Noise phobia, anxiety, and my broken heart

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

I never thought I would be a member of this group...but here I am.  I am not sure this should actually be a discussion.  I am not really asking any questions, I just need to  talk and I know DK members will understand.

Last summer, July 2nd, we were at the lake where we go every other weekend, Murphy's favorite place in the world.  I took Murph out to potty and the neighbors unexpectedly shot off huge, loud fireworks.   I almost peed my pants and it scared Murphy to death.  he was a year and a half old and had never been afraid of anything ever.    Since then his fear of fireworks has transferred to thunderstorms, gun shots and most recently the kids next door playing hockey.   Murphy is scared to go outside if he hears the kids playing hockey...and they play every single night from 5:30ish till dark.

This week already it has stormed 4 times AND the hockey every night.   I have been giving Murph Xanax and it does not seem to be helping.......it actually seems to be having an opposite effect on him.

We have tried the thundershirt, D.A.P. diffusers, spray and collar, desensitization cds, Xanax.....with every storm and every hockey episode he is getting more and more afraid.  He has a "safe place"...the laundry room.....he likes the dryer on.  I can't leave the dryer running all day when I am not home.

I have an appointment with a behaviorist at NC State Vet School...but they can't see him until April 19th.

I have been working with his trainer but I am failing.  I am failing as a dog owner, a doodle mom and Murph's best friend.

My heart literally aches for him.  I have never in my life loved any thing, creature, person the way I love Murphy and I feel so helpless.  I am crying as I type...he counts on me for everything and I am failing him.  He is just a baby....he can't go thru his whole life being afraid.  He is afraid to go outside most every night because of the hockey and now it is storming every day.

I know hundreds of thousands of dogs have this same issue....I know that..but I am taking it very personally and I feel helpless.  I think if it were just fireworks and storms I would feel like it was managable..but now, to be scared of his own yard?

Murphy is the smartest, most sensitive and intuitive creature I have ever known...maybe that is why he is so sensitive to the noise.

Thank you for listening.

[Christine & Camus]

Ronna, I feel your pain and wish I had a magic potion for you.  It is definitely not your fault, some fur babies are just ultra sensitive.  I know because I had one.  You are doing everything you can and April 19th is not too far off.  I have one suggestion, there are CD's with music (specifically for calming dogs) that may help.  I used a CD called "Music my Pet" for a foster and it helped him relax a bit.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

I was just flipping through a magazine and saw an add for something called a Thunder Hut http://www.thunder-hut.com/  I have never heard of this product, but when I saw it I immediately thought of your post.  i don't know if this product really works or the cost of it, but figured that I would pass the info along.  

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Thanks Amy, this looks interesting.   Wonder if it really does muffle the sound.  Also wonder if Murph would use it as he has already designated his safe place as the laundry room.  It might be a good option for when we travel though.  I will look more into it, thank youfor the link.

I ordered a white noise machine and it came Wednesday.  I have used it in the bedroom at night and it sure does help me :)   It is suppose to storm Saturday so I will put it in the laundry room and see if he likes it as much as the dryer.  Hopefully it can be his dryer substitute.

We also borrowed a hockey stick from the kids next door and are working on that with Murph...lucky for us the kids haven't actually played hockey in an entire week.   What we are doing is one of us will go outside with the stick and make the noise of it hitting the cement....at much lower volume than the kids do it.  As soon as Murph hears it, the other one of us immediately pops something yummy in his mouth.  We are trying not just to habituate him to the noise but to get him to make the connection that when he hears that noise something yummy happens...not something scarey.    It will be a long process.  We are doing this on the suggestion and under the supervision of a trainer.

[Jonathan Smith]

I have just been reading about your situation with Murph.  Hopefully things are looking up by now.  I was going to suggest the noise machine but you already have it.  Our behaviorist and vet have suggested Prozac for our doodle Joey who has fear issues, though not quite as severe as Murphy.  Xanax is meant only for very temporary use and can actually worsen anxiety in some cases.  Looking forward to your updates.  Take care.

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Thank you Jonathan.  Murph had his appointment with the behaviorist a couple of weeks ago.  She took him off of the Xanax and he is now on Trazadone twice daily and then an extra dose at first sign of a storm.  He seems to be doing okay on it, at first he was very sleepy but that has gone away.  It has only been 2 weeks so time will tell.   Is your Joey taking Prozac?  Is it helping?   Thank you for commenting on my post.

[F, Calla & Luca]

An antidepressant is a good choice. Trazadone is quite sedating but as long as that effect has worn off that is good. Th "extra" dose probably only works by sedating him a bit since this occurs when the dose is raised but the good effects do not occur quickly or with just one dose.

[Bonnie and Kona]

I'm really grateful for an update. Please keep posting for us, Ronna. hugs and doodle kisses to you and the boys. 

[Jonathan Smith]

Hi Ronna,

Sounds like the Trazadone is working, and if so that is great! Yes, Joey had his 3rd dose of  Prozac today and we are starting to see him relax.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that the med is working and its not just my imagination.  His fears are mostly outdoors/environmental: people, noises, wind, etc.  Today we took him on a long walk and he barely paid attention to people as we walked past them.  He did not pull on the leash at all.  This is very different from the norm, he is typically on high alert, very hypervigilant.  So far, and it is only day 3, I am very hopeful about the Prozac.  It is so heartbreaking to see these amazing dogs in fear and anxiety.  I want to do anything I can to help Joey to relax.  Thanks for sharing about Murphy.  I think this DK group is a really good resource for those of us with these nervous doodle dogs.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

So glad you are already seeing some signs.  We were told it can take up to a month, but I noticed a slight change within days with my dog.  Around the two week mark, even more. By the end of the month we were very pleased.

Keep us updated, Johathan

[Bonnie and Kona]

This is great news, Jonathan. I think if you are seeing results already, you have a good chance of helping Joey with this medication. Hooray!