My older dog freaks out from loud noises. How can I help her?

Poor pup! This level of anxiety about noises isn't normal, so I would consider talking to your veterinarian about prescription anti-anxiety medication for him. This could dramatically improve his quality of life, just like treating chronic pain with medication. If your veterinarian isn't well-versed in behavior issues, you could see a veterinary behaviorist instead - you can search for one in your area here: www.dacvb.org In the meantime, there are a few other things you can do that may help. I would suggest getting a white noise machine to help mask noises from the upstairs apartment and keep him from being able to hear every little thing that happens. He might also benefit from a DAP pheromone diffuser and a daily calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure.

You can buy a thunder shirt or something similar that is snug fitting to provide comfort. Leaving a white noise machine on or music can help keep her calm and drown out other noises so she will. It bear or react to them. You may need to talk to your vet about a daily medicine such as fluoxetine instead of as needed trazadone to help

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Athena. I am sorry to hear of all of her recent anxiety. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian to try to if she is experiencing residual anxiety from a noise phobia (fireworks,thunderstorms, etc) or if she is experiencing age related changes known as canine cognitive dysfunction. Depending on the cause or if it is a combination of the two, she may be prescribed an anti-anxiety medication. Hopefully then you can all get some sleep. I hope this information helps!

These links may help: https://www.petcoach.co/article/fear-of-thunderstorms-fireworks-and-noise-phobias/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-deal-with-noise-induced-anxiety-in-dogs/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-natural-treatments-for-dog-anxiety/ I hope this helps.

This is a difficult question, as the recommendation for which medications or therapies to start for anxiety are very individualized to the patient and the specific things that are triggering their episodes. If you haven't tried some over-the-counter therapies such as a Thundershirt ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/thundershirt-heather-gray-dog-anxiety-solution ) or a pheromone diffuser ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/thunderease-calming-diffuser-kit-for-dogs ) those are often good places to start. If these aren't helping you will need to consider consulting with a vet, who can prescribe Prozac or another anxiety medication, along with behavior modification therapy.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Coco. Canine cognitive dysfunction is common in older animals. It is somewhat similar to Alzheimer's disease in people. It is characterized by anxiety (especially at night), panting, pacing, becoming stuck in corners (due to disorientation) and accidents in the house. If these signs sound familiar, it would be best for her to see her veterinarian. There are prescription medications that can be used in some cases. At home though, you could transitioning her to Purina ProPlan Bright Minds. It really does seem to help these patients. I hope this information helps!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Archie. There is a fairly new drug out for noise/sound phobias but it is actually a medicine that we have used for years to sedation and anesthetize dogs and cats. The drug company has now packaged it in an oral gel form and very small doses of the drug are very effective at curbing the fear that dogs experience. The drug in the United States is called Sileo (dexmedetomidine oromucosal gel). I would advise asking your veterinarian and find out if this preparation of the drug is available in the UK. The other thing you can do is behavior modification, or in this case hyposensitization to loud noises that cause him anxiety. Find recordings of thunder and loud noises but play it very softly at first when starting the medication if you can get it. You can then incrementally raise the volume of the recording to start lessening his response to the noises that bother him. I hope this helps and I hope this drug is available in this form in the UK. Good luck with Archie.