dog terrified of fireworks

[puddicat]

Asking on behalf of a mate who has a yorkie who is terrified of this time of the year! she has got one of these new plug in thingies that puts out some kind of pheromones, but it doesnt seem to have made one iota of difference, she is at a wits end worrying about him, as he pants and shakes and now his off his food,he isnt a well dog as it is, told her about this cd that you can get to put on well before the firework season to try and get him to get used to the noise, but that is a bit late in the day, should she get the vet to prescribe a sedative for him, would be grateful if the abers could give some thing that they have tryed before she has to go to the vet, the cost is a big factor also thnxs

[Reverandfunk]

our dog goes a bit mad, turn the telly up, shut doors to drown the noise out and just give it plenty of fuss.

[VillageVicar]

I considered getting some 'Doggy ludes' for Mr. Piddles. He has been doing the Death Scene from Camille over the fireworks. If he shakes much more I'm going to spray him with pledge and let him skirt around on the floor polishing it!

We've found that by turning up the telly and 'entertaining him' works best of all. Shadow puppets didn't work very well. But engaging him in play has worked.

It's frustrating because he's usually quite chilled out about everything. But the boom booms really gnaw his teeth!

Best of luck

Fr Bill

[jane1098]

my cat used to be the same. no matter what i did he would run away to where he felt safe (inside the flat).
when he was poorly the vet prescribed him vallum and that made him really placid, calm and wobbly (as if he was drunk). you could try that.
other than that turn up the stereo.
good luck!

[divegirl]

Valerian root is a good herbal remedy, but this needs to be started in advance of the firework 'season' to be of any real use. Bach Flower Rescue Remedy might help.....but she will need to start ASAP.....put 4 drops on the back of the hand and let him lick it off.....this can be repeated every hour. Also try putting him in a tight t-shirt as this gives comfort....for anything else I'm afraid she really has left it too late!

Lisa x

[puddicat]

great advice, will advise to try natural way for next year!she knows that this year is a no no!!!many thnks

[kita1]

The only solution I ever found was to hire a caravan in the middle of nowhere!

Seriously, I had a GSD that was petrified (my other two dogs were laying around totally oblivious!!), she used to go into the understairs cuboard and try and dig her way out of a concrete floor. Nothing I tried ever made any difference (I even got her drunk one night - she loved guiness).

Otherwise possibly you could book the dog into kennels for the week (pick a VERY quiet, country kennels that the dog is used to).

I am very thankful that my present dog just wants to kill the fireworks, though trying to explain to two policemen one night that my dog was trying to kill the firework that went off behind them and he wasn't directing his anger at them was a little difficult!!!

[wolf63]

Well - my moronic cats sat on my window sill and watched the main town firework display. They were mesmerised.

The double glazing may have dampened the noise and the central heating might also have made it a more pleasant experience for them.

I used to have a cross-GSD that used to try and catch the fireworks - he was none to bright.

[paddywak]

Max doesnt give a dam, he just lies about as usual only
moving if theres a particularly loud bang. Che my first GSD, on the other hand was fasinated by them. We lived near the local pub and the first year we had him he sat by the window watching them. Eventuaily we even used to take him to the bonfire (tho keeping well clear) and he would sit or lie quite happily, only moving his head to get a better view of the fire works

[wendilla]

I have a golden Labrador he is 10 and it is only the last 2 years he has gone absolutely terrified.He gets stressed .I make sure he has been out before they start then I turn tv up and just have to speak and reassure him that he is ok .The expression on his face is terrible but as long as he sits with me and pushing my computer chair round that I get jammed against the wall he is not too bad then we have the performance of last thing at night to go out I have to go out with him.

[Bellringer]

DAP (dog appeasing pherenomes) do work to a certain extent. We put a big spotty hankie which had been sprayed with it round the muts neck, if applied soon enough it does calm her down a little. I think a lot depends on the dog.

[lankeela]

It is also best to try to ignore the dog's behaviour, as they pick up if they think you are worried. Ihave one who starts to shake and if I was to comfort her she would do it all the more. I ignore her and then throw them all a biscuit or a treat and her greed soon gets the better of her.

Please make sure your gates/doors are secure during fireworks, and if you take them out make sure your collars are tight enough, as they may try to slip their leads.

Have a look at the doglost http://www.doglost.co.uk website and see just how many dogs have gone missing over the last couple of days, mostly due to fireworks - I'd ban the damn things totally other than organised displays which are advertised well in advance.