Hi I have recently bought the cd "FEAR of fireworks"  I've used it according to instructions,,,but to no avail!
I move the CD player to different parts of the house  & play the cd but my dog knows the sounds are only coming from the player & are not "REAL"
The only effect is that her tail goes down...When fireworks are going off outside she goes into panic mode...Rolling eyes, salvitation, tongue out, panting, smelly hot breath & clinging on to me for dear life!!! AND that's only the affect of maybe ONE banger going off!
I have got some St John's Wort liquid form & was wondering how to dose her! I know the info is probably on this website but I can't find it! I expect many other of you need an update now this "dreaded day" is nearing   !!!!

I can't tell you about the Wort but I have seen different reactions to fireworks on a CD. One disk my dog has never batted an eye about - doesn't matter how loud or where it is. I bought a new one, Sounds Scary, I couldn't put the volume past level 2 on the DVD when I first put it on without causing a reaction. After two months we're up to level 12 now (not sure we'll make the dreaded night in time; I still have to reach the point of playing it outside and in the attic). I do have a surround sound DVD home theatre setup which probably helps but the quality of the recording is very good on the disk.

Having lost our dog overnight when he bolted when a firework went off we have tried many things to help out with his fear.

He now doesn't bat an eyelid when guns or bird scarers on farms go off but is still terrified of fireworks. The only thing that works for him is to use cotton wool to muffle the sound and we hold this in place with the leg cut from an old pair of tights. He now comes to us as soon as he hears a firework and waits for his headgear to be put in place - he looks like Mother Teresa when he is wearing it but it works for him. He stops pacing and paniting and finds a quiet dark corner to lie in.

The cotton wool is only a loose wad - it isn't pushed into his ears just placed under his ear flaps ( he is a GR) and held in place by the tights. Might be worth a try :) but won't do your dog's street cred any good :D :) There is a photo in the link on my profile.

Isn't Harley handsome in his pilot's cap. ;-)
I thought of cotton wool this weekend as I had to don a similar set of head gear to watch the TV with my MIL (deaf and stone come to mind) :-D  I think I'll try something similar for Milo. I'm sure he'll thank me for it

I've got the same problem with my one of my dogs. It gets so bad that we have to sedate her with pills from the vet, which is not ideal and definitely can't be done long-term (the fireworks by us tend to start in October and go on right through until the new year.....it's absolute hell).
I've tried the DAP diffuser but that had absolutely no effect, I haven't tried using a CD to de-sensitize,I was looking at something like that on Amazon the other day, our Scarlet is nearly ten now so it's probably too late in the day to try and change her behaviour. Our Ava is not bothered by fireworks at all, and I've not yet seen how our adopted girl reacts (fingers crossed she won't be bothered by them).

I thought that things would have become more bearable when the firework legislation was passed, but I can honestly say that I don't think the Law has made a blind bit of difference and that fireworks appear to be as misused as much as they ever were. I would say the behaviour of those letting enormous fireworks off at all hours of the day/night has got much worse! And when I have to watch my dog in such a state of sheer terror, I know where I'd like to stick their rockets!!

:rolleyes:Thanx for all you replies...They've caused me to laugh...But as you all know it's not a bit funny to see your beloved dog in such a state! I'd buy anything at any cost to help her but I just don't know what to do for the best! I think that sedating with pills from the vet will only make things worse 'cos only the body gets sedated not the brain ~so the fear remains but the dog cannot move! I'll try to find out about the St John's wort because that just may get her to sleep...I live in hope!

You're right about the sedation, and she wets her bed too when we've given her the pill because she's so out of it.  It makes me quite angry because I hoped things would have got better when restrictions came in, but I think the act is un-enforceable.  I think it would help to put much tighter restrictions upon the actual sale of fireworks.

We will be battening down the hatches and padding out the little cubby hole underneath the stairs for our Scarlet because she seems to feel safer there, if you can find a little hidey-hole/den or someplace quite enclosed somewhere in your house then that might help to make her feel a bit less frantic?!!

Good luck!
Mair

With mine two years ago on bonfire night, we all got on the settee and looked out at the fireworks, I was doing oooohs and aaaaahhhs and my dogs were all just sat there watching them :d  I'm sure that my neighbours thought that I was mental but it really worked.

Unfortunately Lastar is still wary of them, but I suppose living on top of a mountain for the first 6 years of your life you wouldn't really hear many fireworks, but he wasn't quite as bad last year although he did knock the patio doors off their hinges at 11.45 at night on bornfire night!!.  We will be doing the same thing  this year and hopefully they'll be fine.

We have had a few go off in the last two or so weeks but it's not been too bad yet.

Hee hee I can just imagine you sitting there with them Diane, bottle of wine too of course... Mine like them too and have the option of staying in or going outside if we have any, they normally sit and watch the pretty ones dont give two hoots about them, even some of the bang ones they watch, be interesting to see what the 2 pups do this year as the adults dont care about them, hope they take no notice too... My old weimeraner used to love them and wanted to come and watch them all as did my German Shepherd, must be lucky as Ive never had a dog that has been scared of them, although my friends Rough collie was a nightmare at fireworks time...
Jenny

I have now found the answer for my dog who is so scared of fireworks that the sound of one in the distance had her trying to launch herself through the glass of the patio doors in blind panic.  Sedatives from the vet did not help she still panicked but had no co-ordination  and ended up falling down the stairs so I found them too dangerous.
So now in about a week I will start her on Valerian tablets from Dorwest Herbs, they relax and don't sedate so they function as normal.  Starting now allows them to build up in her system for maximum effect by the end of the month when fireworks will probably be in full swing here.
On nights of lots of very close loud fireworks I just top it up with a few drops of Valerian liquid on her tongue and she may look up when the first one or two go off but thats it she then just carries on with what she was doing.

Thanx Bevb.. I think I will follow your advice..I've found the website www.dorwestherbs.co.uk With all the info & doseage...Thanx Liz

One of ours hates firworks and despite trying the cd's, dap diffusers etc we've found they don't work.  We did sedate him once on advice from the vets but like others have said his brain was still very much aware and i think not being able to move quickly distressed him more.

This year we're going down the dorwest herb way as we already use some of thier other products for different things, hopefully this will take the edge of him just a little.

Paula

Hi I've been checking the Dorwest herbal website against our local Holland & Barrett.. They sell Valerian Root liquid extract at £4.99 per 30ml bottle...I find that the cost of postage at the Dh site far outweighs the actual cost of the product  (Organic Valerian Compond liquid  30ml £8.50 + about £4 for the postage!)  BUT my question is??????Do both these products have the same desired affect????
Your thoughts on this please???

Hi

We tried the dorwest valerian tablets and liquid last year on our westie Hamish who is terrified of fireworks but found they did nothing at all to calm him down and he still went crazy, he paces,whines and pants heavily when he hears the slightest noise of a firework going off, i will be interested to see if any of you find they work with your dogs, we have tried absolutely everything from the dap diffusers to the cd's and also had a behaviouralist out to him aswell but nothing at all worked with him.
Doesn't mean it won't work with your dogs though so i will be interested to see how they do.

Helen

Must admit we're not holding out much hope on anything working for our boy as he's now 11 and has been like this for many years. 
He's not bad with gunshots but fireworks and thunder do really distress him.  He was ok until he was about 3 and a massive firework scared him and he bolted through the fence, since then he's been awful, poor thing.  His behaviour is exactly like your Hamish.

Paula

I personally wouldn't use the H&B one as I couldn't be sure it would be the right strength or the same as the Dorwest Herb one which is designed speciffically for them with the correct dosage.
You would need to speak to someone who specialises in herbal medicenes for dogs.
It is important to start the tablets if possible 3-4 weeks before the fireworks start for maximum effect.

These days they are not fireworks they are bombs! It is like living in a war zone! This is now weeks of massive relentless deafening explosions not the odd night of old fizzz-pop fireworks available in the past..which were still terrifying enough for many animals. Well they asre so expensive too.....some people must have so much money to burn! Bonfire season must see Millions of pounds just mindlesslly set fire to and exploded in our skys! Must bring in a good heap of tax. ummm...and we wonder why fireworks do not get controlled.

I use the dorwest valerian tablets for my dog. They do help with taking the edge off their anxiety and I think for mild anxiety, travel sickness they are great..but to overcome extreme fear and anxiety although I think they may well help and so be worth the effort, they just help rather than totally get rid of the terror!

I also recently bought some CSJ Calm Down which is a blend of calming herbs you just add to their food.

These products build up in their system very slowly so now you want to start using then a month before the firework season.

Someone else also recommended buying an Anxiety Wrap:

"A form fitting wrap which helps alleviate fear and nervousness, using a technique called 'maintained pressure.' It creates a light pressure on the skin which calms and reduces stress by allowing the dog to redirect its focus, resulting in the dog letting go of the old sensation and ultimately modifying its behaviour. It has been used successfully in thunder storms and other stress and fear situations, including motion sickness, separation anxiety, aggression and to reduce resistance to nail trimming and ear cleaning."

They cost about £40 depending on the size of the dog. I might be giving this a try. It is a shame they do not come in more trendy colours. It is expensive if it don't work though.....

Hi! I've read through all your replies... Very interesting I've taken on board all that has been said!

people on a list I am on use self adhesive bandages and an old t shirt to make an anxiety wrap.

I'd like to see pics of that! lol:rolleyes:

You can buy the herbs from Zipvit - not sure how they compare pricewise though.....http://www.zipvit.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?cs

Regarding the wrap if you want an idea of whether it would work just get a large cohesive bandage (available in trendy colours :) ) and wrap that around the dog. It's the feeling of having something wrapped around and the light pressure that has the calming effect.   £40 is a lot of money!

The link didn't quite work just try typing in Valerian.

Can anyone tell me where I can see a picture of an anxiety wrap?  I did a search but didn't come up with any info and I'd like to know which bit of my dog to wrap up!! - does the wrap go around the chest area? - If I can see how the wrap looks, then I might be able to try doing something similar with my dog.

Thanks
Mair

Looks like a close fitting Jumper type dog coat here: http://www.dogstuff.com/page.html?chapter=0&id=29
and here: http://www.petperfect.biz/onlineshop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1&zenid=eb51b78cada42dcfec82d06b2f5d8fb9

I wonder if an adapted babygrow would do the trick.

This is an Anxiety Wrap and there is a review of one here.

http://www.bioforceshop.co.uk/products/animal_highly_strung_ess   This is what was recommended for my dog when I visited our local Rickard Lanes herbal shop...It has the correct doseage & is made specifically for animals ..It has an accumulative affect (as do all herbs) so I was told to start treatment now...This I am doing ...no indication of calm yet!
I like the idea of the anxiety wrap I'm sure I could fix something for her (The pics helped a lot!)
The only thing is concerning me now is~when I stop this herbal treatment will there be "withdrawal symptoms" ?

Thanks for putting up the information about the Anxiety wrap, if it works then it's well worth the price.  I'm seriously considering getting one of these for our Scarlet. 

I found these different anxiety wrap products... they are cheaper. The second gives an idea of how to use a bandage as an alternative to see if this type of product will work.

http://www.mekuti.co.uk/bodywraps.htm

Also listed with the anxiety products here is a calming cap..it works not as a blindfold but reduces the visual stimulus.

http://www.sitstay.com/store/health/anxiety.shtml

This site displays a calming face wrap. Some of the head halters work in the same way.

http://www.bichonbash.com/hvests2006.htm

I'm glad I read the new posts on this thread - wasn't going to today as Remy's upset, but I needed to check my email quick so thought I may as well.

I'd forgotten about body wraps, I think I'll put his jacket on him - it's a homemade fleece one, and as he's a chubby lad at the mo it's a nice snug fit so great as a body wrap.

It seems the boy isn't as better as I thought he was - I'm living in an apparently firework-happy area, they've just started properly for the evening and he's jammed under my leg shaking like a thing possessed.  He hasn't done that in over a year.  :(  He's had a serene-um tablet already - I've never given him anything before, but my neighbour caught me earlier as I was letting them out just before dark, and apparently her daughter is coming over and they're having a firework thang.  So it'll be closer than it's ever been to him, poor guy.  And judging by the queue for fireworks in Morrisons earlier, it's going to be a very long weekend.

You could try Melatonin

I have to say that with his anxiety wrap on my boy didn't tremble or whine. He was still panting heavily. I took it off thinking it wasn't helping but then he started trembling so it must be helping somewhat. He's having a little nap in it now as you have to make sure you put the wrap on at times when there is no fireworks as well. If you don't they start associating the wrap with something bad.

Wrap the dog in the  bandage! What a great idea! With the added bonus you have you dog smartly dressed for  Halloween too!   ;)

I wish I could have read this before rushing off to a behavourist.  My dog has been panicked when left  alone and I am fairly sure it is noise related.  With bonfire night fast coming up I was desperate to have some solutions.  I think I have read more info on here than I paid £100 to get (didn't even see the person just an assistant).  I could not use the wrap bcos my dog hates being restricted in any way.  I am just resigned now to listening to her thrashing around and crying at nighttime (started by whatever panicked her some weeks back) I have tried to remove all things that may hurt her from the room but she still jumps onto the windowsill and tries her best to tear her way through door and window.  A friend has recommended putting an old sleeping bag with the mouth open for the dog to crawl in - haven't tried that yet because have got to dig the old bag out first.  The one bit of info I was given at my 'consultation' was to feed her on some carbohydrate an hour or so before bedtime along with vitamin B6.  Have been giving her sereme-um tablets which have B6 in - no idea how much she should have or whether it is good or not.  Any thoughts please?

That sounds like a serotonin diet - we've been discussing it at college recently.  Well, I say 'we', everyone else has and I've been absorbing information a little :D

The pasta and B6 being fed later is supposed to boost serotonin, calming the dog.  From what I understand it can work - I've not tried it because I know Remy won't eat the pasta.  :rolleyes:  I've read different things about the timing - I remember reading to feed the pasta 2 hours after feeding, but it seems to vary.

I think that sedating with pills from the vet will only make things worse 'cos only the body gets sedated not the brain ~so the fear remains but the dog cannot move!

the vets tend to give  Diazepam which works well... it relaxes the dog almost unnoticeable and they move around to sit where they like etc to find [laces to rest where they feel safer but in the morning they wake up fearless as though the fireworks never happened so it prevents phobia building up from the fear.

The vets used to give a drug that caused state of fear riddled paralysis but do not do that now..

going back 15 years ago what the vet gacf was ACP.  I treid half the dose the vet said adn my poor Belgian was off her feet but still frightened to death.

My vet gave me Diazepam and one tiny pill relaxed my dog. Last year I couldn't get him to go out in the evening after 3pm to go toilet and he just held it 'till the next day.

This time he is going out when he needs to when a bang goes off he jumps a little and I tell him firmly not to be so silly and go toilet and off he goes into the dark to pee. Wonderful!

But the valerian pills have been helping a lot for the past two weeks to stop him get wound up and building up the fear and the drug is just for the bad days..and it must be given before they are scared by a bang not afterwards  like the valerian pills.

I bought the firework desensitising CD but gave up using it because it was very boring and not fun so instead we watched a heck of a lot of James Bond movies and other action movies full of explosions and as he got used to the explosions we could have the volume up and being DVD it is full surround sound so there are noises from all over to get used to and because we as a family were all together laughing and enjoying the movies he relaxed and I think this really helped with the fireworks.

Not so good if people don't like a good dose of Sean Connery  then the DC's are not much fun either. We watched films like this over the worst evenings too so there are explosions on the movie and outside.  .

My friend went out last Saturday evening and when they came back part of their kitchen was destroyed.  They have a staffordshire bull terrier and he had bit through the door frame, and also tried to bite through the kitchen cupboards to get in somewhere (all his mouth was bleeding it was awful).  He is absolutely petrified of fireworks.  When they are in he will lay with them and he is okay.  They have decided that the next couple of weeks they just won't be able to leave him at all in the evening.  They leave in in the kitchen, they are frightened to leave him the run of the house because they just don't know what he will do.  One evening last year he tried to bite through the wall, and there were electric sockets there.  Someone said to get Bachs Rescue Remedy and try that - also a vet on the television said this also.

I don't think  Rescue Remedy will help with such strong issue..it works by taking the edge of the fear. It might help a little though especially if he relaxes anyway if they are home. 

The dogs trust has good advice on dealing with the firework season:

http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/VirtualContent/111928/fireworks.pdf

This is also good..much the same advice really.

http://petbehaviourcentre.com/articles/a_fireworks.htm

I decided to get some Diazepam just in case, for the worst  relentless  firework days.Several people I know take their  dogs away to the country for a week or two to escape the worst part of the winter-long firework season which is a great idea for people who can manage it.

Sadly fireworks are so unpredictable and are now year round here, being used for Birthdays and any excuse, including let of in the day, what is with that, don't understand that at all??????

Where do these people get the money from they aren't exactly cheap.

My friend whose dogs (mostly Border Collies and GSD) hates them as they make life so miserable for her dogs.

they were selling them in the entrance of Morrison's the other week and she lost it and tore up all the guys leaflets.

:D Good on her!  I go as far as withering looks when I walk past those stalls, but given the random firework that freaked Remy out last night (night meaning half past 5 :rolleyes:) I must admit my temper - which is short already - is getting shorter by the day.

A firework went off at 2.30 this afternoon whilst I walking Molly...luckly they don't bother her.

One of my Cavs Harvey is terrified of fireworks - then Alfie picks up vibes from him and then they both end so upset. I have been using Bachs rescue remedy now for the past week or so and have noticed a huge improvement. I put a few drops in their drinking water available at all times but then rub a couple of drops into their gums in the evening if they get particuarly worried. it seems to have worked very well for us.

We have fireworks going off now - for what reason fireworks became a requirement for Halloween is beyond me! Luckily my current boy isn't scared at all but one of our previous dogs used to be terrified. To try to avoid this reaction, when my current dog was a pup I made sure I had a CD of "scary" noises playing on and off every day for a month or two after he came home. I'm sure it's helped as he literally doesn't blink an eye. One night one winter we were out playing with his glowing kong round the park (offlead obviously). A firework display very close by started but again he wasn't bothered at all. I'm not sure how well the noise CDs work on older dogs but should definitely be a recommended item to buy when bringing a new pup home.

~We went to the theatre last friday and when we got back our poor dog had also tried to claw and chew her way through the door and frame.  We now have a large piece of plywood to slide across the doorway to prevent her doing anymore damage.  I posted on the keeping the dogs in the utility room - where do you keep yours thread.  We have to leave our dog in the utility room at night and when we go out for her own safety as well as the good of the house.  I hate to think if she had had the whole house to panic in!  We have a den made out of a cardboard box which we have spent the last few days crawling in and out to encourage her to use.  I put biscuits in there when we go out but she is too stressed to eat anything until we come back.  We won't be leaving her on her own  at night for the next few weeks - we will have a dog sitter (our son).  This is all down to one large firework being let off in the summer - any noise maybe vibration sets her off - we don't know when it will happen next.  Until sept this year it was only fireworks and thunder we had to worry about - now we don't know what it will be.  

I have no idea how to help dogs that are scared of fireworks, I don't think the CD's really help, at least, they haven't my friend.

I am very lucky in that my girl is not scared of fireworks whatsoever. I think it is because she was born around this time of year, and so heard them when she was very young (eg, before 12 weeks). I have been in the garden with her when they were going off two gardens away, and she couldn't have cared less. Her own litter are two week sold now, so I am realyl hoping they will be the same as her as firewroks are going off every night here, and I suspect it will go on past 5th November.

Hi. I have tried Rescue Remedy and am now trying Valerian liquid but both to no avail. I have an appt at vets this afternoon for some tranquilisers but dont want to really give him them. Reading on here they just seem to relax the body and not the mind. I think I will cancel the appt. I used to own 2 Danes and a Standard Poodle and all 3 never bothered with fireworks. They would walk round the garden and carry on as if they couldnt hear them and stand and watch them. I now have a 2yr old IW who is petrified. He didnt bother last year with them but last Sunday when the first ones went off I thought he was going to have a heart attack. The last one went off at 11pm and he was still crying and whimpering till 5am. Felt so sorry for him. I think I might try the cotton woll in the ears with tights over his ears.

It depends what the vets give you. Diazepam is meant to calm the dog and block the short term memory which stops the fear building night after night, but doesn't sedate the dog as such. It's ACP tablets that used to be used that stop them moving but they're still terrified by the noises. :( Something herbal like scullcap & valerian is a bit gentler. I'm quite lucky - Duibh doesn't give two hoots about fireworks - he comes and watches them at the back door with me. Dorain didn't used to care about fireworks at all, but 3 yrs ago I was living somewhere it was like World War 3, and he's not been the same since. :( He's fine on walks if they go off - doesn't care at all, or inside if it's the odd one, but when there's loads going off and he's indoors he lies on the sofa with his eyes wide not looking happy and shaking.

But why do people let them off before it's even dark? :rolleyes: The other week someone was setting them off at lunchtime and scared a chap's collie in the park..... fortunate that mine aren't bothered when out, and the collie came and joined us which meant I could catch her for him. :)

I was giving mine valerian last week - and she was coughing - we had just got her out of kennels.  The cough was not everyday and hasn't developed into anything.  I didn't go to agility last week because she had a coughing fit in the morning.  I haven't given her any more valerian or calming tablets since - she hasn't coughed once since either.  Beginning to think there may be a link!

With the valerian or with the just coming out of kennels?

Melatonin can help & it doesn't calm the body & not the brain like ACP I combine this with a DAP diffuser & lavender spray & lavender oil in the oil burner