Boxergirl
Well-Known Member
Fireworks are legal in Indiana and one of the bigger suppliers lives not far from my home and puts on a show to rival the town display. Several other neighbors do large shows over several days too. Ella would spend the better part of a week in the closet drooling, shaking, and terrified. She can't go for a walk because if someone lets off a firework she races toward home. She can't pee or poop when she needs to because the noise stops her in the middle and she runs back to the door - if she's even able to make it out the door at all.
Last year was the first time I gave her any prescription drugs for the 3rd-6th when fireworks are heaviest. I started at half the suggested dose and it helped minimally. This year I gave her the full dose of Alprazolam about 7pm. It was amazing. She went in her closet, but she came out and interacted with us. She was able to eat her supper while fireworks were going off. She was even able to go outside during small fireworks. She wasn't able to stay out, sometimes not even long enough to pee, but she did go out. I will be giving her prescription meds every year for the Fourth of July celebration week. It was pretty clear to me that to NOT give her that help was cruel.
If any of you have a dog with severe noise phobia that counter conditioning, desensitization, and things like Thundershirts or pheremones hasn't helped, please consider giving pharmaceuticals a try. We use Alprazolam (Xanax), but I know that a newer drug called Sileo is specific for noise phobias and has gotten good reviews. Some say it's not as effective in large breeds as it is in smaller breeds, but we haven't tried it for ourselves. Please do not use Ace. Some vets still give Acepromazine for noise phobias and other anxiety related issues. Ace is a sedative. It has zero anti-anxiety properties and makes the dog unable to show anxiety related behaviors while still experiencing the emotions. That makes the owner feel better because they think it's calming their pet when it's actually doing the opposite. Ace is also contraindicated for dogs with a history of seizures and certain breeds like Boxers, some sight hounds, and giant breeds. Here's a link to some info about drug options and Ace to help anyone make an educated decision regarding the use of pharmaceuticals.
http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/storm-phobias?id=&pageID=1&sk=&date=
Last year was the first time I gave her any prescription drugs for the 3rd-6th when fireworks are heaviest. I started at half the suggested dose and it helped minimally. This year I gave her the full dose of Alprazolam about 7pm. It was amazing. She went in her closet, but she came out and interacted with us. She was able to eat her supper while fireworks were going off. She was even able to go outside during small fireworks. She wasn't able to stay out, sometimes not even long enough to pee, but she did go out. I will be giving her prescription meds every year for the Fourth of July celebration week. It was pretty clear to me that to NOT give her that help was cruel.
If any of you have a dog with severe noise phobia that counter conditioning, desensitization, and things like Thundershirts or pheremones hasn't helped, please consider giving pharmaceuticals a try. We use Alprazolam (Xanax), but I know that a newer drug called Sileo is specific for noise phobias and has gotten good reviews. Some say it's not as effective in large breeds as it is in smaller breeds, but we haven't tried it for ourselves. Please do not use Ace. Some vets still give Acepromazine for noise phobias and other anxiety related issues. Ace is a sedative. It has zero anti-anxiety properties and makes the dog unable to show anxiety related behaviors while still experiencing the emotions. That makes the owner feel better because they think it's calming their pet when it's actually doing the opposite. Ace is also contraindicated for dogs with a history of seizures and certain breeds like Boxers, some sight hounds, and giant breeds. Here's a link to some info about drug options and Ace to help anyone make an educated decision regarding the use of pharmaceuticals.
http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/storm-phobias?id=&pageID=1&sk=&date=
