Feeling a little zombie like today through lack of sleep thanks to my eldest lab Lucan. He woke me up at 2.15am. I immediately became aware of the wind, rain, thunder and lightening and Lucan having a massive, massive panic attack! Out to the kitchen I went and managed to get his Diazepam down his throat, poor dog was hyperventilating so much his tongue had gone purple. Normally I dose him up at the first signs, well before he gets into this state but had obviously slept through the early stages. So then it was a case of manage the situation until the tablets kicked in. This involves having to physically stop him from digging frantically in his bed, or the floor, by hugging him tight as no talking, soothing, shouting or prodding gets through to him, he's totally oblivious to everything! Last night it took nearly an hour for him to calm down enough to tune back in and a further 2 hours of me listening out to the pacing before we all managed to get back to sleep. To be honest he's a huge worry! I often wonder what would happen if/when there's a thunder storm when there's no one home. Last night I was even thinking whether it's fair to let him go through it! PS. He's a perfect dog normally and funnily enough doesn't bat an eyelid at fireworks, bird scarers or gunfire. We've tried all the desensitisation CDs and he doesn't react to them either, vets and us think it's the difference in air pressure that sets him off.
Am so sorry to read this, poor you and Lucan too . Here in Cornwall it was very bad , thunder , lightening, hail and hurricane force winds , all started around midnight . My little dog is deaf so she doesn't react at all , and Sam never did but you have my utmost sympathy , one of my previous Labs went to jelly in adverse weather conditions and yes, air pressure was mentioned to me too x
Hmmmm. I wonder. Change in barometric pressure is a trigger for many migraine sufferers. The ionization of the air in thunderstorms with lightning is also thought to be a factor. I know I had my worst migraine after driving home in a thunderstorm with lightning all the way. I vomitted for hours the next day. I've never heard of a dog vomitting when frightened of thunder, has anyone else? It's very distressing to think animals might go through that and not know what's happening to them. Poor Lucan, poor you. I know my OH is distressed watching me, I can guess how you feel. Poor boy. I see Kate's comment about her little deaf dog. If the above things are a factor it wouldn't matter if the dog is deaf, they would feel the changes, and the subsequent pain in their heads, anyway. OMG, I hope dogs, animals, don't get migraines.
That's interesting @Snowshoe . Having said that Nelly didn't react to the noise , she has reverted to her OCD behaviour over the past 24 hours , its been worse than ever before , so maybe this could be the reason for the fly snapping and constant licking ? I never gave it a thought, about it possibly being linked to air pressure !
My friends' old dog was afraid of storms. He was stone deaf at the end and they always shut the shutters and curtains so he couldn't see the lightning, but he was still very affected, poor boy. We all thought it was the changes in atmospheric pressure, electrical charges and the smell of ozone in the air. I imagine if he had started off deaf, these wouldn't have been an issue, but since he had learned to pair these things with the fear of the storm, he continued to be afraid when he sensed them even when he couldn't hear the storm anymore. This is something that has crossed my mind with Willow, too, so you're not alone. But the thing is she and Lucan are happy, normal dogs most of the time, and that's the thing to keep in mind. Yes, we have these horrible times when our dogs are inconsolable, but that's a tiny, tiny part of their lives. This rang a little alarm bell for me. I understand you want to prevent him from harming himself and your stuff, but the vast majority of dogs view being hugged and restrained as a really aggressive manoeuvre and so could be causing him more distress, which will only cause him to have more negative reactions to the storm. If you need to keep him away from harm, I'd suggest a covered crate would be a far better solution than holding him tight. Willow finds a small amount of comfort in being in a den during her periods of intense fear; we don't use a crate anymore and she's not destructive, but I will often build her a den out of old blankets and towels and, even though it may not reduce her fear any, she certainly feels less vulnerable when covered this way.
Homer has had similar reactions to thunder storms and other loud noises. We've had many sleepless nights with him being completely frantic and hoarse with panting. I too tried lying down next to him stroking him with long firm pressure which appeared to calm him for moments at a time then he'd be up again. Homer hates being shut in his cage when he's scared and panics even more. He scratches so much he has completely shredded the upstairs hall carpet and paces around the house finding the most impossible small places to try and hide knocking over furniture in the process. By the end of an episode our house looks like it's been ransacked! It can take him up to a week after a loud thunderstorm to stop jumping at the slightest wind or rain. There have certainly been times we've hit utter despair.
So glad I'm not alone in coping with a panicked dog. I do blame myself for this particularly bad episode....if only I'd woken up sooner and been able to administer his Diazepam quicker...but unfortunately we can't get it right every time. I totally agree and wouldn't recommend anyone else hugging a panicking dog, but it is what works for mine. Unfortunately crates, dens, covered or not just make Lucan's panic worse, if he had his way he wouldn't be hiding, he'd be fleeing, running away as fast and as far as he could.
We do our best but can't get it right every time. We are constantly re-adjusting what we do for Homer and his fears. We try to plan ahead for his reactions and to find ways to limit them or when to give him medication but it doesn't always go to plan or the plan doesn't always work. It's hard not to get anxious ourselves during these times, but it can be hard to keep calm yourself. Afterwards when we are all calm we have a chat and reasses how or what we could do differently next time. We have become obsessed weather watchers for storms.
A panicked dog left in a metal crate can damage their teeth and feet trying to get out, so it’s not for everyone... Some dogs would benefit from a covered, confined space though. I think it does depend on whether they are motivated to flee or to hide. Horses for courses!
