Wherein Bella models her "thunder-wear"

We won't know for sure if we have actually won the war on thunderstorms until we test this combination thoroughly next season but we may have finally found a solution to help Bella cope, at least marginally well, with her unspeakable fear of thunderstorms. In previous posts, I've covered veterinary prescriptions, over the counter medications, scents and herbal remedies but did not mention some of the steps we were using at the same time. This chapter will fill in those gaps as well as review our experience of trying a few 'physical' measures to ease her fear.

Over the 3 and a half years we've had Bella, she has overcome many fears (in fact, I see a list post about that in our future. ;) We've worked with her on some things but also chosen our battles carefully. Bella doesn't have to be the most social dog on the block. Since she's afraid of people, no one expects her to become a therapy dog. But we do expect her to be able to go to the vets without attacking the vet OR the other dogs in the waiting room.

Thunderstorms are a battle we have to, if not win, at least survive. So, like all the battles we have tackled, we used a desensitization, positive reinforcement approach to hopefully change her feelings about the "scary thing". That's a bit tough to do with thunderstorms, however, because, as we discovered along this journey of ours, there's more than thunder involved in a thunderstorm. There's barometric pressure changes, static electricity build up, sights, smells and finally, sounds. Still, we were willing to give it the 'old college try'.

Additional routes

And, once again, it was our blessed trainer, Sheila, who provided us with a tool to help try and desensitize Bella to the sounds of the event: a CD of sounds used specifically for behavior modification in dogs. (Therapy CD For Dogs - Fireworks & Noises Desensitisation Training). Teaching us how to sit in another room with Bella playing with her and feeding her treats while the cd played quietly in another room, we worked with her over a period of time (admittedly not as often or consistently as we should), slowly turning up the volume being careful to always keep her below the 'threshold' or point at which she would react. This has worked well for sounds like fireworks, trucks and horns.

Another tool in our toolbox is exercise. If Bella is tired, she is much less likely to react badly to things that would ordinarily upset her. I have to admit, neither Jan nor I (nor the Energizer Bunny) has the energy level necessary to exercise Bella to the degree she would like but we have found on days when she's been worked good and hard, she is much more likely to be able to "roll with" unexpected events.

Finally, we come to a couple of physical options for dealing with thunder and anxiety that have been introduced in the last few years: wraps and capes. As many of my readers have pointed out, the Thundershirt has been a literal life-saver for many dogs suffering from noise phobia as well as generalized anxiety. Another product we discovered much later in the process is the Storm Defender cape.

My dog is afraid of the thing that's supposed to make her less afraid

First, for those not familiar, let me give you a brief explanation of the Thundershirt. Working on the "swaddling" principle, the idea is that consistently applied pressure envelops the dog making them feel safe and secure. A friend of mine called it "a permanent hug", which is very apt and could partially explain Bella's aversion to it if you consider not all dogs like to be hugged. It is made of a somewhat stretchy material that you wrap around the dog and has multiple panels that allow a snug fit over the dog's chest and body. The panels are secured with several pretty heavy-duty Velcro strips.

The Thundershirt

I know many, many dogs and owners have had great success with the shirt. One of the rescue groups I volunteer with, North East All Retriever Rescue, uses it extensively to great effect with the Labs we bring in. I encourage you to visit the company's web site, watch the videos and decide for yourself whether or not you think the product will work for your particular situation. Just take this input for what it is: one person's experience with a very specifically damaged dog.

When we first got the shirt, as per the instructions, we worked to introduce it to Bella slowly over a period of time before she ever wore it during a storm. We put it on her for a few minutes, fed her treats, took it off, stopped the treats. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. The idea is that your dog will come to associate the shirt with only good things.

What we found, however, was, regardless of the quality of treats we were giving her, Bella wasn't "relaxing" at all - she was shutting down.

There is a difference between a calm dog and a paralyzed dog.

There are a few things that might be going on here: Bella, once wild, may not like the "trapped" feeling of the shirt. We know she doesn't like the sound of the Velcro. And since the Velcro is so substantial (one would think that'd be a plus), it frightens her when we pull it off (she also doesn't like to 'pushed/pulled/yanked around'.)

Storm Defender Cape

The Storm Defender

Last fall we began seeing a behaviorist for some of Bella's other issues and were introduced to the Storm Defender cape. The cape works on a different premise. Instead of the swaddling effect, the cape is lined with a material designed to deflect static electricity building up in the dog's fur. The Velcro is only a single strip and not as 'sturdy' (it feels more like the velcro you would find on any dog coat). It fits more loosely and it's obvious Bella doesn't feel as constrained by it.

We approached her introduction to it much as we had the Thundershirt, however, she never had the 'paralyzed' reaction to it she had with the shirt and we only needed to feed her treats a few times before she seemed (almost) perfectly comfortable in it. We have used it a couple of times since its purchase but it has definitely made an improvement in her behavior. Although I should note, it works best if you can put it on when SHE senses something coming (not after you've heard that first spectacular blast of thunder.)

The proof is in the viewing

The video below shows Bella on a bright and sunny day - no storms around for several days. Each section of the video was taken on 2/21/2012 around 8 am or 3 years after having purchased the Thundershirt and 6 months after purchasing the storm defender cape.




Remember - this is after 3 YEARS of working to improve Bella's reaction to the shirt. She has come a long way.

The ultimate combination

It should be noted that we are also using a low-dose of Clonidine as prescribed by Bella's behaviorist during especially extreme events. (Jan calls them Bella's "Be Brave" pills.) Like all the other meds we've had any sucess with, it works best when given prior to the event but it is fast acting. They don't turn her into a zombie and the after effects seem to be much less drastic than some of the other drugs we've tried.

After all is said and done though, sometimes it's just easier and less stressful on everybody to hang out in the basement for a little while. We're lucky that Jan works from home and can generally deal with Bella when storms appoach during the day while I take the night shift. I'm not sure what we would have done were that not the case. We try not to go out on stormy nights but if it's absolutely necessary to do so, at least now we feel we have options that will help Bella cope in our absence.

NOTE: I'm getting more "third party content" messages from YouTube about the video so I hope you're able to see and hear it. Don't worry if you can't hear it. While you'll be missing some awesome music, you're not missing me missing me wax philosophical about the signs of fear in a scared-y dog. If anyone can't see the video though, let me know in the comments and I'll upload a version to Blogger. Oh, and sorry for the shaky hands - not much I can do about that.

Music: "Walk the River" by Guillemots Buy the disc at Amazon. (I don't get anything if you do, I just like the band. :)

T-storms Take 3: Seeking Sustainable Solutions

Our first full summer with Bella brought with it the realization that Bella has a (not entirely irrational) fear of thunderstorms. Initial attempts to address that fear in consultation with our vets were not a total bust but also didn't present a viable, long-term solution for us. At least we would be able to use the Daizepam (valium) while we continued to seek out more sustainable solutions. Solutions that didn't include turning our dog into a poster child for the zombie apocalypse.

For those who are worrying, thank you. We do believe we have found a solution that works for Bella (that I'm sure will be quite thoroughly tested next season). In the meantime, I wanted to write this series explaining the various options available and our experience with them in hopes that some folks going through the same thing might find it helpful. Perhaps a little bit, maybe?

This installment is going to focus on the non-prescription medications and natural remedies we tried. Next week I will finally get to the topic you've all been waiting for: the Thundershirt and the Storm Defender Cape as well as a few miscellaneous notes on desensitization, exercise, diet and music.

So our search for a gentler, kinder means of helping Bella cope returned the following results:

• Melatonin
  
  Melatonin is a hormone intimately connected to the regulation of sleeping/waking cycles in both humans and animals. I have to admit, this worked very well actually, the first time we used it and is something we will use going forward during less intense storms.
  

  Pros: Works very fast, made Bella drowsy and calm without turning her into the walking dead.
  
  Cons: Can't be used long-term, can have mild side effects like diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Because Melatonin signals the brain that it's time to sleep, it's not really effective during the day. And the wrong dosage can actually increase anxiety and restlessness. Can cause dependency.

  
  
• Benadryl
  
  Primarily an anti-histamine, Benadryl can also act as a potent sedative. Another tool in our war chest, we continue to keep it on hand for use during somewhat more severe storms when the Melatonin wouldn't be quite enough. (Also handy for run-ins with bees!) It is important to note that only the pure form containing Diphenhydramine as the single active ingredient (sans any additional decongestant or cold/sinus ingredients) should be used.
  

  Pros: Fast acting, helped her sleep without the horrible "morning after" side effects.
  
  Cons: We didn't experience too many cons but this is a drug and as such, there are always potential risks. It can interact badly with other medications so talk to your vet before giving it to your dog if they are on ANY medication.

  
  
• Herbal/natural remedies including: Dr Foster and Smith's Ultra-calm (tabs and treats), Vita-Treat Pet Calm, Wagatha's Organic Dog Biscuits "Bedtime Biscuit", Bach flower essences (Rescue Remedy)
  
  
  
  These various "natural" remedies are made of ingredients such as valerian root, passion flower, chamomile, black cohosh, ginger, etc...
  
  The Ultra-Calm was rather effective and can be given daily - a definite plus but is "not for continuous use. Give for 7 -14 days at a time." Comes in a supposedly "yummy" dog treat formula but Bella wouldn't touch them. We got the pills down by sheer force of will (and peanut butter).
  
  None of the other products had much of an effect one way or the other so I have to give some cred to Dr F&S's claim that their unique inclusion of "milk protein hydrolysate" might have made a difference in the tablet's efficacy.
  
  
• Dog Appeasing Pheromones (D.A.P.): Collar, spray and diffuser
  
  D.A.P. is said to mimic the pheromones produced by a mother dog to calm and reassure her puppies. Perhaps Bella was separated from her mom too young for this to produce the intended affect but we found it, in all its forms, less than effective. At least it didn't provoke any negative effects so that's a plus.
  

So, did we miss anything (other than the Thundershirt ;)? Have you tried these or other products like them? Did any of it help or are you still hiding with your scared-y pup, too? Let me know in the comments and in the meantime, we'll meet you in the basement.

And just in case it's necessary, here's the disclaimer: I am not a vet. PLEASE talk to your vet before giving any medications or other drugs to your dog. Also, please note, I have a dog and have not spoken to a vet or researched the use of any of these products for other animals.

Thunderstorms: 2, Bella: 0

Last week I talked about how Bella's fear of storms and thunder was outside of my realm of expertise. It was panic, not just ordinary fear and it only subsided when I was able to make it appear to her that thunder had stopped. This little bit of trickery didn't really last long as the next thunderstorm that sent us scurrying to the basement was far more dramatic than the first and I couldn't quite drown out the noise.

First things first

Not really knowing what our options were at the time and being in the height of thunderstorm season here so limited in our time to explore them, our first recourse was our vet. They must have seen cases like this before, they must have ideas, experience, something that could help her.

I love our vets so please don't take this badly but they are pretty traditional types and that, along with not really having seen what Bella was going through and perhaps not understanding the depth of her fear, led them towards the traditional route of medicating her during the 'events'. Unfortunately, the first thing they prescribed for Bella's fear was Acepromazine. They gave us four pills. We have 3 left. Here's why:

I did some research at my go-to blog for all things scaredy-dog, and found this article about Acepromazine by Debbie Jacobs over at fearfuldogs.com. Reading this article now breaks my heart for what we put Bella through. Yes, once the medication kicked in, she seemed calm (downright vegetative, in fact) but her sensitivity to noise and storms afterwards ascended to new heights. Essentially, we took a dog that was afraid of something, did nothing to calm her fear and then paralyzed her ability to react to it. Nice. (I will get over my guilt someday...)

Round two

This is your dog on drugs...
(Not really, that wouldn't be nice.)

Armed with this information, we went back to the vet to discuss some of the recommendations in the article, primarily the use of Valium. On the bright side, our vets know us and know we're going to question them after we've had a chance to do our own research. We are, after all, ultimately the ones responsible for Bella's health and well-being. (This is why we do love our vets - they expect, and allow, us to challenge them.) We left that afternoon with an order for Diazepam.

And that did have the effect of helping Bella to rest if not actually sleep during the storms - if we got it into her in time. So while we were relatively pleased with the result, here's 'the rest of the story':

• The drug must be taken 1 hour prior to an event. That's pretty tough around here where storms can move in over a matter of minutes, not to mention half of them happen when you're asleep.
• It turned her into a zombie and she slept for hours afterwards.
• As a result of her zombie-fication, we obviously couldn't use it on a daily basis over the course of the storm season.

And so it goes...

So Rounds 1 and 2 went to the thunderstorms and our search for something that could help Bella when she needed it to, continued. I can recommend folks talk to their vets about Diazepam if they live in areas where thunderstorms are fairly predictable and/or the storm season short-lived. Our season is essentially April - September so it's a bit long to leave a dog on hard-core tranqs for the entire thing.

And since it appeared this was going to be a long-term challenge, we began looking into less drastic means of helping Bella cope. In the next installment, I'll discuss our attempts to use natural supplements and scents to stem the fear.

To be continued

I know from last week's comments that lots of my readers are dealing with thunder/storm phobias. Have any of you used either of these drugs and, if so, what was your experience? Are you still using them? Did they help/hurt? I'd really love for this to be a discussion because, while things are better in some ways, we've still not found the complete solution. Ever learning...

Things that go boom in the night

It was a dark and not-so-stormy night. At least that's how it started...

Fast forward to June 2009

This is what happens in New England: You go to bed on a lovely summer evening only to be wakened abruptly by the furious crashing of thunder and lightening around 2 o'clock in the morning. (Or at least you do if you're the female half of this equation - Jan will sleep through the apocalypse and wonder where everyone went when he wakes the next morning.) I don't know why storms here like to occur at this particularly ungodly hour but that's kind of the way of it. Luckily, I tend to be both a light sleeper and a bit of an insomniac so at least one human in the household is capable of functioning during these events.

Insert perfectly irrelevant picture of pretty dog here.

If you've been following the blog for any length of time, you probably know this already but for anyone just joining us, it's important to our story to know that Bella was born on the streets of Puerto Rico. Without shelter for much of her first 5 months during an extremely active hurricane season, perhaps we should have anticipated her excessive reaction to the first boomer that blasted through our area that summer. As it was, we were caught totally unprepared.

In my rather long history with animals, I've known plenty who "didn't like" thunderstorms - my mom and dad's dog, Misty, used to hide under their computer desk whenever it stormed. It was evident she didn't like them but there were no visible signs of panic and dread. Within moments of that first crack of thunder, however, it was clear we were dealing with a different beast in Bella's reaction.

Houston, we have a problem

It was tragic to watch our little girl tremble, pace and pant in abject terror. She had learned with many of her fears to come to us for reassurance, perhaps protection and she did try this with the thunder by climbing into bed with us. We were unrealistically hopeful that she would settle and lie down with us but she preferred to stand - on Jan (well, that's one way to wake him up). Honestly, I think we could have lived with that. It was when she started trying to climb the headboard of the bed that we realized this was going to be a problem: Bella was trying to escape.

She was in a blind panic and I was fast approaching the same - this couldn't be good for her physically. I had no idea what to do - my mind raced to all I had read about fearful dogs:

• Control the environment - um, well yeah okay but if I could do that, I'd be rich.
• Remove the object of fear - again, not so helpful here, moving on...
• Move the dog away from the object - wait, what? We may have just stumbled upon something remotely useful.

Bella's couch.

Short of putting her in the car to travel outside the storm area, we did have a slim possibility of removing Bella from the frightening situation. At least it was worth a try. I sent Jan back to sleep (not that this required much coercion), grabbed the dog and headed to the basement.

Our basement, yay for me, is finished and in fact where we have our "entertainment" area. Unsure what to expect, I turned on the television to some station that was playing music and turned the volume up - way up - until it drowned out the sound of the thunder. Soon, Bella climbed up on the couch next to me, let out a heavy sigh and promptly fell asleep. And this is how she and I have spent pretty much every single thunderstorm in the three years since.

A first on Bringing up Bella: The series

We have tried just about every product on the market to help her with this debilitating fear: drugs, wraps, scents, sounds, TTouch, you name it. Nothing has proven 100% effective. Over the next several weeks, I'll lay out what we tried and our experience with each.

And now for the requisite disclaimer: I am not a vet - my discussion of medications is strictly anecdotal. The products being reviewed were purchased, not offered to us for review - I will present my experience and give an honest opinion. I hope if folks have had different experiences, you will feel welcome to offer them and your own opinions here as well.

Finally, I have virtually no pictures of Bella from during these events. While a visual study of fear displays in dogs may be useful, I'm her hu-mom not her scientist.