Ways to calm your little firecracker

Our vet david grant works his animal magic

QWe have recently acquired a rescue whippet. She has settled in well but we have noticed that sudden noises make her jump with fright. What should we do about fireworks?

A FOR years I used to prescribe a sedative for nervous dogs at this time of year but it has since been discovered that those types of medication made matters worse. Dogs would still be fearful but would be too sedated to be able to escape the loud noises.

There are newer, more appropriate drugs available from your vet that reduce anxiety and prevent the dog from remembering the loud noise.

Most of the newer drugs are available as tablets but there is also a gel that is applied to the lining of the dog’s mouth shortly before the noise of fireworks begins.

It’s best not to rely entirely on anxiety-reducing drugs and many behavioural specialists advise providing the dog with somewhere it can escape.

This should be in a quiet bit of the house that is always available to the dog and where noise can be minimised. Calming pheromones can be very useful too. These are synthetic copies of the chemical produced by the mother dog to calm her pups and come as a diffuser or a spray. The spray can be used in the dog’s hideout. For more information, please visit adaptil.com David Grant MBE was a vet at the RSPCA Harmsworth Hospital for Animals. Write to him at Express Yourself, 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN. He is unable to enter into individual correspondence.