A Dog's Fear of Thunderstorms

Is your dog afraid of thunderstorms? We have two dogs and neither one of them was afraid of a thunderstorm until recently. Our oldest dog, (a black lab/golden retriever cross), was terrified as she aged.

As soon as she sensed an impending storm she would pant, shake, seek out comfort from one of her people and couldn't settle down until the storm was over.

My youngest daughter would sit down with her, play her some calming music, (yes this actually helps), pet her and we give her a remedy called phosphorus.

Phosphorus is the most common remedy used for this situation and it worked beautifully for our Roxy. The symptoms of a dog needing phosphorus are skittishness, wanting a small dark space, needing companionship and sensing the arrival of the storm.

There are s few other remedies that an be helpful though and they are as follows:

Borax:

The dog needing borax is very anxious but is running around trying to get away from the noises that scare them (the wind, rain etc). They often howl, cry and don't want to put down on the floor.

Rhododendron:

This remedy is similar to phosphorus as your dog will be afraid of the loud noises, want comfort and can sense the storm coming. But, the dog needing this remedy is also predisposed to arthritis. So if your dog is fearful of the storm and also has arthritis or mobility issues due to joint pain, try rhododendron first.

Kali-Carb:

This remedy is helpful for older pets that are fearful of loud noises and are startled easily. Swelling around the eyes a leading symptom for this remedy choice.

You can give your pet a 30C potency of the appropriate remedy and you can give it up to 3 times during the storm.

To administer the remedy, dissolve 1 pellet of the remedy into 2 ounces of water and then give the dog one tsp of the mixture.

For any questions, please feel free to email us at eryn@barriehomeopathy.ca