Frustration

I used to have a thunder phobic dog, i feel your pain.  Maybe if you cordon off a section of the basement with a large x pen?  Or would that feel too much like a crate for her?

 Have you tried one of those Storm Defender jackets?  Supposedly they help...

http://www.stormdefender.com/

lot of storm-phobic dogs seem to feel happy in the bathtub- would be easy to clean up if she did loose bladder control. Supposedly the charged air is more of a problem than the noise for many dogs and the bathtub insulates them.

mudpuppy

Supposedly the charged air is more of a problem than the noise for many dogs and the bathtub insulates them.

No advice Ann, just sympathy.  We have been on a tear of severe storms for weeks now - each time I thank God above that Bugsy is fine and have had thoughts of a dog I had as a kid that was a mess in storms.  Interestingly she like to go in the clothes dryer in storms - again likely insulating her

Good luck - belly rubs for all the girls

Chyna has/had terrible storm anxiety.  We had to give her valium with minimal success.  (She was still frantic, just at a slower pace.)    After having to replace 2 doors, & a piece of sheetrock, we broke down & bought the storm defender cape.  (I think that it was Kate who recommended it to me as well.)  It has worked very well for us, & Chyna hasn’t chewed through anything else since buying it.  She is still recognizes that a storm is going on, but does not get worked up to the point of becoming destructive.  She no longer paces, pants, or has that wild eyed look during storms.  She just lies in her bed alertly.   Texas weather is crazy, so Chyna wears her cape daily.  It has helped immensely.

I would second the bathroom idea -- the tub is grounded, which is why IT helps.  Combining the cape and the bathroom might help.

Have you tried valerian root?  Foxy the Mostlie Sheltie had survived a tornado (literally one bounced over our house and ripped up a huge 6 ft. diameter live oak just 10 feet from my house - thankfully it 'tipped' the opposite direction) and he was the most storm-phobic dog I've ever had. 

If you know a storm is impending a dropper full of valerian tincture mixed in with some peanut butter helps a good deal to keep them 'thinking' but not frazzled (it doesn't put them to sleep -- it's simply a relaxant so they don't feel like they have to fight sedation). 

But if you're leaving the house, you could give 2-3 valerian caps to a golden.  Valerian is more tonic-like in the body -- "more" doesn't make it stronger, it simply lingers in the body until it's used so giving 3 caps will help it last 8 hours or so.  Don't go beyond 3 at a time, but it IS safe (and I've done that even with a 35 pound mostlie sheltie!!)

Valerian isn't a cure -- but usually it helps de-stress them enought to help you re-train and desensitize. 

Thanks for the ideas! Keep them coming. Thank goodness Max is not destructive other than to the carpet. I will check out all the ideas. We have not tried valerian with Max. Melatonin did not work, I have thought about Rescue Remedy, I just want to be there when I try something for the first time. Not leave her alone at home.  

I have never liked drugging a dog.  By the time most drugs kick in the storm is nearly over ....  

What we do instead is use large ( like 6 inch or bigger) Ace Bandage.... I wrao it from Rib cage to back legs.... Not sure why it works but WOW does it!.   You do not wrap tightly, just snug. Leave it on till the storm passes. An what ever you do , Do NOT sympatize.  This reinforces the concept there is something wrong with storms.   I wrap and continue to trat the dogs normally. ( I have had 4 storm phobic dogs in the past 25 years.

Bonita of Bwana

Bonita of Bwana

I have never liked drugging a dog.  By the time most drugs kick in the storm is nearly over .... 

I don't like drugging her either. I only do it when I can't be home or at night and I need to sleep. DH and I get up at 5AM to get ready for work we need our sleep. We do not do it on weekends. We actually have pills and injectable. If the chance is strong enough I give her a pill before we go to bed. If the chance is not great enough at bedtime yet one blows in we give her .25 of a cc sub cutaneously. The funny thing is she knows the shot brings relief. As soon as I pull the needle out she relaxes. I know it does not work that fast. I have been tempted to try a 'placebo' on her. However as I said it is night and I need to sleep so not really the time to experiment.

She never set foot in a vet clinic until she was 8 1/2. My friend is a vet she would either come to our house or we would go to her for annual exams. She is a 'visiting' vet. We moved so that got more complicated. Then Max needed knee surgery, her first time ever at a clinic and she spends her first night ever away from home or me and DH. She did not like it. So she started stressing about vet visits. She has improved because she likes our vet. However I noticed when she had her spring check up and shots, she relaxed as soon as the shots were done. I honestly think it was the "ace" injection reaction. Too funny.

I may try the ace wrap sometime on a weekend when we are home. Can't hurt!
 

Martha Stewart had a veterinarian on her show who was talking about home remedies for your dogs if you can't get to your vet.

This peaked my interest regarding storms..

The guy on the show said that the reason that they are scared is not the sound of the storm but the static electricity it creates. He suggested rubbing a dryer sheet on their coat right before a storm. He stated that in 50% of the cases it has worked to calm the dog. He also added that it should be unscented.

Just a thought.

Eeek are you using Acepromazine?!  That could be part of your problem - Ace is a paralytic of sorts but has *no* anxiety relieving properties so the dog can't move but is still just as afraid as it was to start, if not moreso because it can't do anything to get away from the scary event.

Ace can be combined with some anxiety drugs to relive the fear, so be sure to talk to your vet about other options if you're using just plain Ace right now.  I know I've heard of Xanax alone or Valium with Ace to deal with severe fear reactions.

stardog85

Eeek are you using Acepromazine?!  That could be part of your problem - Ace is a paralytic of sorts but has *no* anxiety relieving properties so the dog can't move but is still just as afraid as it was to start, if not moreso because it can't do anything to get away from the scary event.

Ace can be combined with some anxiety drugs to relive the fear, so be sure to talk to your vet about other options if you're using just plain Ace right now.  I know I've heard of Xanax alone or Valium with Ace to deal with severe fear reactions.

Yes I know my vet has explained, however the ace works. If we give her ace it works fine, she does mellow out. I don't see any anxiety, she falls asleep. I also do not give her much, the most is 1/2 of a 25mg tab, and it is 'usually' more than enough. I just don't give it to her when the chance of storms is late in the day or low when I leave for work in the AM. The problem is now when she gets storm stress she she can't hold her bladder and she pees on my carpet. I am sure that is an advance age thing. I am trying to come up with remedies that will allow her on low chance occasions, when a storm might pop up to be secure without drugs so she doesn't pee on my carpet. If I tranq her she doesn't pee, I don't want her living on ace.
 

Both of my dogs have done very well with counter-conditioning exercises for their thunderphobia.  Indie had it bad when I got him and Woobie picked it up from him.  We just had a bad overnight storm and they bothered me at around 5 am for some treats, but once they each had two, they were fine and slept through the rest of the storm.  Milder storms don't even bother them anymore.  I know you work during the day so that makes it hard if you're not home but whenever you're home and a storm is approaching, try this, it might help.  I've also heard great things about the anxiety wrapping technique Bonita described from other fearful dog owners, it works for numerous fear based reactions.  A DAP plug in might help her when you're gone as well.

Here's what I did:

What I did with them was whenever the rumble of thunder came around, I would say "Thunderboomers!" in a high pitched happy voice and get their favorite training treats (yogurt drops) and do some training with them. They'd be focused on the training and not the thunder. They once held a down stay when a ferocious clap of thunder shook the house and made me jump! From what I've read, food can help change the chemistry in the brain during stress (or something like that, I don't have my books handy) basically, it changes the way their body responds to stress and those fear chemicals are less likely to be released. Anyhoo, now when we get a storm, they come and sit in front of me. The past few, I looked at them and said "You don't get treats for rumbles in the distance buds." LOL!

Good luck!  I'd ask about something other than Ace though.  I've heard it can make their reactions escalate and become even worse.  It doesn't calm them as much as it sort of paralyzes them (from what I've read).  Alprazolam has worked really well for some fear issues Woobie has had on occasions.

 Emma used to be really afraid of storms, too. I started throwing parties when it stormed. I got a couple of really great toys, and only brought them out during storms. I'd also feed her super special treats, like canned food and cheese and liverworst.

The last dog show we went to was in the gym at a highschool. The thunder shook the walls, it was so loud. There was static in the air. Emma started to shrink back, and we were waiting to go in the ring!!! I got a toy, from a friend, and started encouraging Emma to tug. Once she tugged, for a bit, and worked for treats, she'd settled right down. She pulled off her 3 minute down with no problem, storm still raging outside.