Bach Rescue Remedy for Pets

AliJ72

I know border collies are particularly noise sensitive but mine is becoming increasingly nervous of the slightest noise when out on walks. Car doors slamming, anything that sounds like a gunshot, bagpipes (!?)…the list goes on, has him running for home ears flat and tail between his legs.

He really needs a good run every day and it’s getting to the stage that I can’t let him off the lead. Walking him on the lead doesn’t really give him the exercise he needs and the fact he’s continually pulling and panting means neither of us is getting any enjoyment out of our walks.

The vet has given me CDs to play to try to desensitise him as well as DAP tablets and diffusers. All have had no effect. The CDs put him neither up nor down. It’s only when he’s outside the problem goes into overdrive. As it’s coming up for firework season, I can only see the problem getting worse.

I see on the internet that you can use Bach Rescue Remedy on pets. I’m guessing it’s got to be worth a try. Does anybody have any experience of using this and do you need to get a special pet version for dogs?

I just want my dog back to his old self. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

krlyr

The regular human version will work. You can get an alcohol-free version for kids if you're worried but the alcohol in the normal version will have been processed anyway. Just don't give the lozenges as they have Xylitol in them, which is toxic to dogs.

If the anxiety is that severe I think I may try something a bit stronger though. Have you heard about Zylkene or Calmex? They're OTC calmative products - one is milk proteins that mimic that of a mother dog, to calm dogs down, and the other is certain amino acids and b-vitamins known to have a calming effect. Zylkene is given daily in a continuous dose, whereas Calmex is given an hour or so before needed. Cheapest I found was at Animed Direct - no prescription needed. Zylkene needs at least a 4-6 week trial to see if it will work.
There are other calmative products on the market too - stuff with valerian and/or skullcap, magnesium supplements (magnesium deficiency can cause anxiety, and stress/anxiety burns off magnesium resources too), products like the Thundershirt or TTouch anxiety wraps/calming bands, Pet Remedy (diffuser similar to DAP but releases essential oils instead of pheromones). There are even special hoods/hats made for dogs to muffle sounds for sound sensitivity.
Unfortunately the products are hit and miss as to whether they work for particular dogs. None of the above helped much with my dog but I later discovered a medical cause for the behaviour so that could explain why nothing else had much effect. I know of people who've had great success with the above products though, not necessarily all of them with the one dog, but at least one person to have had success with at least one product.

Has the vet done any investigations into a possible medical cause for the anxiety? Pain, for example, can have a huge effect on behaviour. Certain deficiencies or medical conditions can trigger anxiety too. I would definately have a full thyroid panel done as hypothyroid can cause behavioural symptoms like anxiety - my dog has suffered separation anxiety (and other anxieties starting to develop) most of this year after a housemove and when the vet did blood tests I asked for the full thyroid panel to be done too and her levels were very low. Since starting on artificial thyroid hormones, her behaviour has improved immensely.
Also, if you rule out health causes, you can then perhaps explore the possibility of prescription medication for anxiety - I would try all the calmative products first but sometimes a dog needs medicating to take the edge off their constant anxiety to put them in a better frame on mind to tackle that anxiety. Medication should always be used alongside a behaviour modification plan, never just on its own as a 'fix', it just creates a window to deal with the anxiety with the dog in a calmer state. Find a good behaviourist to help through the APBC website - the organisation insists on its behaviourists following a certain code of practice which means they should use modern, kind methods, so no shock collars, choke chains, etc. which really won't help a fearful/anxious dog. http://www.apbc.org.uk

I know exactly what you mean with the lack of offlead walks and how frustrating they can be. What really benefits me and Kiki was using a longline to provide mentally stimulating walks rather than trying to physically exhaust her. Potter off to a park or field, pop the dog on a longline (use a harness to prevent damage to the neck) and let him sniff around in long grass. Take some of his breakfast with you and scatter it on the grass for him to sniff out. Encourage him to root around in undergrowth, follow scent trails, try to offer him a variety of smells, textures and sounds to investigate on walks rather than focussing on how strenuous the exercise is. Throw in some training sessions every now and then - e.g. make the walk to the park a loose-lead training session. If the walk is a long one, pop in the car and drive until you're a 2 minute walk away, so you can just do a short training rather than both of you ending up frustrated with a 20 minute pulling session.

If that doesn't work, I would even go as far to say cut out walks if they're that stressful, and entertain him in the garden. It's drilled into us that dogs need at least one walk a day - but for some dogs this just stresses them out more than no walks at all. You could substitute walks for games in the garden, training to wear him out mentally, and a tough Kong or raw bone to amuse him and tire him out.

Talking of bones, what is he fed? Diet can play a huge role in behaviour and may be something else to consider changing.

AliJ72

Thanks for that. It's given me some things to consider that I hadn't thought about.

The vet hasn't done any blood tests so I'll definitely get that done. He has been sleeping a lot and some days eats like he's never been fed and others he's not interested in eating at all.

He eats dried food but I supplement it with some goodies - chicken, fish and pork bones (his favourite!).

He has had Calmex in the past but it didn't appear to make any difference.

I have found an ABPC registered behaviourist in the area so I'm keen to get a referral from the vet for that - depending on what he finds from his investigations. I did take him to local classes just to see if more intimate socialising would improve him any. If he pulled on the lead the woman was jerking the lead and shouting at him. Needless to say, I didn't go back!

krlyr

There's a similar website for trainers - http://www.apdt.co.uk but I'd say his issues definately warrant a behaviourist.

The thyroid panel you'll want done is done seperately to a bog standard blood panel, not all vets know how to diagnose thyroid issues properly or may dismiss low results without treating, but Dr Jean Dodds is a US vet who has put many years into researching it out of personal interest, and analysing the results on more depth.
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=461

This PDF relates to Golden Retrievers but it does summarise which values to test and when to consider medicating with low results so a good, short read to take in to your vet if they need convincing (it was one of the things I took to my vets when I had to talk them into letting me trial the meds)
http://www.grr-tx.com/resources/thyroid_problems.pdf

If he likes things like chicken, fish and bones, you might want to perhaps look into a raw diet. It can really help with behavioural issues if there's a chance that diet is having an effect, e.g. some additives can cause issues, or even in some cases a dog can just have a funny reaction to certain ingredients and this be displayed behaviourally. Or an intolerance/allergy causing something unseen like stomach pain could lead to a behavioural issue. Mine were already on a raw diet prior to Kiki's diagnosis anyway, but the fact that I could give them challenging meals like marrowbones, mince frozen solid in their Kongs, etc. really helped give her an outlet for her energy when she was too reactive on walks. Also, licking and chewing produce endorphins that can help relax a dog! Not all vet are supportive of it, but the behaviourist might have some knowledge/insight on it (I saw a local trainer who also deals with behavioural cases and she recommended a raw diet for one of my dogs - though he was already on it at the time). My vets know I raw-feed, they don't have much to say on it to be honest, negative or positive, but they know I'd have done my research before switching to it. I have heard of some people's vets being strongly opposed to raw-feeding though - but worth bearing in mind that nutrition is only touched upon very lightly in their studies.

dawnie1972

Rescue Remedy is a "calmer". Have a look in Boots for Rock Rose (bach remedy) - primarily treats cases of fear and terror - my vet recommended this for my dog who is petrified of flies - definitely noticed a difference.

georgiesmum

I am currently using the Bach remedy for humans. The animal one is twice the price and the same stuff. It's a con.
I have a very nervous cat and i thought i would give it a try but i haven't noticed any difference. Stupid cat is still scared of her own shadow. Ahhhhh but i still love her.

paddypaws101

georgiesmum wrote: »

I am currently using the Bach remedy for humans. The animal one is twice the price and the same stuff. It's a con.
I have a very nervous cat and i thought i would give it a try but i haven't noticed any difference. Stupid cat is still scared of her own shadow. Ahhhhh but i still love her.

I am not much of a fan of dry food but Royal Canin do a Feline Calm version which I have found to be helpful for nervy cats. I was using Zylkene and it is still fairly expensive even if you get the largest capsules and divide them up.

krlyr

georgiesmum wrote: »

I am currently using the Bach remedy for humans. The animal one is twice the price and the same stuff. It's a con.
I have a very nervous cat and i thought i would give it a try but i haven't noticed any difference. Stupid cat is still scared of her own shadow. Ahhhhh but i still love her.

Have you tried a Feliway plugin? For some reason I hear so many more success stories with Feliway and cats than dogs and Adaptil - it seems to have a near 100% success rate whereas dogs seem much more hit and miss.

georgiesmum

paddypaws101 wrote: »

I am not much of a fan of dry food but Royal Canin do a Feline Calm version which I have found to be helpful for nervy cats. I was using Zylkene and it is still fairly expensive even if you get the largest capsules and divide them up.

Thanks for that. I use royal cannin all the time, but have never tried that one.At the moment i have ordered the slimmer one of my fat cats. lol:D
KYLER, yes i have tried feliway, didn't do a thing except part me from my money

AliJ72

dawnie1972 wrote: »

Rescue Remedy is a "calmer". Have a look in Boots for Rock Rose (bach remedy) - primarily treats cases of fear and terror - my vet recommended this for my dog who is petrified of flies - definitely noticed a difference.

Do you just use the same dosage as you would for humans?

dawnie1972

AliJ72 wrote: »

Do you just use the same dosage as you would for humans?

Not sure - I give my dog (border terrier x jack russell - 10kg) 4 drops on treets twice a day (if she's having a bad day) - or just once a day if she's semi ok