Every time it thunders my dog gets nervous. Is there something I can do?

This is a difficult disorder to treat. One treatment may be sedation, but while sedation helps decrease the destructive drive of the dog while fearful, it may not reduce the fear. The best treatment is a behavioral modification approach. This approach can be complicated and lengthy utilizing the sounds of thunderstorms to desensitize your dog. A new theory suggests that dogs may be especially vulnerable to static charges and shocks that occur during an electrical storm.  This might explain why this anxiety can be so difficult to treat.

Medications such as Zylkene or Sileo might help.  Also, products such as the “Thundershirt” might help.  Thunderstorm sound recordings may help with desensitization programs.  Examples of these recordings can be found here,  here, and here.

To aid in diagnosing and treating this disorder, download the following form (Thunderstorm Aversion History) and bring it in to us!