consider the quality of life the animal has as well. And I wouldn't wish on anyone to come home and find the scene my friend found. She'll never forgive herself, and perhaps if someone else in a similar situation can be open-minded about what the *dog* is going through, they might indeed decide that euthanasia is more humane than the dogs perhaps strangling itself to death, or worse.

 

But again, my point is really about dogs in rescue, not people's pets to whom they are emotionally attached.

 

J.

[mbc1963]

I've often wondered, too, if there weren't some kind of a den you could make, to insulate the dog from the noise. Buddy naturally goes to my basement, the lowest area possible, if there are loud storms or fireworks. However, he actually is much calmer if he's just near me - I figured out that he could lie calmly if I let him on my bed and my body was touching his during a storm. He doesn't move or fuss, but just wants to be touching me. He's even contented, now, to go under the bed during thunderstorms or fireworks.

 

For dogs who like a bathtub or enclosed area - what effect would it have to build, say, a double-walled wooden crate in the basement? (Or just build an external cover to a normal crate.) Something that would absorb sounds and provide a "den." Maybe even build it around an old tub, if you could find one? Train the dog to go in there in normal times, associate it with good things, and then provide it as a safe alternative during a storm.

 

I remember reading in one book - perhaps a McConnell one? - about a sheepdog or LGD who was severely thunderphobic. They built her some kind of an underground den, and taught the dog to go there instead of running away during storms. The den greatly improved her quality of life. I think she died young of some completely unrelated accident, more's the pity.

[sweet_ceana]

When I am comparing agression to severe thunder phobia I am refering to the quality of life it gives the dog. By saying they are similar mind sets, I mean that both could make the dog absolutely miserable. When I mention people's pets I am refering to extream thunder phobia, not thunder phobia that can be successfuly managed. I am also refering to severe forms of aggression, once again, not aggression that can be successfuly managed.

 

Julie, would you elaborate on this statement for me?

No, it's not like aggression, but I'd like to think that people would still consider the quality of life the animal has as well.

My experience is very limited with thunder phobia and I would like to hear more about the comparison. This thread is really interesting!

 

(Sorry to Hijack Mary!)

[Root Beer]

I've often wondered, too, if there weren't some kind of a den you could make, to insulate the dog from the noise. Buddy naturally goes to my basement, the lowest area possible, if there are loud storms or fireworks. However, he actually is much calmer if he's just near me - I figured out that he could lie calmly if I let him on my bed and my body was touching his during a storm. He doesn't move or fuss, but just wants to be touching me. He's even contented, now, to go under the bed during thunderstorms or fireworks.

 

My kingdom for a basement!!

 

We live in a one story house with not one single room that does not have a window. To top it off, we have no attic or crawl space between the ceiling and roof. There is not one place in our house that is insulated from noise at all.

 

I have actually considered looking into sound proof building materials to see if it is practical to try to sound proof a closet for the poor dog to have a refuge in July!!! Our closets are rather roomy, and he likes going into them.

 

I've considered trying to make him some kind of sound-insulated den, too, but air flow is a concern of mine.

 

Buying a house with a basement for Dean is a dream of mine!! 'Course if I did that, we would end up moving into a neighborhood where nobody shot off fireworks for a month since I'd have a place for the dog to go! But that would be just fine.

 

Sorry - I've hijacked, too!!

[juliepoudrier]

Julie, would you elaborate on this statement for me? My experience is very limited with thunder phobia and I would like to hear more about the comparison. This thread is really interesting!

What I'm saying is that animals who are severely thunder (or noise) phobic and who live in a thunderstorm prone area and who react in blind panic that is not controlled with medications (assuming the owner is able to give meds at the needed times) do not have a very good quality of life. If such a dog lived in an area where thunderstorms occured almost daily and the dog was a danger to itself--for example, injuring itself in its attempts to escape or actually escaping and running wild in a panic--because of the extreme fear, then I think it's fair to day that the dog probably doesn't have a very good quality of life. If the dogs is so fearful that it puts its own life at risk--as my friend's dog did--is it more of a kindness to humanely euthanize the dog? Or keep trying to manage it and hope it doesn't do the deed for you? Most of us don't have animals who are at this extreme level of fear, but they do exist, and I think it's only fair to point out that such dogs may not be living a very quality life and it may actually be a kindness to consider euthanasia at some point along the dog's fear-danger to itself trajectory. There comes a point when it is more humane to euthanize an animal than to allow it to continue to damage itself or, ultimately, kill itself because of its blind fear.

 

ETA: As for the den thing, I have dogs who become more anxious when confined during a storm and others who prefer to den. One of my dogs is actually very sensitive to the pressure changes that herald a storm and can become reactive hourse before a human even recognizes that a storm is coming. His fear is of the noise and lightning (the latter probably because it signals the noise), but his reaction starts long before a storm is even apparent on the horizon (which makes using meds difficult). Fortunately, he feels comfortable in a crate during a storm, but don't try to get him out of the crate, even if the storm has passed by a couple of hours....

 

J.

[2 Devils]

I am not sure this is exactly what Julie means but this is how I think of Quality of Life...

 

Quality of life is just that. If you live in an area with daily storms for a certain amount of time, the quality of life of the severely thunderphobic is greatly diminished. They may have anxiety attacks, harm themselves and/or things around him on a daily basis and sometimes numerous times a day. It would basically be a terrible existence for a dog... now for a place that rarely has storms then a severely thunderphobic dog could live somewhat of a peaceful life and their quality of life would be fine.

 

I hate seeing Tempe have anxiety attacks - extreme heavy breathing, shaking, trying to crawl in my skin with me, pacing, etc... I would not consider her a severe thunderphobic. She is just thunderphobic and handles it better than most.

[Eileen Stein]

I have actually considered looking into sound proof building materials to see if it is practical to try to sound proof a closet for the poor dog to have a refuge in July!!! Our closets are rather roomy, and he likes going into them.

 

We tried what was supposed to be state of the art soundproofing when we had work done on our house last year. The results were very disappointing. Based on our experience, I think a closet with soundproofing would be little if any improvement over a closet without soundproofing.

 

My badly thunderphobic dog will usually fight going into a crate before or during a storm, will sometimes bite and shred stuff if I'm not around, but will generally just shiver, pant and look wild-eyed if I'm there. She does seem to derive some comfort from curling up next to me, particularly since I started giving her Xanax whenever possible. I do not agree with the advice not to stroke or speak reassuringly to a thunderphobic dog during a storm; my experience is that it usually helps and never hurts.

[Tassie]

Another thing that might be worth trying is a home-made version of the TT anxiety wrap. I think it might have been Melanie who posted about that years ago - using a very small T shirt, so it is very snug fitting on the dog. A friend has tried it with some success with her Aussie. (Same principle as Temple Grandin's crush box.)

 

Don't know how a Dog Appeasing Pheromone diffuser would be - could help, and couldn't do any harm.

[SoloRiver]

They say if you give while the dog is already anxious it can make them worse.

 

This is not true. If you hit the dog with a goodly dose of alprazolam after he has already gotten scared it blunts the reaction and also seems to lessen the dog's remembrance of it. If you tried something like Ace however I can see how it would make the dog worse.

 

We don't have thunder season here in Oregon, thankfully, but we do have fireworks season since our yahoo neighbors like to set them off frequently during the months (yes, months) surrounding the Fourth of July. Because the explosions are unpredictable it is very difficult to work around them. On the Fourth itself last year I was able to crate Solo in a closet that is essentially in the center of the house with two bathroom fans going and he was happy as a clam in there, other than not really understanding why he was being crated in the closet, because he couldn't really hear what was going on outside. But when there are explosions going off randomly over a span of weeks this is not practical.

 

Solo already has a script for alprazolam (Xanax) for storms and other emergencies to be given as needed, but for about a month and a half this summer he was on 0.5mg twice a day because of my dumbass neighbors and their love of fireworks (this is in addition to the TCA and SSRI that he is on daily). Yes, for anyone who has taken Xanax, this is about the same dosage recommended for an average adult human three times Solo's size, but for some reason dogs seem to absorb a giant amount of anti-anxiety meds compared to people. Solo does not become disoriented or clumsy at this dose, but different dogs respond differently to different drugs. Another medication that can be used for noise phobic dogs is diazepam (Valium), but Solo did not do well with it, becoming slow and stupid. It is possible that a dog who does poorly on one will do well on another.

 

This summer, the daily alprazolam made a HUGE difference in Solo's fear reactions to the intermittent explosions and greatly improved his quality of life. He went from being in a constant state of fearful anticipation to essentially just being a dog again. Unlike his regular meds, which do not alter his normal behavior (they make him able to be normal in more situations, and yes I do know because I have lived with him off the meds as well) I did feel that the alprazolam made him slightly stoned. Someone who did not know him as well as I do probably would not have noticed. One noticeable side effect, however, was increased appetite. Solo became a pretty determined counter surfer and also came pretty close to foiling the lock on the kitchen garbage can while he was getting alprazolam daily. When the fireworks stopped exploding on a daily basis I weaned Solo off of the alprazolam over about a week and a half (do not stop cold turkey if the dog has been taking it every day). His appetite has since gone back to normal.

 

One of the wonderful effects of anxiolytic meds like alprazolam is that they help the dog learn not to fear the noise. Even though Solo has been off the daily alprazolam for several weeks now, if a random firecracker goes off he kind of says, "ho, hum" and doesn't even bother to get up. In a sense the summer sort of "primed" him to be able to handle the occasional explosion. However, if the daily fireworks started up again his fear would probably start mounting again so it is a matter of ongoing management, not a cure.

 

There are apparently industrial-strength earmuffs that you can get for dogs that are designed for search/rescue and military dogs who are exposed to loud noises frequently (helicopters, gunshots). They are not intended to reduce anxiety but supposedly work for that purpose for some dogs. These would only help dogs who are primarily afraid of noise and have not learned to cue off of other environmental stimuli like barometric pressure, rain, etc.

[Root Beer]

One of the wonderful effects of anxiolytic meds like alprazolam is that they help the dog learn not to fear the noise. Even though Solo has been off the daily alprazolam for several weeks now, if a random firecracker goes off he kind of says, "ho, hum" and doesn't even bother to get up. In a sense the summer sort of "primed" him to be able to handle the occasional explosion. However, if the daily fireworks started up again his fear would probably start mounting again so it is a matter of ongoing management, not a cure.

 

I really need to try that with Dean. Might be more cost effective than renting a house for a month next summer.

 

Or soundproofing which, as Eileen pointed out, may well not even work.

 

There are apparently industrial-strength earmuffs that you can get for dogs that are designed for search/rescue and military dogs who are exposed to loud noises frequently (helicopters, gunshots). They are not intended to reduce anxiety but supposedly work for that purpose for some dogs. These would only help dogs who are primarily afraid of noise and have not learned to cue off of other environmental stimuli like barometric pressure, rain, etc.

 

I've checked into those and I really want to get Dean a pair. I'm thinking of using them more for Agility classes and trials than thunderstorms, but if he were to learn to wear them and they end up making him feel safer, they could work for thunderstorms for him, as well.

 

The trick, though, would be to get them on him before he can perceive the thunder. He can almost always hear it before I do and once he hears it, he's in hidey mode until it's over and done with.

 

Don't know how a Dog Appeasing Pheromone diffuser would be - could help, and couldn't do any harm.

 

I got one of those this summer. It had no noticeable effect. That's not to say it didn't help, but if it did, it wasn't noticeable.

[ejano]

I've often wondered, too, if there weren't some kind of a den you could make, to insulate the dog from the noise. Buddy naturally goes to my basement, the lowest area possible, if there are loud storms or fireworks. However, he actually is much calmer if he's just near me - I figured out that he could lie calmly if I let him on my bed and my body was touching his during a storm. He doesn't move or fuss, but just wants to be touching me. He's even contented, now, to go under the bed during thunderstorms or fireworks.

 

That's our Ladybug...I remember my husband drowsily explaining to her (the dogs always jump on him!) that the best place to be in a storm was under the bed as she snuggled on his chest....

 

The den theory is a good one....that's probably why Scotty was okay in his crate during a storm because he loved his crate. He'd sleep in it if the door was open (In his previous life, it was the one safe place he knew he wouldn't get into trouble. Dogs that go into a closet, a car, or a bathtub are doing the same thing....finding a den.

 

I asked my Mom (86) which of the Border Collies throughout her lifetime were afraid of thunder....she said, "All of them -they're collies." Is it really a breed phobia? I know of examples of other breeds that are afraid of thunder -- Newfies, a Golden Retriever....

 

How/when does the phobia develop? We've had a great deal of rain/thunderstorms here this summer and please don't yell at me for this, but I was working on the porch one afternoon last week ( teach for an online school) and thunder started rumbling in the distance. Ladybug came to sit at my feet, and I was curious to see what the pups would do....they kept playing around the yard like nothing was happening. The thunder kept its distance and there was no lightening, but we did get a light rain out of it. They played in the rain like a couple of kids. No reaction at all to the thunder. Brodie, as I've said, reacts to lightening flashes.

 

Liz

[Maralynn]

How/when does the phobia develop? We've had a great deal of rain/thunderstorms here this summer and please don't yell at me for this, but I was working on the porch one afternoon last week ( teach for an online school) and thunder started rumbling in the distance. Ladybug came to sit at my feet, and I was curious to see what the pups would do....they kept playing around the yard like nothing was happening. The thunder kept its distance and there was no lightening, but we did get a light rain out of it. They played in the rain like a couple of kids. No reaction at all to the thunder. Brodie, as I've said, reacts to lightening flashes.

 

Liz

 

Missy has never been too concerned about thunder or fireworks - she'll go to her crate or curl up in a corner but there is no shaking panting or uneasiness about her. And she is rather quirky about other loud noises like power tools and the vacuum. Kipp is 4 had nothing more than a slight uneasieness about thunderstorms until this past year. Now he is much more shaking, panting, right.up.against me. I give him valium which really helps take the edge off and work on things to keep his mind off of the booms like playing with him and clicker work. But it is not uncommon for thunder issues to crop up in the 2-5 y/o range.

 

All BCs do not have thunder/noise issues, though they are certainly not uncommon in the breed.

[Root Beer]

How/when does the phobia develop?

 

I saw the first signs of it in Dean when he was almost a year and a half old. I had no idea what was going on, so I didn't recognize it for what it was, but looking back, it started to show up in very tiny ways.

 

At that point, he develped a sudden, inexplicable fear of the sound that soda bottles make when you open them. For about a month, he would run and hide under something if you opened a soda bottle near him. We had opened scads of bottles before this and he didn't care. He never had a bad experience with a soda bottle. Suddenly that sound scared the heck out of him. After about a month, the problem vanished as suddenly as it appeared. I chalked it up to a "fear period" at the time, but looking back, it was really a "mini-manifestation" of the noise phobia. The reaction was the same - he had a mini-panic attack, he hid, no attempt at desensitization or comfort helped, etc.

 

A little while after that, he got very nervous when the instructor at training class dropped a clip board for the sudden noise in the CGC test. Nothing would settle him down until I took him out of the building. That summer, he started to show clearer signs when the thunder and fireworks started, but it still wasn't full blow at that point.

 

After a winter of very little manifestation, the summer after he turned two was when his noise phobia developed full-force.

 

I was very surprised to learn that it often doesn't show up until a dog is 1 and 1/2 to 2 years old. That's exactly when it showed up in Dean.