It’s thunderstorm time again - and often still firework time which in some areas is year around. My dog is howling. Your dog may be running through glass doors or glass windows, maybe just hiding and shivering, or coming to you and whining. Storm and noise anxiety is very common, and for each animal, it’s different. Therefore, the treatment can depend on how your animal is acting. Drug treatments.  Many holistic approaches can help and are a hundred percent safe. However, like with conventional drugs, dogs may react differently. Some dogs on Acepromazine don’t calm down, they get more excited! Oh no! 
 

BIG SECRET! Many veterinarians, and I was one of them, do not this common sense approach needed for most approaches. Start them a month before you’re anticipating anxiety, like before the Fourth of July or before storms are getting bad, or at least a few days before a storm or noisy times are happening. This ensures that you’re putting on the Tellington TTouch Thunder Wrap or using the Ace bandage wrap method or giving the the rescue remedy or flower essences  when it’s calm and your dog or cat is happy and feeling well, then he’ll associate wearing the bundling shirt with feeling good. When it’s then time to use it for the thunderstorm they’ll be associating the treatment with a good event. 

• Flower essence combinations  
  • Bach “Rescue Remedy” - in stores
  • Green Hope Essences - anxiety
  • Pet Essences - anxiety & fear
  • Jackson Galaxy Solutions - scaredy cat (good for dogs, too)
  • Aldaron Essences - very scary things
  • Put 4 drops in a 1-ounce bottle of water, and use it liberally. Put a few drops in your pup’s mouth. Put a few drops on hairless areas, like the inside of the ear flap, on the belly, or sometimes under the armpits. Put a few drops on his paws, and maybe he’ll lick the paws. Put a few drops on your hand, and pet him with it. These are all things that you can do with the flower essence. Flower essences can also be tried ahead of time.  The owner of one dog who had thunderstorm anxiety sprayed Rescue Remedy on his favorite toy that he used to hide with, and that was it. There were no more problems. It’s not always that easy, so you do have to keep trying different approaches if the first one you try doesn’t work. 
• Tellington T touch - circles and thundershirts
• Acupressure
• Reiki and other healing approaches

For more about these ways you can help your companions - check out the rest of this blog at Holistic Actions!
 

More permanent cures for dogs with anxiety, whether it’s from storms or other anxieties, is to build their balance by following the fundamentals that are listed on the Holistic Actions! website. There’s a Holistic Pet Health 101 Course, so check it out there! You may have to work with a homeopathic veterinarian or a Chinese medicine veterinarian. There are a lot of things you can do that may help your pet right now.