Take Cover there's a storm a commin'

Kansas is famous for it's spring and summer storms.  Every spring I have several owners that come into the office for refilling their pet's medications for storm fears.  My heart goes out to these owners and especially to these dogs because I cannot imagine how miserable they must be being so afraid as to damage to themselves in an effort to hide from the storm.  Due to our recent morning thunder storms, I felt it was worth visiting about thunderstorm phobia.

Historically, animal behavioralists recommended a laborious and somewhat daunting desensitization program along with anti-anxiety medications to 'rid' or at least offer relief of storms for these dogs.  I too, have discussed these programs with many of my clients.  But new information has come to the table and I think bears repeating.

Phobias are excessive and irrational responses to stimuli, that are dysfunctional and disruptive to normal function. Thunderstorm phobias are a common fear seen in dogs.  While there is believed to be some genetic factors to this fear (herding breeds being over-represented), environmental influences also play an important role.  Negative experiences can certainly trigger the development of phobias.

Owners report a variety of symptoms of fear of storms; ranging from mild anxiousness, pacing, panting, shadowing the owner, hiding, seeking out safe places and whining/barking to outright acts of terror with attempts to escape (flee).  I have treated dogs that have done physical damage to themselves by jumping out of glass windows,  mouth injuries from chewing through doors and windows, and crates trying to flee the storm.

Most fear related behavioral conditions can be lessened and even resolved by desensitization programs.  New insights report that thunderstorm phobias does not respond well with these programs.  One of requisites of desensitization is to eliminate and/or control the feared stimulus, definitely hard to do if not impossible when you live in storm areas.  Also for many dogs it is not just the sound and light that trigger the dog's fear; other cues of impending storms include darkening of the skies, rain, wind, barometric changes, ozone smell (I can smell rain I am sure they can smell it before we do)  and static electric fields (things that we cannot appreciate but our canine friends are most sensitive to).  In desensitizing programs, I can assimilate the sounds and even the light, but I cannot assimilate pressure, ozone or static.  Lastly, desensitization must occure in each room of the house since dogs do not generalize their new learning to all other locations (tricky, time consuming and far less than fully effective).

Another problem that I have seen is that often owners have not brought this problem to me until the dog is older (average 5-9 years old) and had their fear for many years.  When asked, the owner often reports that their dog has been somewhat anxious about storms since it was a puppy, however it had only been recently that the fear had escalated and became quite problematic.  It is common that as the dog ages the fear becomes more intense.  It is the belief of Dr. Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, Dipl. ACVB, that something has happened during these storms that has intensified their fears.  He believes that since these dogs often seek out places such as bathtubs, sinks, toilet tanks, and pipes, known electrical grounds, these dogs have sometimes received static shocks.  Owners have reported getting static shocks from their dogs if they touch them during a storm.

So what can you do to help your pet?  First and foremost is to try to prevent them from being exposed to the effects of a storm.  Find a safe place where your dog can get away from all aspects of the storm.  A basement, if available, is a great place to start.  The safe place should preferably have small or no windows.  Windows can be blocked off with cardboard or thick lined curtains.  Basements are ideal because of their insulated against sound.  Fitting a room with sound proofing wallboard may be necessary.  The safe room can be equipped with a solid sided crate, leaving the door open, water, food, toys, treats.  Lights can be left on to mask any stray lightning flashes and classical music played loud to mask thunder sounds.

Take your dog into his 'safe room' and accustom him to it before storm season begins.  Spend some time with him there, enjoy some upbeat play time or work on some basic obedience skills with treat rewards there.  The object is to make it a fun place to be.  You might also think of placing a doggy door on the door to this room so that your dog can have access to his 'safe room' in your absence when storms arise.

There are many 'storm jackets' that can be fitted to your dog during a storm to make him more comfortable. The Storm Defender has an anti-static lining.  The Anxiety Wrap works by swaddling pressure.   The Thundershirt works similarily to the Anxiety Wrap, I will be carrying these in the clinic soon.  It has been shown that approximatley 50% of storm phobic dogs respond positively to these jackets.  Also sometimes helpful is a Calming Cap that is fitted over the eyes to block the visual nature of the storms.  

Lastly, if all else fails, medications may be life savers.  Reconcile, an anti-anxiety medication originally used for separation anxiety, can be helpful.  Reconcile lowers your dog's anxiety level and can be used daily during the thunderstorm season, along with the above recommended solutions.  In severe cases, when Reconcile alone is not enough, I have used Xanax (alprazolam) for 'panic attacks' on the day of the storm(s).

Hopefully this will give those that have thunder phobia dogs something to think about.  Contact your veterinarian for advise and help.