Comfort; no need to sedate anxious pets

This reader’s question was answered by Chicago areabased veterinary behaviorist Dr. John Ciribassi, Chicago area-based co-editor (with Dr. Debra Horwitz and myself ) of “Decoding Your Dog: The Ultimate Experts Explain Common Dog Behaviors and Reveal How to Prevent or Change Unwanted Ones” . The book is the first-ever authored by members of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, veterinarians who specialize in behavioral medicine.

Q: Our 3-year-old Schipperke is very smart, and knows many tricks. She doesn’t like thunderstorms, fireworks, or our vacuum cleaner and shakes uncontrollably. Any ideas? — D. O., Forest Lake, MN

A: “Since your pup enjoys little tricks, she may be a good candidate for what’s called response substitution. Before she gets worried about the oncoming storm, or while someone is vacuuming on the other side of the house, engage her with games,” says Ciribassi.

Or perhaps giving her something safe to chew on can be distracting, such as stuffing low-fat peanut butter or lowfat cream cheese inside a sterilized bone.

With a little help from a product like Anxitane (containing L-Theanine) and/or Adaptil (a copy of a calming pheromone), the anxiety may be toned down a notch or two so the pup can tolerate riding out the storm in a comfortable place, such as on a dog bed in a closet or in a corner of the basement.

Ciribassi notes that some dogs are downright panicked, and can require an anti-anxiety drug as the most humane response. “These are not sedatives,” he explains. “In fact, a sedative isn’t a good idea — you will only have a drowsy dog who is still panicked.”

The good news about fireworks is that you know exactly when they are likely to happen, and can plan to give the right drug several hours prior. Of course, thunderstorms are more of a challenge.