Calming dogs?

[Moonlightdreams]

For those of you with dogs, have you ever used calming treats? Our two dogs get extremely nervous during storms, car rides, trips to the vet, etc. One is so scared of loud noises that the sound of chopping vegetables makes her shake and hide. They even get nervous when it rains.

We were looking for something that would just help them relax a little, not put them to sleep. We tried Thundershirts, and they were pretty much the same as usual. Our oldest dog turned 11 on Monday and has a beginning stage heart murmur, and we don't want her to be extremely stressed. They both love going on walks, new places, etc, but they are very rambunctious in the car.

We were looking at the Isle of Dogs Chillout treats, and another brand that I'm forgetting right now. Just wondering if any of you had experience with them.

[wodesorel]

I've done prescription anti-anxiety with our cats before. Things like Prozac are available as a cheap RX through a regular pharmacy. ($4 for 30 days here.) Gabapentin is a newer drug being used for cats and dogs and I've had good experiences with it. If your pup really can't settle down it's worth a talk with the vet. Is he on anything for his heart?

[Moonlightdreams]

I've done prescription anti-anxiety with our cats before. Things like Prozac are available as a cheap RX through a regular pharmacy. ($4 for 30 days here.) Gabapentin is a newer drug being used for cats and dogs and I've had good experiences with it. If your pup really can't settle down it's worth a talk with the vet. Is he on anything for his heart?

Nope, nothing for the heart. We're just keeping a close eye on it for now. She's had it for a while. They're usually very calm, we only have issues with vet trips/thunder/etc, so we haven't been looking at medication very much. Thanks for the info, though! I'll take a look.

[curlysister]

I use a Thunder Shirt for my little dog, Sailor. It makes a world of difference during storms. He used to shake, drool, and hide when there was any thunder. Now he is obviously aware of the thunder, but he stays on the couch or bed with me, and there is no drooling or shaking. For his day-to-day anxiety, I give him Anxitane every day. I get it from my vet. I have never used Dog Appeasing Pheromones with Sailor, but did with my previous dog who had Separation Anxiety. He was also on Clomicalm, but I did try a few different meds before we found one that was effective. I used the combo of Anxitane, Royal Canin Calm Food, and the Cat Pheromones for my previous cat who had behaviour issues. I had tried other meds for him without good success. I would like to feed Sailor Calm Food, but he is in early kidney failure so he needs Kidney Diet.

[GotButterflies]

Agreed - Thundershirts are amazing. Are you positive you are using it correctly?

Clomicalm is also a great product - but it can get costly.

Also - CBD oil works wonders.

[Moonlightdreams]

Agreed - Thundershirts are amazing. Are you positive you are using it correctly?

Clomicalm is also a great product - but it can get costly.

Also - CBD oil works wonders.

Yes, I'm sure we were using them right. We watched videos, read the instructions, everything was right. They just didn't seem to react to it much, other than not moving after we put them on. Still shaking and whining, though.

I was looking at CBD treats, actually. Thanks for the suggestion!

In reply to curlysister, I've seen the pheromone sprays, but haven't done much research on it.

[wodesorel]

Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all when it comes to calming an animal down. There are lots of OTC and RX products, but it can take a while to find the right something. We use Feliway for the cats, but it only works well on some of them, on others it has zero effect. Same with the Prozac, great results in one cat and it made him comfortable again, but it did nothing for another. You'll need to experiment and see what works, but don't expect instant or huge results. It may take weeks to kick in, or it may only have a subtle effect.

[Moonlightdreams]

Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all when it comes to calming an animal down. There are lots of OTC and RX products, but it can take a while to find the right something. We use Feliway for the cats, but it only works well on some of them, on others it has zero effect. Same with the Prozac, great results in one cat and it made him comfortable again, but it did nothing for another. You'll need to experiment and see what works, but don't expect instant or huge results. It may take weeks to kick in, or it may only have a subtle effect.

Oh, definitely. Even a subtle effect would be nice. They are crazy. Took them out for a walk today and they would absolutely not sit still. The sound of cars and trucks had little to no effect on them, they just pulled (the older dog does, at least), laid down, tried to go inside stores, knocked over a trash can, and knotted their leashes together.

Did I mention they're both less than 15 pounds?

I'm trying to work on teaching them to heel, but considering they go nuts when we put their harnesses on, it's very difficult.

[aussieJJDude]

You mentioned car rides being a major factor, have you considered training them to get use to the car? Like start by leaving some doors open, and letting them chill for a bit - treats help! Once they use to that, then you could step it up by turning on the car, but leaving it in park... after they fine with that, consider small trips around the block (or maybe even the nearest park) with some treats and continue expanding the range and make it enjoyable- aka not all car rides lead to the vet?

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[Cococrabgirl!]

For those of you with dogs, have you ever used calming treats? Our two dogs get extremely nervous during storms, car rides, trips to the vet, etc. One is so scared of loud noises that the sound of chopping vegetables makes her shake and hide. They even get nervous when it rains.

We were looking for something that would just help them relax a little, not put them to sleep. We tried Thundershirts, and they were pretty much the same as usual. Our oldest dog turned 11 on Monday and has a beginning stage heart murmur, and we don't want her to be extremely stressed. They both love going on walks, new places, etc, but they are very rambunctious in the car.

We were looking at the Isle of Dogs Chillout treats, and another brand that I'm forgetting right now. Just wondering if any of you had experience with them.

The calming treats kinda work. When we evacuated at 3:00 AM. my dog Bella ( Bella is a yorkipoo small dogs are little bit more crazy) wined for hours, that was the first time we evacuated. The second time we bought calming treats, and she wined slightly less.I have only used drugs for grooming my dog , but haven't tried them in the car yet but when I do I will tell you. I think you should try the treats first,but please follow the instructions you can make your dog sick if you don't.Personally I do think drugs work well, but you should try other things first.

[Moonlightdreams]

You mentioned car rides being a major factor, have you considered training them to get use to the car? Like start by leaving some doors open, and letting them chill for a bit - treats help! Once they use to that, then you could step it up by turning on the car, but leaving it in park... after they fine with that, consider small trips around the block (or maybe even the nearest park) with some treats and continue expanding the range and make it enjoyable- aka not all car rides lead to the vet?

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They get so crazy when we even bring out their harnesses that by the time we get them to the van, we have new scars from them jumping around. For every trip to the vet or groomers, we take 5+ walks, trips to the dog park, the river, the pet shop, etc. It doesn't seem to be car rides themselves, because they calm down after about 40 minutes in the car. (We take trips into the city to get them groomed every 4 months or so, and it takes about an hour to get there. We also visit family that live 8 hours away.) It's more of just anxiety over going out, maybe?

[Moonlightdreams]

For those of you with dogs, have you ever used calming treats? Our two dogs get extremely nervous during storms, car rides, trips to the vet, etc. One is so scared of loud noises that the sound of chopping vegetables makes her shake and hide. They even get nervous when it rains.

We were looking for something that would just help them relax a little, not put them to sleep. We tried Thundershirts, and they were pretty much the same as usual. Our oldest dog turned 11 on Monday and has a beginning stage heart murmur, and we don't want her to be extremely stressed. They both love going on walks, new places, etc, but they are very rambunctious in the car.

We were looking at the Isle of Dogs Chillout treats, and another brand that I'm forgetting right now. Just wondering if any of you had experience with them.

The calming treats kinda work. When we evacuated at 3:00 AM. my dog Bella ( Bella is a yorkipoo small dogs are little bit more crazy) wined for hours, that was the first time we evacuated. The second time we bought calming treats, and she wined slightly less.I have only used drugs for grooming my dog , but haven't tried them in the car yet but when I do I will tell you. I think you should try the treats first,but please follow the instructions you can make your dog sick if you don't.Personally I do think drugs work well, but you should try other things first.

Thanks! We will definitely follow directions. We're hoping the treats will at least take the edge off of their nerves, because we don't really want to use medication.

But we also don't want any more scratches.

[PinchersAndShells]

Our pit and lab mix takes Prozac for anxiety, she was a mess before she was medicated (she was very hyperactive and destructive.) We think she mostly suffers from separation anxiety, as she was paid a lot of attention to as a puppy, then when she got bigger her original owners left her tied up outside all the time. When when my mom decided to take her in she became very attached to my mom. She's very relaxed now, a bit excitable at times, but she has gained a bit of weight. I don't think it's to a point that it has a negative impact on her though. I would recommend talking to your veterinarian and seeing what they think the best option is for your dogs.

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[ciaraalston]

For those of you with dogs, have you ever used calming treats? Our two dogs get extremely nervous during storms, car rides, trips to the vet, etc. One is so scared of loud noises that the sound of chopping vegetables makes her shake and hide. They even get nervous when it rains.

We were looking for something that would just help them relax a little, not put them to sleep. We tried Thundershirts, and they were pretty much the same as usual. Our oldest dog turned 11 on Monday and has a beginning stage heart murmur, and we don't want her to be extremely stressed. They both love going on walks, new places, etc, but they are very rambunctious in the car.

We were looking at the Isle of Dogs Chillout treats, and another brand that I'm forgetting right now. Just wondering if any of you had experience with them.

Our big dog is afraid of everything, but mostly thunder and rain. She's a bull mastiff/boxer breed, and about 6 years old. When she's scared, she attaches herself to me and starts shaking. What worries us the most is that she pants like shes struggling to breath. We considered calming treats, but with her weight (160 pounds) we would have to feed her like 6 of them at a time and that's just too much. So, we found an alternative. We take 3mg melatonin and wrap it in cheese. I usually give her 2 of them, and within 30 minutes she's calmed down. Sometimes she goes to sleep, but usually she just lays with me. It works everytime for us.

Car rides also stress her, but if i climb into the back seat with her she's fine. Her anxiety spikes, but being able to lay with my arm around her is enough calming to get where we need to be. Fortunately they don't ride in the car often.