My dog freaks out at loud voices. Are anxiety meds or earplugs safe?

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.

There are prescription medications that can help with noise anxiety in dogs, such as Sileo, alprazolam, or trazodone - but you will need to discuss this with your veterinarian, since he/she will have to be the one to prescribe the meds if they feel this would be a good option for Tiger. You could also try a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure, and/or a DAP pheromone collar to help relieve some of his anxiety. These can be ordered online without a prescription, and are generally quite safe to use in any dog.

Poor Capo! It does sounds like he has terrible anxiety. I can give you a few things you can do at home for him. Loud noises can be very scary for dogs. One important thing to do to when your dog acts scared is not to reassure him. We think we are comforting him when we do that, but it's actually reinforcing the behavior and telling him it's ok to be scared. I recommend getting him a thundershirt to wear when he starts to appear anxious. These have been reported to help dogs with anxiety. You can put him in a dark quiet room by himself to self-soothe. You can also turn on the TV or music to block out the sound. Finally, you can consider get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety. If these things do not work, then I would have Capo seen by your vet again (or another vet for a second opinion) to get him some anti-anxiety meds.

I am sorry to hear about Maverick! There are a few over the counter products that can help with mild anxiety, including an Adaptil collar https://www.adaptil.com/us/Products/ADAPTIL-Calm-On-the-go-Collar , a thundershirt https://www.thundershirt.com/, and calming supplements such as Zylken or Composure. IF these do not help, then your veterinarian can prescribe other medications that are a bit stronger and can help with anxiety.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lilly! Neither are used or labeled for noise phobia. Melatonin is more to help with sleep and benadryl is an antihistamine that potentially makes the pet drowsy. Of the 2 I would chose benadryl but I personally recommend discussing Lilly's issues with your Vet. They can prescribe drugs that will actually work to sedate Lilly. Drugs like Trazadone, Xanax, and Sileo can work very well. I wish Lilly the best!

Hello. Much depends on what is the underlying cause of your pets anxiety. Noise phobias can sometimes respond to gradual conditioning to that noise. Training & training tools & toys can sometimes help with separation anxiety. Often, we turn to pharmaceuticals & supplements. I always recommend OTC products like Zylkene or Composure. These are natural supplements that contain ingredients that are not harsh or dangerous. CBD may help with anxiety, but you need to be sure the company you use has scientifically formulated their products to be sound. Canopy Growth seems to be one doing so for pets (https://canopy animal health.com ) & yes, this is the one associated with Martha Stewart. Prescription medications are often used, as needed or for help with behavior modification. Sileo, Trazodone, acepromazine & anti-anxiety medications like Prozac have all been utilized, but you will need to work with your veterinarian on these. Start with some of the supplements, like Zylkene & go from there until you find the right fit for your pet. Thanks for contacting PetCoach.

You can certainly try any of the over the counter calming supplements although they may not work well. There's also recordings available for purchase that play commonly scary sounds. There's one called Master's Voice that can help to condition Simon to the noises and then normalizes them. The vet will also have stronger anti-anxiety meds that may also help. I would recommend the noise conditioning + some type of medication. Its generally a combination approach. Best of luck with Simon.