Author Topic: Medical issues needs a mental issues section!  (Read 2021 times)

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Offline DeeDee

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Medical issues needs a mental issues section!
« on: July 05, 2013, 01:57:42 PM »
Wednesday night, the "big" fireworks show behind us happened. We felt like we were at the show they have in town every year. It lasted about 20 minutes. Then last night, after the rain slowed, it sounded/looked like everyone in a country-mile had gone all out. Last night it started at about 8:00 and lasted until 1:00.

We've found out Vlad likes watching things from a distance, but he does NOT like them right behind his back yard where it's so big & over-the-top that you can feel the concussions travel through your body, then bounce off the house, and go back through you again. Nor does he like having so much going on in every direction that he can't figure out where to look at first.

We had their calming collars on them all evening, but Barkly was a nervous wreck no matter what I tried giving him--yes, last night we finally resorted to the Alprazolam that his vet prescribed "just in case" Wednesday. We tried the Melatonin drops though the vet didn't think it would work for fear issues the way it works for skin issues. We tried Benadryl. That Xanax didn't seem to do squat either.

NOW I can't get him to go potty. All day it's been the same. He digs his heels in & won't go 20 feet past that back door. He's peed a couple of times but won't stay out long enough to poop. By this time of day he's already pooped 2x at least. The fact that it's thundering some now isn't going to help at all when hubs gets home.

I'm going to find somewhere in the middle of nowhere at all next year to ride all this crazy BS out. Right now though, I've gotta figure out how to keep a dog out long enough to do his business completely.  bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead

HEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP!
« Last Edit: July 05, 2013, 01:59:28 PM by DeeDee »
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline CarnivorousCritter

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Re: Medical issues needs a mental issues section!
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2013, 02:17:27 PM »
 grouphug  Sooo sorry -  wish I had some advice  :-[    Maybe he didn't eat at all, or drink a lot last night, with all the stress going on?   

Oh boy can I sympathise!  Was actually thinking of furry ones last night.    grouphug



Had mid to large sized dogs who'd try to force their ways into small, confined spaces in which they couldn't fit ... trying to crawl under US wherever we'd be sitting ... no treat could pacify them. 
Had a large dog open a cubbard (using his nose & paws), knock all the canned goods out of the way, and tried squeezing himself in there.  One got stuck under a low-rise bed once, trying to force his big body under it. 
One would even run into the bathtub  :o -- and this was a dog who, we couldn't mention the "B-Word" around him normally! 

(Always knew when a thunderstorm was on the horizon, without benefit of professional forecasters, too, because the dogs would "start" early --  no matter what it looked like outside at the time.) 


Oh, we did find some "surprises" later on.  Poor things were so scared in their hiding spots that they apparently just couldn't "hold it".  :-[  Understandably, asking to go out, or accepting an offer to,  weren't on their list of options.    :-[
« Last Edit: July 05, 2013, 02:35:03 PM by CarnivorousCritter »

Offline DeeDee

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Re: Medical issues needs a mental issues section!
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2013, 03:25:00 PM »
grouphug  Sooo sorry -  wish I had some advice  :-[    Maybe he didn't eat at all, or drink a lot last night, with all the stress going on?   



Thank you! No...he ate all his food last night. He wouldn't chew his nightly 4 inch pressed rawhide bone though. Ate this morning too, but that was before I took him out the first time. Now he won't even take treats--and he loves those Zukes Z-filets treats that I've been using during their CGC training.


Oh, we did find some "surprises" later on.  Poor things were so scared in their hiding spots that they apparently just couldn't "hold it".  :-[  Understandably, asking to go out, or accepting an offer to,  weren't on their list of options.    :-[

I've looked since you mentioned it. Since they're only allowed in the half of the house that isn't carpeted, and neither of them can get under the furniture, only behind it, there aren't any surprises. *sigh*

Hubs had to go to bank after work. Maybe he'll be home soon and can do something with Barkly.



"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Middle Child

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Re: Medical issues needs a mental issues section!
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2013, 07:52:05 PM »
I'm sorry Dee.  I am not a fireworks fan myself, never have been. And I feel bad for the animals that it affects.  Taking them away for the night, if doable, is a good idea.  I wonder....would they do better if you weren't there to fuss over them?  Or...perhaps you don't.  I know for dogs, it is better to not acknowledge their fear in situations like this, but you probably already know that, too.

I had the ac on last night so we didn't hear the worst of it, though of course there's always some neighbor or other who continues the revelry and noise well into the wee hours. The cats would be all settled then suddenly a lot of bang bang again.  ugh.

Offline DeeDee

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Re: Medical issues needs a mental issues section!
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2013, 08:25:38 PM »
We ignore them as much as possible in situations they don't seem to like. It just became impossible to ignore when they tried to crawl all over us last night and their hearts were beating so hard you could feel it in their rear legs even.

They've already started again tonight. I guess the day-after sales are too good--or they bought an overload in the first place.

I really wish we had window AC here. It was hard to hear a lot of things over at the other house when they were running.

Honestly, I'm tempted to go buy myself a lot of bombs and then set them off in the middle of the week, in the middle of the night, when everyone else has to get up and go to work the next day. Maybe they'd learn that at LEAST time limits should be set. Then again, I'd only upset the boys myself--but just a little bit of revenge on the people I'm living around would be nice.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Pookie

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Re: Medical issues needs a mental issues section!
« Reply #5 on: July 07, 2013, 08:24:16 AM »
grouphug to Barkly and Vlad.  The only other thing I could think of to help calm them, and it doesn't work on every animal, is Rescue Remedy.  Are they doing better today?  Have they pooped yet?

When the revelry starts, can you call the police, or is are fireworks legal where you live?

grouphug
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Offline DeeDee

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Re: Medical issues needs a mental issues section!
« Reply #6 on: July 07, 2013, 09:34:26 AM »
grouphug to Barkly and Vlad.  The only other thing I could think of to help calm them, and it doesn't work on every animal, is Rescue Remedy.  Are they doing better today?  Have they pooped yet?

grouphug

They finally pooped after dinner last night--before all the noise started up again. They're doing reasonably well during the day now, it's just the night we start having problems. So that tells me that they've figured out it's the dark that's scary. I'm not happy with them thinking ANYTHING is scary though. This is ridiculous! Yep, next year we're finding somewhere to go that doesn't allow them!

Rescue Remedy is the only thing I've not tried yet. So far we've tried: Their calming Collars; D.A.P.; Benedryl; Melatonin; the TV on "Music Choice Light Classical" as loud as we could stand it (you could still feel the shock waves); and we finally broke down and used the Xanax that the vet prescribed Wednesday "just in case."

If Xanax doesn't work, I don't think anything will. I'm hoping that they ran out of fireworks last night--or at least it quits earlier out of respect of people that have to work tomorrow. It began getting on MY nerves Friday night, and I know the dogs feel that--making them feel just that much worse. It's gotten to the point though that I can't stop tensing up with the really big ones. Weirdest part, if I'm outside, I can SEE the fireworks in some directions before I hear the booms. I understand that light travels faster than sound (lightning), but it's still weird.


When the revelry starts, can you call the police, or is are fireworks legal where you live?

grouphug

Fireworks are legal to a point. They're supposedly not legal IN town, but for the most part the police ignore it unless someone calls them. There aren't any restrictions outside of town though.

The people having their tents put up to sell them have to quit selling at midnight one day after the holiday. So they had to close up shop Saturday morning at midnight. They're not ever legal anywhere at all during times like last year when we had a burn ban due to the drought conditions. Almost makes me wanting a drought every year at this time--if it weren't for the farmers.

 
EDIT: I never knew either of these dogs could hold THAT much poop! I didn't know that tension could cause them to hold it in the first place!
« Last Edit: July 07, 2013, 09:59:37 AM by DeeDee »
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

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