stressed pup

lovepat08

This coming weekend DH is going to be commencing work on the roof.  Our dog, Nika, hates the noises of home improvement (especially the nail gun) and about looses her mind when this stuff is going on.  I feel so awful for her, I can't console her at all, she just shakes and cries.  It doesn't matter if she's inside or outside either.   I was thinking since this will be at least a week long project that I should maybe inquire with the vet about getting an Rx to sedate her a little so she's not freaking out the entire time.  What are your thoughts on helping her deal?  Has sedating your pets in the past made stressful events (like long car drives, etc) more tolerable for them?  TIA!

ilovedesi

I don't have a dog so I don't have first hand experience in this but keep in mind that there are some sedatives that make hearing more sensitive which means those nail guns are going to sound louder to her.  Ask your vet (if you end up using a sedative) about a sedative that will not make hearing more sensitive.

Bellabride2B

Oh poor Nika!. I am not to sure how I feel about medicating pets for stress, but I hear puppy prozac is given quite often. Tlak to your vet so you can get a better idea of what is right for her.

missdanib

I havent had to sedate a dog, but I have sedated a cat before, and yes, they work great.  I had to sedate him a couple of times for long car trips (6+ hours) and basically, the sedatives just made him sleep. I think that puppy prozac you would have to give on a long term basis to have a good effect (like with people) but you can get just sedatives for them.

veruca5839

We've used sedatives on two of our dogs.  In both cases it made them lose control of their bladders/bowels....so just something to keep in mind.  We had to diaper them, or keep them confined.  And I'm pretty sure we only gave them half the dosage the vet prescribed, and it still had a pretty big and long-lasting impact on them.  For the one dog we tried a sedative because she would freak out during big thunderstorms; for the other she was given sedatives because she was going crazy being confined in a crate while being boarded at the vet.  For us, it just wasn't worth it to give the sedatives after the initial trial.  Just our experience though...I know it works out better for some animals!

Sierra&Lee

Could you maybe send her to a friends house or parents or IL's?

LorelaiOctoberBride

Aw-very sorry to hear! 
I know our neighbor uses a sedative of some sort for T-storms and a dog we had before we were married (a golden) had probs w them and w noise.

I hope things get better or, like Sierra said, maybe have her go somewhere for a short time?

a&g1115

Sierra&Lee:

Could you maybe send her to a friends house or parents or IL's?

I was going to say the same thing or maybe look into doggie daycare.