For the first time in well over a decade, I don’t own a dog who is afraid of fireworks. Buffy, my 9-year-old cocker spaniel, did not follow in the footsteps of my other dogs, whose worst nightmare was the Fourth of July. Buffy is now an only dog after we lost Chipper in November. Dogs … Read more
Do you stay at home on the Fourth of July to calm your quivering dog?
Does your dog pace around your bed keeping you up all night or poke you constantly while you can barely hear the distant rumble of thunder?
Chipper, my 12-year-old cocker spaniel, has thunderstorm anxiety. He also trembles during visits to the vet; pokes me when he hears firecrackers; pants during car rides; and resists me when I trim the fur on his paws.
The storm season began early this year! We had thunderstorms last night and Chipper kept me awake. I put him on Solliquin pills a week ago and apparently the effects can take up to 30 days to show an effect. Last year I had used Harmonease, which is no longer produced, so my vet gave me Solliquin.
Do you have a fraidy dog?
Chipper is my success story.
He’s become almost immune to the sound of fireworks.
Last year he slept at my feet through the grand finale, less than a mile away. I remember sitting in front of the computer with a 20-inch box fan set at high speed to make my upstairs office more comfortable in the heat. Sure, the sound of the fan helped dim the sound a bit, but not by much.
It’s starting again – firecracker season – is your dog ready? Are you? The fourth of July is just around the corner.
Two years ago, Chipper’s anxiety caused him to hide under my mom’s bed, cringing and shaking for the month-long celebration of the holiday that occurred in his old neighborhood.
Summer is still here and by now you have found out if you have a fraidy dog. You know what I mean. The dogs that shake, whine, paw at you, and make you feel their misery over thunderstorms, fireworks, and loud noises in general – except for their barking.
