Thunderphobia?

I am so sorry to hear Maggie is becoming increasingly reactive to storms. IT can get worse as the age. I would suggest a couple of things. Meds are only good if you know far enough in advance that  you can safely sedate for a long enough time to be effective. With our deep chested breeds we had tried a number of things only to have them still struggle and be frightened. They passed out AFTER the storm was over so it did very little good for them. A thunder shirt can help but we found an Ace Bandage was waaay better.  Using as wide a bandage as possible we would wrap the dog from chest to tuck snugly as soon as they began to show signs of worry . This settled even our worst dog right down allowing her to eventually deal far better with storms and we get some whoppers down here on the Gulf Coast. We had one today in fact!  Happily the worst dog we have now is a mild case compared to our old girl. You do want to get ahead of it though. If it escalates too far they can become so terribly miserable and anxious it can be awful! If you are not home you should consider crating her and possibly even covering the crate with a dark sheet to block some of the flashes from lightening. Giving her a peanut butter or cream cheese stuffed kong and ignoring the storm yourself helps too.

Keep in mind it is not all about the noise and flashing. Most dogs hate the drop in barometric pressure, ( it affects their sensitive ears and sense of balance) I did have one dog who after Hurricane IVAn became so storm phobic she developed what the vets down here call Storm Rage. Despite intensive work , medication and behaviorists she had to be eased over the Bridge as she became a danger to herself and others.

The very best of luck with your girl !!

stardog85

This most recent storm happened today while DH was at work and while Maggie was at our new house

This is what stands out for me mostly.  New surroundings....home alone (?).  Scary stuff for a thunderphobic dog...I would think. 

Buddy has always been thunderphobic; he's 11 now, and I haven't noticed it getting any worse.  Bruder became thunderphobic several months after joining us, so with him I think it was a learned behavior from Buddy. 

The thing that really helps my boys is Valierian root.  I use the tincture (liquid) and squirt a dropper into some yogurt or cottage cheese and they lap it up.  It takes the edge off the fear, but doesn't knock them out....just relaxes them. 

I would like to learn more about the Ace and the Thundershirt...I've not heard about this solution before.

We have used the wrap technique since being introduced to it over 15 years ago.  We rescued a Lab puppy who had been horribly abused. One of her biggest fears and the most difficult to work with was her storm phobia. She was always left out in storms expected to find shelter under the Mobile Home the couple lived in. Since she had never been shown this was possible they found it tremendously funny that she would cower at the door in the worst storms begging to be let in.

Frisco felt the onset of storms long before the sky even began to darken.  As the barometric pressure fell she would become anxious, panting, pacing and shaking until as owners we would have done anything to calm her. We spent many , many long hours just holding her hoping she would not end up with a heart attack from the fright. We even tried Ace the sedative that would knock her to loopy she would have what they call the thrid eyelid, staggering form the effect but still frantic until the storm passsed then she would pass out and worry us until it wore off. Just not a good trade off. One day I was speaking with an Old" Dog" man who told me about Wrapping. IT made enough sense I was willing to try it.  I got two 6 inch Ace Wraps , you begin at the bottom of the rib cage and wrap snug but NOT tightly around the tuck until you get to the hind legs. You secure the wrap ( I prefer tape to the little metal clips)  the theory as explained by the Old Fellow was your dog would settle since they believed you were holding them in a steady unchanging fashion. That this allowed the dog to actually experience a bio feed back effect lower the stress, slowing the breathing, the heart rate and even the tremors. I admit I did not have much hope it would work for Frisco as her case was so extreme. yet from the first wrapping on she became increasingly calmer. If we were caught with out a wrap a T shirt would be substituted, you want the smallest one you can put on the dog and you tie the loose bottom into a knot on the back ( at the dog's topline) creating a snug fit. This worked for a RR who learned Storm Phobia and for Frisco until both dogs were able to finally handle Storms without panic for the last few years of their lives.  The big problem with meds is there is a delay before the medication kicks in. Allowing the dog to become worried before first burst of lightening and thunder. Then the dog is fighting the weird feeling of being sedated , the world feeling out of wack  and the approach of the storm.  Once the storm passes you have a dog who is drunk feeling, and still wondering why the world is topsy turvey?  You also have the concern that the dog may or may not process the meds well.  With our deep chested hounds we must sedate with as light a med as possible and with the hope that we can reverse it as fast as we can. Ironically our dogs as strong and wonderful as they are struggle more form the side effects of anesthesia than the actual procedures.

Molson is terrified of thunderstorms to the point now when it just gets humid he freaks. And by freaks I mean shaking, whining, pacing, drooling/foaming, puking, panting, trying to hide *anywhere* he can fit. We started crating him w/ a blanket over part of his crate and that seems to calm him down a *little*. At least he can't pace and get himself worked up more. I don't baby him or try to cuddle him or anything like that, I ignore him and just let him work through it and it has been the only thing that calms him, even though it's just a little.

The thundershirt may do the trick, if anxiety is the problem, however, if the dog is sensitive to the change in barometric pressure, as Bonita has pointed out, the Storm Defender Cape may be a better bet--it has a metallic lining that discharges the dog's fur, making him/her less sensitive to the change in the electrical charge in the air.  I know a few people that have used this with success. 

Another friend of mine attended a healing touch seminar, recently, and the speaker had recommended the use of a tuning fork--rubbing it through the pet's fur to change the static electric charge---of course, you would have to be home for that remedy, but thought it was an interesting concept.  Haven't had the oppurtunity to see if it works, though.

This is what I do. I had a rescue we adopted when she was 5 years old. However- since she had lived in a kennel outside, she was terrified of storms.

 We found that burning lemon/lavendar candle or even a spray ( candle by yankee candel) as it started calmed alot.

 The lemon in the candle masks the musk made by the dog when frightened. And lavendar is highly soothing.

Another thing I found is get a person t shirt, and slightly dampen it. ( ie barely wet), and put on the dog. This stops the static that can occur in thunderstorms.

 And another thing- my dogs love music, and ( know its sounds stupid) but when the thunder starts, put on a song you like and dance around with the dogs. Make it a game, and mix in with treats.. Sounds dumb- but it works! In other words- that noise is a GREAT thing!

 It worked for us- and hope this helps.

Foxy the Mostlie Sheltie became thunderphobic in an instant when a tornado bounced over our house -- and it rapidly increased in severity.

To do any training you have to do it when you are THERE.  that means getting up in the middle of the night for a storm -- but I successfully neutralized Foxy's fear -- similar to Borzoi Mom I do a "storm party" -- literally sitting with the dog WATCHING The storm -- counting the seconds after the flash/boom to comment on the storm moving in ... and when it begins to abate.  Treat with every flash/boom -- something absolutely YUMMY

 For when you aren't there you have to do anything/everything you can.  Valerian is great (the tincture works in about 5 minutes so it's a GREAT thing to reach for when a storm is beginning) -- but you can also give Hylands Calms ALSO -- it promotes sleep rather than just being a relaxant like valerian is.

Sorry it took me a while to get back to the thread - busy day! 

A couple things in response to some suggestions/thoughts above:

• The Thundershirt operates on the TTouch/Ace wrap idea.  It does help Maggie if she wears it during scary storms, but we had avoided putting it on all day since that's a long time to wear a shirt.  That's something DH tried today and while there were no storms, he did say she seemed relaxed today, so we'll continue to do that.
• This new behavior only seems to occur when Maggie is alone, so scented products will not help here unfortunately.  I've considered the Comfort Zone pheromone diffuser, but it didn't help her with another issue early on in our time together so I doubt that it would be useful here.
• I think CoBuHe is spot on regarding the most recent reaction.  I left to head back to the house in SC the day before and while DH is great with Maggie, I do think that she does see me a more reliable companion.   It's not the sole factor however, as the worsening of her thunderphobia symptoms started before she'd ever visited the new house.
  

I got a few questions via pm that I thought others might like to see the answer to as well:

I have been successful working with Maggie's storm concerns for the last 9 years or so, and came to this board for additional help given the sudden behavior change.  Prior to this storm season, Maggie was just slightly anxious during the storm and could selfsoothe for the most part, so the recent and obvious increase in anxiety level is my major concern. 

Additionally, even professional dog trainers benefit from the idea that "two (or more) heads are better than one" when dealing with a difficult behavior issue and I respect the ideas that many of our members share from their own experience.  Maggie is the dog that has taught me the most about dog behavior - guess she hasn't finished her teaching assignment yet!

New info for those who are interested:

I did some additional research on thunderphobia via another board and recieved a link to a great article about thunderphobia in dogs written by Dr. Overall: Storm Phobias .  The article is written for vets and makes a good case for using meds to treat thunderphobia sooner rather than later.  In veterinary circles, thunderphobia is considered an emergency behavior issue due to its often rapid increase in severity - it's not a typical behavior problem and Dr. Overall recommends swift action to protect the affected animal's quality of life.

Another article by Dr. Overall on SA, Treating anxiety is different than 'managing' the problem, had an interesting observation:

Defecation and destruction resolve more easily than urination, which still resolves more easily than vocalization and salivation. It is important to realize that these non-specific signs may be governed by different underlying pathologies in neurochemical tracts or interactions.

It sounds like our best bet may be discussing medication with our vet in addition to the use of the Thundershirt and getting Maggie more comfortable at the new house.  DH will be coming down for the long weekend and of course Maggie will be travelling with him, so I'll be able to see if there are any changes in behavior other than the storm issue that are relieved by being with me here. We'll reassess the living arrangements and other factors after seeing how things go over the next few days/weeks.

Thanks for being my sounding board, everyone!

 Sounds as though you have a good handle on this, but since Miss M is a herding breed, and sometimes the recommended med might be acepromazine, be aware that if she has the mutant MDR2 gene, ivermectin is not the only drug to which there is sensitivity - I think ace is on the list, too.  The test for the gene is available from Washington State (maybe $75-80 now?).

 Thanks, Anne!  No worries though, Acepromazine is NEVER going to be used for treating thunder issues in this house - we'll go with something that actually has anxiolytic properties like a benzo or similar.

Interesting development - DH is seeing signs of a UTI which of course could have a lot to do the with peeing accidents.  Maggie has a vet appointment tomorrow and we'll also take that chance to discuss medication or other options (our vet is holistic).

FYI, this is the storm defender cape: http://www.stormdefender.com/how_it_works.htm

I don't know about you guys, but I would stick to the thunder shirt.  There's no way I would put anything with metal on it on my dog during a lightning storm!  I'm not particularly fearful of storms, but I am one of those people who hangs the phone up at the first crackle - no sense asking for trouble lol.