April Showers Bring..........Storm Anxiety!

It's that time of year again.  Time to think about the weather and how it is effecting your fur babies.  Many dogs and cats, large and small, suffer from a condition known as Astraphobia or Storm Anxiety.  In fact, as many as 30% of dogs can be affected by this fear.  Many of their humans have no idea what to do to help them get through a bad spring storm.  Hopefully, we can help!

What are the signs of storm anxiety?
Even before a thunder storm starts, you may notice your pet pacing, panting, and/or hiding.  Our pets will know about the coming storm before we do.  They can feel changes in barometric pressure and sense low frequency rumbles that we may not hear or feel.  Changes in static electricity can also cause pets to become more anxious.  Wind, rain, thunder & lightening can all contribute to storm anxiety.
Pet's may hide under the bed, stay close to their humans, start trembling or shaking, or even want to hide in their kennel.  Once the storm has started, and you actually begin hearing rain and thunder, the signs of storm anxiety will often worsen, and your pet may act even more agitated.

What can I do to help my pet feel more at ease during a storm?
There are several things that can be done to ease anxiety.
1.  Start when they are young and get them used to loud noises.  Buy a CD that has storm sounds on it and play it at lower volumes at first, then increase the volume over time.  This is a technique that MAY work.  During a real storm, other factors, besides noise, can still cause anxiety in a pet that has been introduced to the noise gradually.
2.  Try to remove your pet from the situation by making them a safe place.  Put your fur baby's bed/crate in an interior room and cover it with a blanket.  Keep the room dark and quiet, or try play calming music.  If you are using their crate as a safe place, be sure to leave the door open so they can still come and go as they please.  Don't make them feel trapped with the door closed.
3.  During a storm, offer treats, cuddles and play time.  This may help your pet associate storms with good things and can sometimes serve as a distraction from the storm outside.
4.  Use calming scents or diffusers throughout areas that your pet frequents in your home.  Feliway and DAP diffusers are commercially available pheromone scents that have calming properties.  Also, lavender scent is calming to everyone in the home, two and four legged.
5.  Try using a Thundershirt.  Thundershirt looks like a vest, but works as an anti-anxiety pressure wrap on your pet.  It helps make them feel more secure in their environment.  It is the same idea as swaddling a baby.  The makers of the Thundershirt (Thunderworks) have several items available to assist in calming your dog and/or cat.  They have the vest/shirt, sweaters, coats, leashes, toys, Pheromone sprays, and they even have treats.  You can visit the Thunderworks website for more information. http://www.thundershirt.com/
6.  An Animal Behaviorist can work with you and your pet to help relieve anxieties.  They will teach you several exercises that you can do with your pet to help lessen their fears.  However, if you aren't willing, or able, to work with your pet, this may not be effective.  We recommend Jane Page with New Behavior, LLC.  http://newbehavior.net/Home_Page.html
7.  Be sure to stay calm yourself.  If you are nervous or anxious, your pet will sense this, which will only heighten their anxiety.
8.  If you are finding that nothing else is working, you may want to talk to one of our veterinarians about medication that can help relax your pet during a storm.  Medications do take some time to be effective, so remember that if you know a storm is coming, you will need to watch the weather to figure out a good time to give your pet his/her medication.  Also, some medications will only work for a short period of time, so your pet may need additional doses for storms lasting a long time.

Other Anxieties:

There are also other situations that can cause your pet to be anxious.  Fireworks, travel, separation from owner, and meeting new people and animals can all be causes of anxiety.  Many of these situations can be remedied with some of the techniques mentioned above.  You can discuss these fears, and additional tips on how to treat or prevent them, with one of our veterinarians when you come in for your next appointment.

Written by:  Erricka Jones & Dr. Aimee Hossler
Resources:
WebMD:  http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/features/dog-storm-phobia
USA Today:  http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/pets/2010-06-10-vetviews11_st_n.htm
Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astraphobia

Merry Christmas!

From all of the staff of Animal Hospital of Avon:

We want to wish you a very Merry Christmas, and a safe and Happy New Year!

Reminder

In observance of the holidays, our hours will be as follows:

Monday, 12/23/13 - 8am-6pm

Tuesday, 12/24/13 - 8am-noon

Wednesday, 12/25/13 - Closed

Thursday, 12/26/13 - 8am-6pm

Friday, 12/27/13 - 8am-6pm

Saturday, 12/28/13 - 8am-noon

Monday, 12/30/13 - 8am-6pm

Tuesday, 12/31/13 - 8am-noon

Wednesday, 1/1/14 - Closed

Thursday, 1/2/14 - 8am-6pm

Friday, 1/3/14 - 8am-6pm

Saturday, 1/4/14 - 8am-noon

Holiday Hazards for Pets

With Christmas just around the corner, there are many things to consider as hazards for our furbabies.  Things that look pretty and smell great for us, can be toxic and deadly to them.  Do a quick walk through of your home to check for these most common hazards:

Tinsel & Ornaments - Though they look pretty, and are probably hanging all over your tree, they can be very dangerous to our pets.  Cats love to eat tinsel.  However, sometimes, tinsel may not find it's way out of your pet's digestive system.  It can get bound up and cause blockages sending your pet to the doctor for an emergency visit.  Ornaments can be just as dangerous.  Puppies, and even adult dogs, will look at them as though they are a chew toy.  If they are made of glass, or hard plastic, they can break apart and have sharp edges causing damage to your pet's mouth, throat, stomach, etc.  Even paper and fabric ornaments can cause blockages.
Keep ornaments out of reach of your pets, and don't allow your pet's free roam of the house when you are not around to watch them.  This includes bedtime.  Put dogs in their crates, or close them in your bedroom.  Put cats in a room with their food, water and litter box.

Candles - Keep candles far out of reach of your pets, and on a sturdy surface.  Not only could they burn your curious cats and dogs, but they can also be a fire hazard.  Cat's love to knock things over, and rub up against things.

Water - Not the water you put out for them to drink, but the water that your tree drinks, and the water that you put in potpourri.   Dogs and cats will drink from any water source, clean or dirty.  Tree water can sit for a while and get filled with pine needles and sap from the tree.  It can cause vomiting, and the pine needles can cause irritation to the mouth and throat.  Potpourri burners need water too.  Potpourri has coloring added, fragrances, and can contain dried plants that are toxic to your pets.

Electrical cords - Cords from all of those holiday lights make deadly chew toys for your cats and dogs.  Especially for puppies and kittens that will chew on any and every thing.  When a pet chews through the cord, they are at risk of being electrocuted, or could even cause a short in the wiring that can start an electrical fire.

Foods - There are many food dangers around the holidays.  Foods are left out on counters and tables for snacking on when guests are over.  Our pets think those food items are left out for them to snack on.
*Chocolate - Contains caffeine, fat & Methylxanthines.  Darker & richer chocolates are higher in toxicity (Baker's chocolate).  Chocolate ingestion can cause hyperactivity, vomiting, diarrhea, heart arrhythmia, and/or seizures.
*Fat & bones - Turkey and ham are popular meats during the holidays.  Both contain bones that can break apart and be very sharp and cause digestive issues in dogs and cats.  Bones can also cause blockages requiring surgery.  Fat trimmings can cause Pancreatitis.
*Almonds, Walnuts & Pistachios - Certain nuts can cause stomach upset and even obstructions.
*Macadamia nuts & moldy walnuts - Certain nuts can be toxic and cause seizures.

Holiday plants - There are many indoor plants that can be hazardous to our pets.
*Pine needles from your Christmas tree can cause trembling & posterior weaknesses.
*Holly (used in some decorations) can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and even depression.
*Mistletoe can cause vomiting and diarrhea, difficulty breathing, collapse, erratic behavior, and even death.
*Poinsettias can cause irritation to the mouth & stomach.

Lost pets - Pets can dart out of doors when you have guests in and out of the house.  Many of our guests don't think about our pets when they stand in the doorway saying goodbye.  Make sure that your pet is wearing an ID tag, Rabies tag, and/or has a registered microchip.  Just having a microchip implanted may not be enough.  You need to be sure that your microchip is registered with the correct contact information, and that your registration fees are paid.

Pets are like children.  If there is something they are not supposed to get into, chances are, they are going to do whatever it takes to get into it when you are not looking.  Pet proof your home during the holidays and beyond.
Be safe and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


Information collected from:
http://www.petinsurance.com/healthzone/pet-articles/pet-health/Top-5-Holiday-Dangers-to-Pets.aspx
http://www.paws.org/holiday-hazards-for-pets.html
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/cliented/holiday.aspx