We’ve tried everything for Rita’s fear of thunder. I feel so bad for her. For anyone not familiar, here’s what we’ve tried:
- Snuggling and holding her close – She is not a snuggler and I think that just adds to her anxiety.
- Thundershirt – This helps sometimes. It works great if it’s short thunderstorms and if we put it on her before she hears the first thunder. For the thunderstorms that go on and on . . anything more than half an hour or so, her anxiety begins to build even with the Thundershirt.
- Rx meds – We have to give these to her at least an hour before the thunder. Honestly, I could go broke doing that. I wish I had a dime for every time we have a thunderstorm predicted and it never happens, or when it looks like it’s headed right towards us and then splits and goes around us. The meds make her drowsy and confused. I’m afraid she’s going to try to jump on the sofa or up on the back of the sofa and hurt herself. In the long run, her thunder anxiety keeps us up half the night but no one has any long lasting affects so I’m not going to risk Rita getting hurt because she’s medicated.
The last time we had a storm, a blog reader suggested Bach Rescue Remedy for Pets. I ordered it back in September but we didn’t have thunder until last night.
Bach Rescue Remedy
The rain woke me up at 3:00 this morning and I wish I had gotten up and given this to Rita then. All you do is dispense a few drops on their food or a treat. The main inactive ingredient is glycerin and it looks like a drop of thick vegetable oil .. it looks like glycerin!
At 3:30 the thunder started so I gave her a treat with 2 drops of the oil on it. It took probably half an hour for her to calm down and by then, the thunder was over but she went back to sleep in her little bed. I went back to bed. About 5:30 I heard more thunder but Rita didn’t come scratching on the bedroom door. Between 8 and 9 this morning, there was more thunder. She was still sleeping on her little bed. A couple of times, she raised her head, looked at me like she was making sure I wasn’t concerned, and went back to sleep.
I’ll feel more confident when we have one of those rip roaring thunderstorms that scares me . . then if she remains calm, I’m going to be thrilled. With the amount of thunder we had this morning, I’m pretty confident that this has helped her quite a bit.
Rita
It was thundering when I was writing this blog post and if I had to guess, I’d say she isn’t too stressed! 🙂
Sue in Desert Hills (Phoenix), AZ (formerly in Scottsdale, AZ) says
Judy, I hope this continues to work. I have been using Rescue Remedy with my dogs for years – not just for thunderstorms, but also fireworks. We used to live not far from a resort/golf course and a high school. New Year’s Eve, July 4th, and the school football games (when the home team got a touchdown) were a nightmare. The booming from the fireworks really set several of my dogs to quivering, etc. Rescue Remedy seems to help and when I know when fireworks are going to be set off, I prepare ahead of time. You can also put drops directly on Rita’s tongue. Also, I first started using this product for a dog who was petrified about going to the groomers. The groomer told me about this product and it really did help Muffy calm down so she could be groomed. I’m glad you might have found something that works for you and Rita.
Maggie Priest says
Is this for cats, too? I have a very scaredy cat and vet visits are a nightmare. I feel so bad for her, she always gets sick and makes a mess in her carrier. Does it make them act too out of it, I hate to have her acting super dopey for her checkup.
Dottie says
WOW – that’s GREAT!! We don’t have any dogs now, but, have had dogs in the past that were terrified with thunderstorms/fireworks, etc. Nothing we did worked, including all the things you mentioned. When we get a new dog, I’ll be sure to remember OR look up this blog note if we have another pup terrified. So glad you’ve found something that is working!!
Kathy C says
I am so happy this seems to have worked for Rita.
I am a nurse and I also work as a Birth Doula. I have used Rescue Remedy for years for my birth moms. It is one of the few things my clients have been able to use during labor that the doctors don’t have a problem with.
There is also a formula for children that friends have used with their children for various anxiety issues.
Who knows, it might help you when you have to drive across bridges.
Barbara says
I knew about rescue remedy for people, but didn’t know they had one for pets….thanks!
Sandy N says
Hi Judy! Bach also makes remedies for people. I buy the rescue pastilles from our local health food store to take when I’m overly stressed. It may just be in my head, but I feel like they calm me down. Glad you found something that’s working for Rita!
Bon says
Yup, in that picture, Rita looks pretty laid back.
Chris P says
Glad to hear this worked for Rita. I bought a bottle for a friend with an anxious Springer Spaniel. She tried it and it exacerbated the problem, made the poor dog even more hyper.
Sandy says
My dog is afraid of loud noises, too, but he’s on medication for a long-standing health problem, so I’ll have to ask the vet about this product before using it. I have to be careful about over the counter products.