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Today is July 2, 2009. Most of us are getting ready for a big celebration on July 4. But, what about our furry friends? Are they approaching the day with the same anticipation or are they filled with fright?
When we first rescued our Gizmo, many years ago, he was terrified of the fireworks (and thunderstorms). But, because he was a rescue, we didn't know that. His first Fourth of July (three months after we adopted Gizmo) was spent with him hiding in any corner he could find. It was awful - his vomiting and his runny poops lasted for days afterwards - the poor little guy.
Therefore, I became very well-acquainted with a product called Calms Forte tablets made by Hyland's. You can get them at most any health food store. And the best thing is, that since they are homeopathic in nature, if they help, they help, but if they don't, they don't do any harm, either. You know the old saying, "No harm, no foul!" I started out by giving Gizmo a Calms Forte tablet early in the day on the Fourth and kept him calm all day. By the evening, he was fairly relaxed. We have a finished basement, so my husband and I rented several movies to watch (at a little higher than normal volume) and popped some popcorn, retired to the basement with doggy treats and Gizmo never knew there were fireworks going on (of course we shared a little of our popcorn with him, too). It worked when I knew a thunderstorm was blowing in to calm him down, too.
There is also a product called an "Anxiety Wrap" that is suppose to calm them down (www.anxietywrap.com ) . I asked Dr. Becker, (our vet) about that one and her thoughts were that it does help, but the Anxiety Wrap is a bit pricey. Her suggestion was to use an Ace bandage elastic wrap (the sports wrap thing-ey). I did try it, wrapping the Ace bandage from just behind Gizmo's front legs to just in front of his back legs (i.e., covering his torso), snug enough to be comfortable. Kind of like swaddling a newborn. It did help and Gizmo didn't seem to mind it a bit.
Another "trick" that I SWEAR by is a series of CD's called "Through a Dog's Ear" (okay, don't laugh!!!). My husband about committed me to the local mental institution when I bought this series of three CD's (and the book that went along with it). I noticed a HUGE difference in the relaxation in my Chins whenever I put these CD's in to play. Therefore, if I know it is going to storm or when it is time for the fireworks, I pop in of these CD's (even if it is just playing in the background somewhere), and they are much more calm. You'd need to read some of the book to understand the reason why it works. It's pretty amazing, but once you read the theory behind it, you say to yourself, "Of course!" Check out their website, www.throughadogsear.com - it's pretty amazing stuff!
Anyway, these are just of few of the tricks I've used over the years to keep my Chinnies calm during stressful times. You may find that one or a combination of these helps your furry friend(s) this weekend.
Have a safe and happy Fourth, my friends (furry or otherwise)!
When we first rescued our Gizmo, many years ago, he was terrified of the fireworks (and thunderstorms). But, because he was a rescue, we didn't know that. His first Fourth of July (three months after we adopted Gizmo) was spent with him hiding in any corner he could find. It was awful - his vomiting and his runny poops lasted for days afterwards - the poor little guy.
Therefore, I became very well-acquainted with a product called Calms Forte tablets made by Hyland's. You can get them at most any health food store. And the best thing is, that since they are homeopathic in nature, if they help, they help, but if they don't, they don't do any harm, either. You know the old saying, "No harm, no foul!" I started out by giving Gizmo a Calms Forte tablet early in the day on the Fourth and kept him calm all day. By the evening, he was fairly relaxed. We have a finished basement, so my husband and I rented several movies to watch (at a little higher than normal volume) and popped some popcorn, retired to the basement with doggy treats and Gizmo never knew there were fireworks going on (of course we shared a little of our popcorn with him, too). It worked when I knew a thunderstorm was blowing in to calm him down, too.
There is also a product called an "Anxiety Wrap" that is suppose to calm them down (www.anxietywrap.com ) . I asked Dr. Becker, (our vet) about that one and her thoughts were that it does help, but the Anxiety Wrap is a bit pricey. Her suggestion was to use an Ace bandage elastic wrap (the sports wrap thing-ey). I did try it, wrapping the Ace bandage from just behind Gizmo's front legs to just in front of his back legs (i.e., covering his torso), snug enough to be comfortable. Kind of like swaddling a newborn. It did help and Gizmo didn't seem to mind it a bit.
Another "trick" that I SWEAR by is a series of CD's called "Through a Dog's Ear" (okay, don't laugh!!!). My husband about committed me to the local mental institution when I bought this series of three CD's (and the book that went along with it). I noticed a HUGE difference in the relaxation in my Chins whenever I put these CD's in to play. Therefore, if I know it is going to storm or when it is time for the fireworks, I pop in of these CD's (even if it is just playing in the background somewhere), and they are much more calm. You'd need to read some of the book to understand the reason why it works. It's pretty amazing, but once you read the theory behind it, you say to yourself, "Of course!" Check out their website, www.throughadogsear.com - it's pretty amazing stuff!
Anyway, these are just of few of the tricks I've used over the years to keep my Chinnies calm during stressful times. You may find that one or a combination of these helps your furry friend(s) this weekend.
Have a safe and happy Fourth, my friends (furry or otherwise)!
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