It’s raining, it’s pouring….the old man is – crying?
Yeah, that’s what we got goin’ on here. Chester’s howlin’
away, hyperventilating and drooling from it all. He’s afraid of thunder, and
there’s some serious bowling games goin’ on upstairs!
 |
| Chester the Cheeto |
Mom says she doesn’t understand it, when he was younger it
didn’t bother him at all, not even fireworks. Now, though, he’s plain scared to
death of boomies. Usually Mom makes sure to give him some medicine before
anything starts up, she gets this Benadryl stuff from the store that helps
Chester feel better. But today is one of those days she didn’t. And we’re all
goin’ deaf here, with him goin’ crazy. He even gets hysterical sometimes to the
point of clawing at walls and knocking stuff over!
My ears are hurting. My ear flaps are burning. Chester only
has one volume setting, and it’s LOUD! Heeeelp! Anyone know of something that
would help a scaredy-cat???
Kisses,
CindyLu
We've been lucky with Jordan and Rufus. Neither were ever scared of thunder or frieworks. In fact, they've gone out to see the NYE fireworks before and fell asleep after the first few minutes [presumably from boredom]!
ReplyDeleteGeorgia IS scared of fireworks, not thunder. She was quite petrified when we first got her and would run about with tail between legs, cowering and shivering. These days, she sleeps through them [we hear a lot of fireworks here, like every Friday at the ball game].
The way we did it was to de-sensitize. I think a few trainers don't believe in this method. But we've found that it works with G and with fireworks. We actually play the boom-boom game with her when the fireworks go off - we dance around clapping, banging things and shouting "BOOM-BOOM!"in her ears. This sounds ridiculous but somehow, it made the noisy scary moment fun. We were all being loud together! I've heard that playing a CD of fireworks has the same effect. Gradually increase the volume. Your neighbours might not be happy, but in the long run, I'm sure they'll be grateful. Good luck!
Sorry, my example was for fireworks, but I guess it'd be the same for thunder. Get a thunder CD! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'll try your suggestions! Sounds like it could be workable.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'll try your suggestions! Sounds like it could be workable.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you Chester, when it storms here I usually head under the bed to protect the dust bunnies!!!
ReplyDeletePlease help me save This cat
when you find out please let me know. We had "boomies" the other night and Dakota barked the entire time. Cody could care less!
ReplyDeleteTo get Marge over her thunder phobia, I threw treats all around the room and had her play a game during storms. She now looks forward to storms so much more, as long as she's in the house!
ReplyDeleteFireworks are another story and I don't think I'll ever be able to help her with those.
You can try giving 3mg of Melatonin to him before a storm or a few drops of Rescue Remedy.
Thundershirts supposedly work very well, but I've never used one myself.
His newfound fear of these types of noises might be due to the hearing changes that an older dog goes through.
Good luck!
Sam and MargeDog
Hi CindyLu,
ReplyDeleteI've noted that Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet star is terrified of any loud noise. She especially becomes a quivering wreck during fireworks times over here in England. And of course, Penny is not a big fan of thunder.
Now, I realise you have already received some fine suggestions. However, I have noted that Penny seems much calmer during a bit of thunder, if I distract her by playing some games or putting on her favourite DVD of other dogs.
And also, speaking of fireworks, I wish more humans would have more common sense with them and go to public displays rather than firing them outside our front doors and scaring our poor little animals.
Take care, Gary :-)
Oh, Brian, you're such a dear to protect those dust bunnies!
ReplyDeleteAnd Caren, we have the same thing here - the cats could care less! They all look at Chester like he's nuts. I will let you know if I find a solution!
Sam, it's funny you mention the treats; I tried giving him treats last night, and for at least a bit he was distracted with them. I did see that thunder shirt when I googled, it made me curious about it. But I'm thinking he'd probably hate having something on him, and that would only exasperate the situation. I'll definitely see about trying the melatonin. And as for his ears, he's one with chronic allergies, which I suspect have affected his ears - you may be onto something there!
Gary, thank you for your great suggestions! I will be trying all these things, and see what works for Chester. You are so, so right about humans being so thoughtless with those fireworks!! I agree totally!