One of our dogs is very anxious when we leave him. He has other dogs, a big yard, and has someone with him most of the day. If you're out for 2 hours and come home, he acts like you've been gone for a week. In spite of my best efforts, he always finds something to chew or destroy. We've put out lots of toys and chews. We could put him in a pen but it's just too long. We have a few family trips coming up and will have a friend come stay at our home to feed the pets and give them exercise, companionship etc. She'll be here from 5-9 p.m. every day but I know that won't be enough. Would like to see if someone has a homeopathic remedy they've tried that has worked for them. We are going to the vet to ask them but I wanted to ask this community before we go. Thanks.
sounds like my grandbeagle, who has terrible, terrible separation anxiety.
the only thing that has worked for her is meds. she gets a daily dose of the doggy equivalent of prozac.
it's taken about 5 years, but she's finally to the point where she can be left out of her crate when my son and his fiancee go to work.
homeopathy is a great place to start, but a dog with severe anxiety may well need the big guns.
khairete
S.
E.,
How old is your dog?
Have you had him since birth/weaning?
I have an anxious dog as well. When we are going to be gone longer than 2 hours? We put him in his "room". It's a dog fence that we have made the size of a rectangle (48" by 32" and no top). His food and water is in there, along with a bone for him. He has a bed in there too. I really don't like doing that - but he's not even 2 yet and he's a "baby". We leave the TV on so he HEARS people. I don't like doing it because I'm don't like crating dogs....that's ME. But it works for him.
We have tried the Thunder Vest with him and that helps him.
Instead of putting out lots of toys? Just put out a few so he's not overwhelmed with the toys either.
Leave a TV or radio on.
We tried the Thunder Shirt and it didn't work for our dog, but we have friends who had good results. Have you tried the crate? Some dogs are comforted by the enclosure. Our rescue dog was abandoned multiple times and she has separation anxiety (the vet said PTSD). We got to the point that we could leave the dog in the crate with a peanut butter Kong and a marrow bone (we froze both so it took longer for her to work on) for about 2 hours. The poor dog was so stressed after 2 hours that we finally got a medication for the dog that we give 1 hour before a stressful event (leaving her, taking her to the vet, visiting someone, or having a ton of people over). Now we can leave her easily for 5 hours, in the crate and with the regular Kong and bone.
I don't think there's anything homeopathic you can count on, and I really worry about the contents of them. A lot of the ingredients are harmful to dogs, and there was a big exposé a couple of years ago about all the products at Whole foods and GNC (and others) that didn't even have the listed ingredients inside. We do use a supplement for ourselves and the dog, but it has a patent (proving the contents as listed) and it's comprehensive. And the vet approved it for the dog.
Have you tried Care.com? You can hire a pet sitter to come in before the friend comes at 5 PM. Your down probably has other dog care and dog walking services - ask friends. A lot of people need this for their animals, during working hours and on vacations. My neighbors use one all the time. We also have several doggie day care facilities where the dogs get great interaction and company. You could consider those - maybe try a trial visit with you staying there for the first hour just to see how it goes?
Have you tried the Thunder Shirt? It can work wonders. It's a coat that is pretty snug on the dog and gives a lot of dogs comfort. It really helped with my son's rescue dog, who at first chewed door frames and destroyed anything in sight if my son was out of sight for minutes. The Thunder Shirt literally changed the dog almost overnight (even when there was no thunder - it was simply my son leaving for work, or to run a quick errand, that sent the dog into anxiety attacks). I don't know of any homeopathic solutions, but the Thunder Shirt is simply a snug-fitting anti-anxiety jacket for dogs. You can find it by googling it online.
only thing that sends my dog into a panick is fireworks.. and shes totally ok with being locked in the bathroom with a soft balnket. the enclosed area of the bathroom and the comfort of the blanket let her relax and she will calm down and just sleep. if not confined to the bathroom shes running around the house panting and can't sit still.
You don’t mention how old your dog is & how long he’s been with your family, or his past history of crating. But I will say if possible crating is the best solution for a destructive dog.
Think about what you want him to do while you are gone - stay calm, not destroy anything, curl up & sleep. Dogs require more sleep than human, averaging around 12-15 hours a day. Being inside a crate, which should be roomy enough for the dog to stand up, and lay down comfortably, encourages them to spend the time you are gone sleeping. It also allows you as the owner to limit the items your dog can interact with.
When should you NOT consider crating? When the dog gets more agitated by being crated than being left loose. I would not recommend buying a crate & putting Fido in it the first time & leaving for an 8 hour workday.
Instead, get a crate & spend a weekend helping him to adjust to it by feeding him in it, putting in a big comfy bed, placing it in the main room of activity in your house, & tossing treats & toys in it to encourage Fido to seek it out. Practice putting him in the crate with a good toy (peanut butter helps too!) & closing the crate while he chews & you are home, to see how he responds. If that goes well, you can spend time building up his tolerance, & leaving the house.
If that does not work, or if you already know he has a negative history with crating, then I would suggest talking to your vet about behavioral & medication therapy. Sometimes working on changing the dogs behavior & response to stressors (like his humans leaving him alone!) combined with an anti-anxiety medication (like Trazodone) can be helpful in changing their response.
Finally, make sure that when you are leaving him, you have “dog proofed” your home so that he cannot get into anything that would be dangerous for him. Unfortunately, furniture is not always something we can remove from their environment, but sometimes making sure they have dog-appropriate toys that they are willing to engage in will help redirect their energies.
Hope this helps! T. :)
There is a homeopathic remedy called "rescue remedy" by a company named Bach. Friends of mine swear by it, but I haven't had to try it.
