Thunderstorms and Chi's!!!?????

[LuKi]

HELP!!!! Lucius has never ever been bothered by storms or rain and would just sleep through them. Well the last 2 months or so we have had MANY very loud and hard thunderstorms here and he is a wreck! I think it started when one hit so hard it knocked a picture off the wall and the noise scared him. When it starts lightening, thundering, or even raining now he skakes histarically, pants, drools, and panics. He wants to be held but then wants down again, up and down up and down and nothing calms him down.
I have stayed up at least 3 nights with him the last few months b/c he freaks out so bad. I called my vet and asked them about this and they said it is not unusual for chihuahua's to start having anxiety attacks over storms out of the blue so they gave me Diazapam 2mg to give to him. We have tried this twice since we have had the meds when the storms come and I don't see it working too well. They said to give him half a pill at first and if that doesn't work give him the other half. I have had to give him the whole pill on both these ocassions and it takes forever it seems for him to get tired and finally fall asleep. I actually think he wears himself out instead of the meds doing it! It really scares me by the way he is so stressed during these times. There are more storms supposed to be coming next week and I am worried about it. Any suggestions or ideas? Does anyone else have this problem? Thanks guys.

[Romans Mom]

Hey Mandi. Good to see you! :wave: I'm sorry I wasn't able to get to this right away. I know how those up all night with the dogs for this can be. I hope Lucius and Kishi made it through your next storm OK. And I hope you finally got some sleep. :shock:

The meds could have helped Lu sleep, along with being worn out. We were always going to get some meds for Sheba and Sam, but just never did. If I remember correctly, we checked into it, and were told it wouldn't much good, that they just have to go through it, that there are just things in life that they just have to go through. I just felt bad since I don't see how they can understand like us, and it must be harder to go through things when they don't know if they really will be "OK"

What I did learn a little too late, that I was telling them, "It's Ok, It's Ok." Apparently, I was reinforcing them to know it was "OK" to react with fright, be scared and to keep on shaking. :confused:

So I tried to change that by turning up the TV or stereo very loud and dancing, well, maybe it's not really dancing, LOL but jumping and stomping the floor, rocking a chair or small furniture, just lots of noise. (We let the neighbors know why the music is up so loud LOL.) The pups would then focus on me being silly and watch and stare at me more of the time. :w00t: Eventually, when I would stop, and they heard the thunder or fireworks again, they would look at me like they were no sure if it was me or what they were afraid of. Now that the 4th of July is coming up soon, I'll start doing this to them them used to it, so they all know this is "normal." I also shake a cookie sheet by holding it on one end and get a thunder sound out of it. They all see it's me making that noise as well.

And Romans and Elle don't seem to be phased by our thunder and lightening, so I don't know if my crazy dancing and loud noise has helped them, but Sheba and Sam, our Pit Bull we had were the worst. Sam would pant and shake for hours and try to hide under the bed and was just a tiny too bit to be doing that. LOL Our be would be going up and down with us in it, especially the hide a bed we slept on at my Dad's summer place where there was more room for her under there. haha Sheba would run to the closet with thunder and fireworks, but is deaf now and doesn't hear it.

So good luck with lucious and Kishi. I hope there's something that will help them even just some of the time. It takes a lot of energy to jump up and dance with every lightening strike, and to keep it up. Barb

[LuKi]

Thanks Barb. I tried turning the television up and tried distracting him also. He seemed as though he was more scared! For most dogs the training of those noises by using a cookie sheet or stomping sounds like it is a GREAT idea, but unfortunately I have a dog that is definetly out of the ordinary. LOL If Gage or I make a weird noise, well most noises, with anything that is not a "normal" sound to him he runs and hides and shakes and won't come near the peson that made the noise for a couple hours. Lucius is a very scared intimidated little boy. I think that comes with his size and hardships in his little life. For being a Chihuahua he sure does cower like a scardy cat at the littlest of things unless there is a 100 lb. dog approaching!!! LOL He only started barking at a knock on the door or the doorbell when Kishi came along and taught him.
Kishi has no problems with most anything. We can do anything or make just about any noise and she is curious even if she is a little scared, she just HAS to check it out!
I worry so much about this b/c Lucius just won't let up. He seems as though his is going to hurt himself. We have another storm supposed to be coing through tonight. I am going to try to give him the meds before the storm hits hard and see if that helps, otherwise I am going to contact my vet again and ask them.

[Romans Mom]

Hi Mandi, Sorry I didn't have anything that would help. How I know it's easier said than done. But you're right, little Lucius has had MORE than his share of troubles in his life. I REALLY hope he's doing good these days. :wub: I ALWAYS think of him, and all of you of course!!

I was only thinking familiarity of sounds, but some Chi's won't hear of that. LOL Even Roman!! When I blow out the candles every night, LOL or heaven forbid, I blow into a beer bottle and make that "ship horn" sound, he's under the bed for the night and will bite me when I try to pull him out. I really worry about him or Elle just running away to hide when we're camping, if given the chance. But I do nothing but watch them and have a good grip on the leashes. We have stopped going anywhere on the 4th of July after Sheba was so upset like Lucius about 5 years ago. Nothing will get through to Roman either, and that's why I won't let him out alone in the yard to play, and even when I'm with him, he has to be on a long leash. One wrong sound, and he would try to run away.

I often wonder if Lucius, Kishi and other pups here on Club Chi are like Roman, Elle and do not like certain things like this.

Well, good luck with Lu on this next storm. I hope the meds knock him out a little. http://bestsmileys.com/storms/7.gif

[LuKi]

(Well, I thought I had already sent a reply to this but it didn't stick I guess..LOL, oh well, I'll try again)
Thanks Barb!!! I think that Roman and Lucius are a lot alike when it comes to strange noises, especially the blowing into the bottle "ship horn" sound, Lu does the same thing!!!
Well, yesterday it started raining and I thought that was the beginning of our big storm moving in, so I rushed home and gave Lu 1/2 a pill before it really started and of course it subsided and stopped. Around 3:30 a.m. it started up again raining really hard. I got up and gave Lu a whole pill (seeing that the 1/2 did NOT work earlier) before he got all shaken up. Thankfully as soon as the thunder and lightening started he fell asleep and made it through it!! So maybe it worked this time OR maybe it was playing his little heart out with Daddy before we went to sleep!!! LOL
I would like to know if there are other chi/furbabies that have this problem also, seeing that this is a whole new realm for me??

[momof1chi]

I'm sorry to hear that he so afraid of storms! Hope every thing is ok with the next one. I really don't have any good advice beacuse Chili is ok with stormes.Hope all is well!
Chassi and Chili

[islandbabies]

Sorry Mandi, I have no advice to offer. We don't have storms like that too often, and the puppers are usually okay with it. Pomai is the only one that freaks out. Boobie will freak out if it's really really windy and things around the house start making noises, but he ends up calming down after a little bit.

[2Chiwawa]

Hi Mandi, Sammi Girl is afraid of most strange noises. Gracie seems less sensitive but generally but if they come to roto rooter in any of the apartments near to ours Gracie shakes and needs to be held. But both of them don't seem to think that any storm noises have anything to do with them.

I have had one cat that was just terrified of storms and we would leave a one closet door open a little so he could run in there if there was a storm. He would go in on his own and hide in the back of the closet.

Maybe you could make Lu a storm nest somewhere where he might feel more safe during a storm especially if you are not home. But the meds could help desensitize him over time.

Please let us know how he is doing.

[Zoeluvs2chis]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/freckledzoe/Chihuahua%20gifs/m6lightn.gifSuck!
Hope little Lu finds somewhere mellow to tuck his tail and "nest" while the http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/freckledzoe/Chihuahua%20gifs/m6storm.gifis passing over.
I am sending Lu a cyber umbrella to block out all his fear! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v62/freckledzoe/Chihuahua%20gifs/m6umb.gif

[LuKi]

Thank you guys!!! I will try to find a "special" place for him and set up a comfortable bed (http://searchmiracle.com/text/search.php?qq=BED). We have another storm supposed to be coming in tonight also. I am going to give him some meds before we go to bed (http://searchmiracle.com/text/search.php?qq=BED).
Zoe, Lu says thank so much for the cyber umbrella, he feels more secure
now.:wub: