Fireworks are on the way...!

[sanford]

Apologies for the length of this topic... Bradl - you can move this if necessary. 

 

This is from the front page of today's New York Times and I thought it was important, but I didn't know how to include the link, so I excerpted the info here: 

...............................................................................................................................................................................

A New Treatment for Dogs Scared by Thunder and Fireworks

By JAN HOFFMAN date published JUNE 28, 2016 2:30 AM

 

 

This month, the first drug approved by the FDA for canine noise aversion (a term encompassing mild discomfort to phobia) came on the market. The drug, Sileo, inhibits norepinephrine, a brain chemical associated with anxiety and fear response.

 

dogs with noise aversion may associate one sensation with another: storm-phobic tremors can be set off merely by dark clouds. Some vets prescribe strong sedatives, but even if the immediate crisis is averted, the underlying phobia remains untreated.

 

“It’s a true panic disorder with a complete flight response.”

 

behavior specialists disagree about whether owners should comfort animals. Some acknowledge the dog but not fuss over it. Show that the environment is safe and not compatible with threat, by playing and seeing if the dog wants to join you. But don’t force it ...soothing a spooked animal, bred to seek safety with its human, is just fine. “You can’t reinforce anxiety by comforting a dog, you won’t make the fear worse. Do what you need to do to help your dog.”...if possible, staying with the dog in a windowless, interior room. A dog’s flight response is on overload; it is seeking a haven.

 

For years, vets treated noise phobia with acepromazine, a tranquilizer. It sedates the dog but is not an anti-anxiety medication. During a thunderstorm, the dog can still see and hear everything. But like someone having a nightmare in which it cannot run from danger, the frightened dog can’t move to escape. So acepromazine can exacerbate noise aversion.

Some dogs do better with Prozac, but the daily medicine takes four to six weeks to be effective.

 

The new drug, Sileo, is a micro-amount of a sedative for minor vet procedures —- a flavorless gel, in a syringe, squeezed between the dog’s cheek and gum and absorbed within 30 minutes. It lasts several hours, after which it can be readministered.

A syringe costs about $30 and holds several weight-dependent doses. Main side effect, in 4.5 percent of dogs, is vomiting... This is  not the miracle cure, but a worthy option.

 

The optimal solution is catching the response early, and desensitizing the dog with calibrated recordings of the offending noise, and positive conditioning.

But training takes time, patience and consistency...

[Hillscreek]

Would be reluctant to use meds for calming dog (or person). But on the other hand I have not owned a dog that was totally terrified of fireworks - scared maybe but not a wreck so I guess I can't really say.

Angus is very annoyed by fireworks and by thunder. Barking and growling till they go away - then very pleased with himself looking over at me as to say "hey- that's got rid of that Mom".

[bradl]

1 hour ago, sanford said:

I didn't know how to include the link

Sidebar: If you want to learn how, Forum Support is a good place to ask Test Forum is a semi-private place to tinker, experiment, and practice if you like to sort things out or make sure you've got something just the way you like it before posting. 

We've been lucky so far on the fireworks front but I can sympathize because I know some dogs have a very bad reaction. I like the summary, "This is  not the miracle cure, but a worthy option." Options are good.

[sanford]

I used Forum Support and finally taught myself how to enclose a link, so here it is, (if it works): http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/06/28/why-thunder-and-fireworks-make-dogs-anxious/?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&hpw&rref=health

This link is only for those who might want more info. Most intriguing for me, (which I did not include in my summary) was the description in the article of successfully desensitizing hunting dog pups to the loud noise of a rifle shot: a gun is fired off every time before the pups are fed. It startles them at first, but fairly quickly they make the positive association with food, ignore the noise and happily gobble up their dinner! Apparently they never again startle at loud noises, such as fireworks, thunder, etc.

I had 2 reactions to this... One was comic, picturing the revolver on the kitchen table at dinner time. The other, more serious thought was that if it really works for all pups in the same way that running the vacuum or handling their feet, brushing their coats and teeth, etc., conditions them to accept household noise or being groomed, etc., then go for it!

[Sam I Am]

Here are some other ideas that are none medicated...might be worth a try. I know for Jock who went a bit looney , barking racing up and down the stairs etc,  having a special collar and leash only for when there were storms worked amazingly well. When ever there was a storm or fireworks I put his special collar on and tethered the leash to me. The minute he knew he was tied to me he was totally calm. I even slept with the leash around my wrist when stormy. I read about this a long time ago and for us it worked. 

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/08/18/pet-storm-phobia.aspx

[hheldorfer]

If it is a typical July 4th (hot and humid) we'll have the house closed up and the A/C on.  We usually play music or turn the TV up to help drown out the sound of the fireworks.  Same thing on New Year's Eve.  When the fireworks first start I let Buffy run around in the back yard and bark at them for a bit to let her work off some steam.  (She always seems so pleased with herself when she barks and (coincidentally, I'm sure) the loud noises stop. )   After that we try to keep her distracted with a toy or other activities.  If it gets really bad I put her on my lap and cover her with a blanket, which seems to calm her down and make her feel safe.  

[Hillscreek]

re the desensitizing: when we had retriever pups  a few weeks old we'd sometimes make loud noises and bang pans together as we gave them their food. When older then fire off guns in the distance when giving a goose wing or something to fetch or play with. So later when out hunting for real then the sight and sound of gun signaled joyful retrieving ahead. A scared/timid retriever will pass that fear on to a young dog which has just happened to some one I know.

Never actually used a recorded sound though so don't know how that would work.

Also of course getting them used to household noises or traffic or something they hear on a regular basis is no doubt easier than getting used to thunder or fireworks  only heard now and then.

[Idaho Cairns]

We were lucky, our first Cairn was noise aggressive, when she heard a loud report, she charged it (something I found out to my embarrassment the first time I took her to the local trap club) and her tolerance of those noises rubbed off on subsequent Cairns, down to the present two who are not bothered by fireworks.
I'm not sure there is a way to train a dog that is noise adverse to accept sudden loud reports--of course with the hunting dogs we tried to train years ago, those that showed any shyness with gun fire were culled as useless, which, essentially, they were

for hunting purposes.

 

Edited June 29, 2016 by Idaho Cairns

[Lynn in TN]

We can't even watch a Disney movie at our house. The little fireworks display at the beginning of a Disney movie sets Kelly off. haha Kelly has to tell them off, just like she does with thunderstorms. She prefers to tell them off outside, and will whine at the door until we let her out. She rarely barks at anything, except fireworks and thunderstorms.

The only thing that works here is to go to bed. She is very considerate of our sleep, she tries very hard to be quiet when we are in bed. I have no idea why, but I love it. If she wakes us something is WRONG!

Prissy is just Prissy. She doesn't change with the noise of fireworks. She is the same with or without them. Which is really funny because she is our barker. She barks at everything except fireworks, and thunderstorms. Lol

 

Edited June 29, 2016 by Lynn in TN

[_whits_]

My childhood dog is the one who trained me to fear both thunder and fireworks. My JRT mix Leftover always ran away from home whenever she heard either. Once we lost her for a week and I was certain I'd never see her again (thankfully we found her at the shelter). Terrified me my entire childhood. Addie doesn't even seem to notice, but I still flinch to this day.

[kjwarnold]

Unfortunately, Packy is one that just shakes in fear at fireworks and bad thunderstorms.  It's gotten worse over the years.  We out a crate in our walk-in closet and that's where he goes during fireworks and storms.  It seems to work for him.  For us, it's not just the 4th of July.  Living in a vacation destination area, we have fireworks for 10 days around the 4th, most Fridays during the summer, Memorial Day, Labor Day, New Year's Eve, and on days ending in "y", it seems.  ?

[Idaho Cairns]

Some Cairns can be pretty darned tolerant of fireworks, I may have put this up before and if so, my apologies, but this gives a graphic demonstration of our girls at the local firework finales a couple of years back.  Because the event itself prohibits the taking of dogs to the main arena, we go behind the fairgrounds to the area where the displays are fired over (so do a lot of folks--no admission cost!) and the show is pretty good--especially with the higher bursts which are directly overhead.
I actually believe the dogs get bored with the display after about twenty minutes.  We have never had a situation where the dogs seemed upset with the noise or the display.
So, here are Bonnie and Sammi a couple of years back--enjoying or tolerating the Fourth of July!
 

 

[Dempsy's Mom]

Now that is exceptional behavior - if I wouldn't of seen it I wouldn't of believed it.  Sammi and Bonnie you are fun dogs to share the 4th with!!  Nerves of steel.

Edited June 30, 2016 by Dempsy's Mom

[hheldorfer]

Amazing!  Buffy and Ziggy would have been charging the fireworks and barking like crazy.

[Sam I Am]

Chuck that's amazing! Never seen anything like it. 

[Lynn in TN]

I haven't seen anything like it either. Kelly would've been barking like crazy,and wagging her tail. Prissy would've been curled up asleep. Fireworks are past Prissy's bedtime.

[hheldorfer]

People started shooting off fireworks last night.  Tonight it's starting earlier and Buffy isn't too happy about it.  It's going to be a loooooooooooong weekend.

Ziggy is in his bed snoring, by the way.  Couldn't care less.  As long as breakfast and dinner are served promptly, nothing bothers that boy.

[kjwarnold]

Oh, my...   The rain stopped here last night in time to allow the fireworks to go on.  I posted that Packy shakes and goes into a crate in a closet, which seemed to work for him.  Not last night.  It was horrible watching how petrified he was; there was the shaking, plus digging at the floor, peeing three times, crying, and more.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do tonight, other than pray it rains and they can't set them off.  I did give him a Benadryl in the middle of it all, but I think by the time it kicked in, the fireworks were nearly over.

I hate that for almost a week, he's going to have to suffer through this when he doesn't really have the time left to waste!  I think to myself, next year we're just going to be at the farm and he won't have to hear fireworks, but then I realize he probably won't make it that long.  

We have a houseful of company, too, nine people staying for four days.  I just left them last night, took Packy upstairs and rode it out.  Kirby came along for support, although he barks at the fireworks, he does run over to me periodically when there's a big one.  He's afraid, too, but shows it by barking.  He cuddled up next to Packy for a while.

[Hillscreek]

[Hillscreek]

[hheldorfer]

2 hours ago, kjwarnold said:

 It was horrible watching how petrified he was; there was the shaking, plus digging at the floor, peeing three times, crying, and more.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do tonight, other than pray it rains and they can't set them off.  I did give him a Benadryl in the middle of it all, but I think by the time it kicked in, the fireworks were nearly over.

 

Poor Packy.  It must have been a hellish night for both him and you.  I imagine that his health troubles are contributing to his anxiety.  When we are feeling poorly even the minor irritations seem overwhelming.

Hugs to you and yours.  I'll join you in that prayer for rain.

[LindaMC]

Maisie had a hard time last night with the fireworks being set off not too far from our house and then the kids and their firecrackers around the neighborhood.  She trembles and shakes and it breaks my heart to watch her go through this.  I put a thunder shirt on her but that doesn't do too much good, although I don't dare to take it off of her, she could get worse.  She tries to make herself small and hides between the wall and couch and also runs around not knowing what to do with herself.  No matter how much I try to distract her it just doesn't help.  She won't eat treats, no matter how yummy they are, she won't play ball, etc.  I've tried giving her calming aids, like Licks, and "Quiet Moments with Melantonin but she just turns her head with mouth clamped shut.  I dread this time of year for her with all the thunder storms and fireworks.....

[_whits_]

Oh sweet Packy. So sorry last night was so hard on you. Praying for loads of rain from the sky and lots of cuddles from mom and Kirby. 

 

[Malcolm's Dad]

Poor Packy. Cuddle with  mom and Kirby to make you feel better. Today (the 3rd) the fireworks are going off. Malcolm is busy barking them away. He will sleep good tonight.

[Dempsy's Mom]

Fireworks is the last thing Packy needs.  So sorry little guy ... hang in there.  We only have one neighbor up the hill and they go on for about an hour or two then it quits.