Our Rat Terrier was attacked by 2 large dogs while at our pet sitter's home 2 yrs. ago. I won't go into detail on how badly she was chewed up, but since that time, she has become very frightened when we take her to the park in the a.m. & p.m. for her daily walk. She is afraid of all large dogs (can't blame her), large trucks that make noise, etc. She will sit on the sidewalk and be afraid to walk.
Is there any medication I can get for her at the pet store that will calm her fears without having to pay the price to see a vet which is very expensive here.
Thank you for any advice you can give me.
Rosalie from San Diego, CA
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First, since this sounds like a fear issue and not a possible medical condition, I would recommend you see if a pet store in your area has a dog trainer on-site (although you "should" have the vet rule a medical condition out). Most PetCo and PetSmart stores in my area do. When I was dealing with my dog's separation anxiety, the trainer at PetSmart provided a free consult with many ideas that I found very helpful. The humane society in my area also has some classes and information that might be helpful if you live in a larger city (ours has a "problem pooch" class with a donate what you can afford policy)
We used a DAP collar on Mason. DAP (Dog Appeasement Pheromone) mimics the scent that nursing mother dog gives off to soothe the puppies. It is known to give them a calm, safe, secure feeling. Unfortunately they're not cheap, but I only needed to use it for a few months. You can buy a spray and a wall plug-in version, but the collar is probably better since the issue is when you are on walks. This really helped Mason feel a lot more secure.
There's also a product called Rescue Remedy that you can get at Whole Foods that can help with anxiety (pet version, not people version). I didn't find it helped much though.
There's also a jacket thing called the Thunder Jacket that is supposed to be very soothing, but it was too spendy for me, so I tried the collar first.
We ended up using an anti-anxiety medication (doggie Prozac) for a couple months while we did the desensitization training the trainer recommended and did a round of obedience classes, then were able to wean Mason off the medicine. It took a couple months, but he's fine now (as long as he doesn't get locked in my bedroom).
DrsFosterandSmith.com (they have a wonderful catalog as well) have a product under their own brand, called "Ultra Calm Biscuits". They are the size of a dog treat, and are herbal. No Rx needed. These really help my one dog who has anxiety issues to "take the edge off". They are not expensive. You will want to read the container for dosage amount per your dogs' weight. Best of luck!
Dogs act the same as children who have been injured by an animal. FEAR. Try carrying your little dear if you have to take her at all. Your house or apt. is probably plenty big enough and just go somewhere the other dogs aren't give her poo space. Pick her up when they are around. I have a Doberman that was bitten through the nose and lost 2 teeth from a Great Dane.
Try rescue remedy. If you took her to the vet did he vaccinate her? Could be vaccine reaction. Vaccines often cause horrible problems by poisoning with mercury (now called thimerisol). Mercury and other poison junk affects the brain, spinal cord, auto-immune system and destroys from the inside out. The homeopathic Thuja sometimes helps with vaccine poisoning.
I would see a homeopath. See my past posts on building immune system, natural ways to heal and help, allergy diet, fleas, poisons and lots of easy ways for optimal health. I had an old fashioned vet who taught me so much because of the animals i would come across that needed help. He taught me how to do many things myself. He taught me well. I do a combo of natural and medicinal treatments.
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