Does your pet have any odd phobias? Many
pets experience fear and anxiety this time of year,
mostly related to thunderstorms and fireworks. Like
phobias in people, these fears are often difficult
to understand, and can be challenging to treat as
well. Should we treat phobias? And if so, how?
The answer lies with the individual. Some pets
may experience very mild anxiety, a little panting,
maybe a little pacing. Some will eliminate in the
house (both dogs and cats), bark incessantly, shake
and tremble. Others can become destructive, attempting
to escape by hiding under beds or closets, but some
have gone through windows and doors and destroyed
furniture. It’s quite possible that the well meaning
human may actually make things worse by trying to
comfort the pet. Our very natural response to a
pet experiencing anxiety is to pet them and tell
them every thing is OK. Unfortunately, this may
be giving positive reinforcement to a bad behavior,
and make it worse.
What can we do? Treatment is important. We don’t
want them to hurt themselves or others, and we don’t
want to heighten other behavioral issues in already
“high strung” pets. Catching phobias and desensitizing
is always more effective before the behavior becomes
severe. Unfortunately, most people don’t addres
s
the issue until it has progressed to destructive
behavior. Treatment can be aimed at behavior modification.
This is effective, but often takes time and a real
commitment on the owner’s part. Tape recordings
of storms, fireworks, sirens, etc can be made to
customize the counter conditioning to the individual.
This entails playing the tape at low levels while
playing with your pet, giving treats, exercising,
etc. Gradually increasing the volume over time can
eventually nullify the phobia.
Medication can be extremely helpful, but is not
always a magic bullet. Discuss this with your veterinarian,
and don’t be afraid to medicate, these fears are
very real to the pets. There are many other options
than the old days of tranquilizing the pet into
heavy sedation. Many new meds will nullify the panic
without causing sedation. Some homeopathic remedies
like melatonin or flower essences are also helpful,
but again should be used under the supervision of
your veterinarian.
You may also want to consider exercising your pet
on days when storms are expected. 
The
natural endorphins help to relax all of us. Try
some white noise, like air conditioners, fans, or
even radio static, to help lessen the volume. Move
your pet to an interior room where the noise and
visual stimulation is minimized. If your pet is
crate trained, make sure he has access to the crate,
for many dogs this is their safe haven, but don’t
close the door to the crate, it may make them feel
they have nowhere to escape.
Remain calm yourself, your anxiety will make your
pet equally as anxious. Avoid petting and soothing
your pet, instead give them toys, chase a ball,
distract them in anyway you can.
We are here to help. Call and make an appointment
to discuss the best approach for your pet. Many
pets have phobias of their veterinarian as well,
this visit may be a great opportunity for your pet
to spend time at the vet WITH OUT any shots or procedures
and can help calm that anxiety as well.
Cocoa Mulch
Toxic or just another internet scare?
I recently received
an email from a friend warning me of the dangers
of cocoa mulch to our pets. Needless to say I was
intrigued, as I had heard little about this through
veterinary channels, and have never seen a case
of this in my practice. Was this real? Or another
case of Internet misinformation. I did a little
digging and found that cocoa bean mulch can indeed
be toxic. The toxic dose of chocolate to a dog is
100-150mg per kilogram of weight, which comes out
to be a 12oz bar of baking chocolate for a 10 pound
dog. (It would take 22 oz of chocolate chips for
the same size dog). There should be concern if the
cocoa bean hulls are not processed and dried, which
would leave the oil portion still present on the
shell and therefore be potentially toxic in small
quantities. The quantity of theobromine can vary
considerably from product to product, but as little
as ½ ounce of the product could be toxic
to a 10 pound dog. The symptoms of chocolate toxicity
are restlessness/hyperactivity, racing heart rate,
irritability, vomiting, and increased urination.
As the symptoms progress, the muscles can become
rigid and eventually the dog will collapse and go
into cardiac and respiratory arrest. Treatment works
best if we know the dog ate chocolate or the chocolate
product. Caffeine supplements cause the same type
of toxicity. One producer of Cocoa Mulch is a company
called Mirana USA, (http://www.cocoamulch.com/).
According to the people there, the dog would have
to eat 30-40 pounds of their mulch to elicit symptoms.
My recommendation: Pick an alternative product,
and keep your dog in your own yard and out of your
neighbors garden.
Dr. Whittle
