Practice News
Fireworks phobias in dogsThursday 14th September, 2006
For all those dogs who cower at the sound of a cracker, bolt when a banger goes off or run scared at the threat of a rocket, now is the time to start fireworks desensitisation before Guy Fawkes night. Unfortunately for our canine friends, fireworks events seem to be a particularly popular way of celebrating anything from a wedding to New Years Eve, and Bonfire night now lasts from the end of October to mid November. Dogs can manifest their fear in many ways, such as panting, trembling, hiding and seeking their owners. In many cases the problem gets worse year after year. The stress experienced by the dog can lead to other medical problems like colitis or diarrhoea. These dogs are suffering from a sound phobia and CD’s of fireworks are now available to use in re-training and desensitisation. These CD’s can be played initially at low volume and associated with positive reward .like play or feeding. Eventually, the dog will learn that there is nothing to fear from these noises. Previously, some vets prescribed sedatives but these are now thought to be less than ideal as they actually accentuate the dog’s hearing, thus potentially making the dog more anxious but so uncoordinated that it can’t move to hide. We now prefer to use benzodiazepines as these will reduce the dog’s anxiety without flattening him, and may prevent the dog remembering the stressful event by ‘memory blocking’. A pheromone diffuser has also been shown to be beneficial when plugged in and left on for several weeks over the fireworks period. The pheromone replicates signals of well being generated by bitches and passed on to their puppies and helps relieve anxiety in dogs of all ages. On the night of fireworks it is advisable to draw the curtains, provide a dark comfortable nest for your dog to hide in should he choose to do so ,and play music (not too loud !) with a constant drum beat to distract him. Try not to re-assure or scold your dog when he gets anxious but just sit calmly and possibly try to engage him in play or feeding. It may be helpful to take him for a long walk before it gets dark and consider feeding him a good meal so he feels sleepy. It’s a good idea to talk to your vet or nurse about these issues well before the first fireworks are expected.
STOP PRESS: We have seen several cases of deadly parvo virus in the area recently. Please make sure that your dogs are up to date on their vaccinations to prevent them catching this horrible disease.
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