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Welfare
Noise Phobias
A
pproximately
80%
of pets suffer from a
phobia of loud noises
.
A phobia is an intense often
irrational fear of something
which causes an extreme and
excessive response. Noise
phobia is common in all pets
and often starts as a fear of a
particular sound, e.g. gunshots,
fireworks or thunder. However,
if it becomes established it
can develop into a fear of
many everyday household
noises such as fire alarms,
doors slamming or even
mobile phones. It’s important
to treat these phobias early
before they escalate. Every
firework season vets are
approached by clients
wanting sedatives for their
pets to get them through
this stressful period. We can
prescribe this medication
but this is just a temporary
fix for a bigger problem.
The best way to help noise
phobic dogs is to desensitise
them to the sounds that
they react to. There is a range
of CDs available for this
purpose, which come with full
instructions to help you use
the programme effectively.
To summarise, they involve
gradually exposing your dog to
increasingly loud noises over
several weeks and months until
your pet is no longer distressed
even at the loudest level. It is
important to start these
programmes well before the
firework season starts.
Other things which may help
include pheromone diffusers,
collars or sprays. These release
a synthetic copy of pheromones
naturally released by a mother
to its offspring to comfort
and reassure them. Valerian
products are another
alternative which enhance the
production of GABA, a natural
chemical produced by the brain
transmitted from nerve to
nerve as a calming message
when the body is stressed.
These again come as either a
spray or diffuser. Another useful
product is the ‘thunder shirt’
which helps to comfort your
dog during times of stress, by
swaddling him/her.
These products don’t always
work instantly and it is advised
to start using them in the
weeks before a predicted
stressful time. Contact your vet
for more information.
Noise Phobias
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