Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Sound Advice For Dogs

Halloween fireworks, thunderstorms, bands and any loud noise send my Jack Russell Rex cowing in his bed or Rushing for the kennel. Noises that effect him can extend to shouting...[not at him!] banging a nail with a hammer or any kind of sudden unexpected loud noise all have the same effect.

So what can we do to help especially when we can anticipate the noise occurring like in the case of fireworks?

Anti-anxiety drugs such as Prozac and Buspar can work but take 3-4 weeks to take effect and also can have side effects. Looking at natural alternatives seems a better option.

A meal rich in complex carbohydrates with additional vitamin B6 gives a dog a natural boost in Tryptophan. How this works is because Tryptophan leads to the production of Serotonin which is known to effect mood. When the dog eats carbohydrates this stimulates the production of insulin which in turn increases the uptake of Tryptophan and so increases the level of Serotonin.

Although this method works in theory there is no hard evidence or statistics to back it up.
One natural Remedy called flower essences such as Rescue Remedy was developed by an English medical Doctor Edward Bach. Each liquid is an extract of flowers which effect different aspects of emotional well-being in humans and animals.

Of these Flower remedies Rescue Remedy is the best known and has a calming effect. Consensus on the effectiveness of Remedies varies. Some say it works immediately and others maintain that it takes four to eight weeks to have an effect on dog's emotions. Whatever way it cannot do any harm to try.

Another suggestion is the use of Melatonin. This is a natural hormone that regulates our sleep and wake pattern, called circadian rhythms. Various studies have shown melatonin to be 80% successful with an indication that the Melatonin must be given before the fear-inducing noise occurs.

Another use for Melatonin has been with search and rescue dogs that have to travel on helicopters or planes to different areas .The melatonin lets them relax throughout the flight and also the dogs are still be able to perform their search duties when they arrive. This was something that was affected when pharmaceutical drugs were used; the dogs were drowsy and unable to do their jobs properly.

Melatonin used to be derived from the pineal gland of bovines but is now manufactured as a synthetically produced pharmaceutical. Make sure if you decide to try this method that it is pure melatonin and not mixed with any other herbs.

Finally...if music is your thing then studies have also found that simple classical music performed on the piano produced a calming effect on 70 percent of dogs in shelters and 85 percent of dogs in homes. Putting on a classical CD may just be the thing that works and probably the easiest to try first before the others.

Kathy Davison is a Health Studies lecturer with both humans and animals! As well as lecturing fulltime Kathy runs an online website on various aspects of owning dogs.

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