Well, another Bonfire night has come and gone. It seemed to me that there were far fewer massive explosions in our neck of the woods than there usually are; whether that was due to the foul weather, the law limiting firework purchase, or the fact that all the Braunton shops seemed to have agreed not to sell them, I'm not sure. I have to say that I was delighted. I'm not a firework fan anyway, but seeing the effect they have on my collies and knowing the number of our patients upset by them also makes me concerned for wild and farmed animals, and for old people, some of whom, having lived through the war, must be severely traumatised by the explosions.

Dogs seem to be the pets most affected by noise, and some breeds more than others - collies and German Shepherds seem particularly prone but any dog can be affected. The anxiety seems to get worse with age, up to the point where the dog loses its hearing, which can come as a blessed relief!

There are several different strategies that can be used to help these affected dogs - see our Noise Phobias factsheet for more information. In the past we used to use sedatives to calm noise-sensitive dogs; however, it is now realised that the sedation just takes away the ability to react, rather than controlling the fear, which seems rather inhumane. We are having good results with DAP diffusers, which release calming smells for the dog, and Zylkene tablets which have a similarly natural calming effect, in combination with behavioural therapy  We still have Christmas and New Year fireworks to cope with, not to mention thunderstorms, and ultimately it would be nice to be able to cure the phobia rather than just control the symptoms. For this we use desensitisation methods - exposure to the sounds at a level low enough not to cause a reaction, with a gradual increase in volume until the dog is desensitised. The process is not a quick one and the instructions have to be followed very carefully, but great results can be achieved, and a happy dog is surely worth the effort.

We have 3 'Sounds Scary' desensitisation CD's to give away. Just e-mail me (clue: address in the blog introduction) with your name, address and pet details, and as long as you are able to pick up the CD from one of our surgeries, it is yours. Good luck!