thunder storms?

Question

MY dog is 12 yrs old and he is lil begale that stays inside.
lately he is so afraid of thunder storms that he paints so hard and almost faints ! any ideas why he is so afraid of them ,my other dogs arent?
thanks!

Answer 1

My previous dog was the same way...it was because she was really sensitive to the noise. That's what the vet told me. He indicated that some dogs are more sensitive to others because dogs have a more acute hearing and the sound vibrates off of their eardrums. It would be same for as if you were at a rock concert and standing right next to the speakers and did that over a period of time. With your dog being 12 years old and getting up there in years, he's definitely going to have issues with loud noises. I'm not sure if that help, but I hope it does.

Answer 2

Whatever you do, do not ignore him! It is not a "scene" to get your attention, and it is not bad behavior! He is frightened, and he is coming to you for protection and comfort. It is actually quite normal for dogs. Many are afraid of thunder storms, but because every dog is different, it's not unusual for your other dogs to NOT be afraid of them, either. There's no sense in trying to make him "stop" acting like that, because he's not doing anything bad, and he's not hurting anyone.

One suggestion may be to talk to your vet about Acepromazine. It is a drug that can be given to an animal to calm them in situations like these, and is most often used for animals that will be traveling. The only draw back is that you have to give the tablet(s) two hours prior, and that is very hard to predict with thunderstorms. If you're going to look into using this medication, you'll just have to keep in tune to the daily weather reports, so you have an accurate idea of when one will be hitting your area.

Again, please do not ignore your dog. The most important thing you can do is talk to him soothingly and offer lots of hugs and affection to make him feel secure and safe.

Answer 3

My dog is 15yrs old and I have noticed as he has gotten older he has become more and more afraid of loud noises. He hates thunderstorms and fireworks or even someone clapping or opening a soda can. I believe as they get older they become sometimes more sensitive to noise. I do know dogs ears hear higher pitched sounds better than we do and I've heard some have more sensitive ears to loud noises. The best you can do is just give the dog some space of his own to go to . Holding him or huggging and kissing him is only going to make him think that being afraid is good. Maybe take him to the basement or play music that might be a little calming or tv. Something to distract him or even play with him if he will. Some dogs just have more fears of things than others just like humans. My other dog could care less of any loud noises and just sleeps right through it all.

Answer 4

I have a little Bichon that is the same way. He never was afraid of storms until a few years ago when we had a lot of fireworks going on in the neighborhood. Since then he has been really afraid of storms. I just ignore him and act normal and turn the tv or radio up so as to distract him, this usually helps. Good luck.

Answer 5

We also had an older dog suddenly become "noise" sensitive around 12 years old especially with thunderstorms. He would cry all night long. We learned that comforting him only helped until the next burst of thunder came.

Our solution after speaking to our vet was to give him Benadryl. It relaxes him and makes him drowsy so we now all can get through the thunderstorms easily. It has been our tried and true answer for the last few years.

Best of luck and I hope we helped.

Answer 6

We have 2 labs, our white one is 2 years old and we have had her for over 1 year, nothing bothers this girl. The black one is about 10 years old, we have had him since he was about 18 months old. He had been an outside dog before we got him. With us he became an indoor dog. These last 5 years his fear of thunder has gotten worse than ever before. He hears it before we do. He pants horribly (with drool spots everywhere) and just goes from room to room trying to find a safe place. The vet (and many others) have told us NOT to pet him, love on him or show him any extra attention when he is doing this.To him we are just giving him positive attention and he will just keep doing it. The vet gave us tranquilizers to give him but we do not like the way he responds to it. For 24 hours he acted way too stoned. She told us how to figure the proper dose for his size using benadryl. It helps calm him down and does not last as long as the other. He still pants and drools but nothing like before. Hope this helps.

Answer 7

One of my dogs is around that age and he has the same problem. One time when he was a puppy he was playing with a balloon and it had popped in his mouth and ever since then he's been afraid of balloons, and any loud noise because of the sound the balloon made when it popped. So since he remembers it he hates fireworks, my little brothers toy guns, and any other loud noises. We took him to the vet and they gave us these pills so when there's thunderstorms or fireworks, we give him one and makes him really tired so he goes into a deep sleep so he can't hear them

Answer 8

Has he always been scared of them? If not- it may be an age thing, just have him sit by you when it storms and comfort him and pet him and keep him calm as much as you can. Maybe turn the t.v up louder so he can't hear the thunder and make sure the shades or blinds are all closed so he can't see the lightning. If he just came into your life he may have been scared all along.

Answer 9

My boston terrier does the same thing. Just hold him close to you and let him know that you are there to protect him. And as to why, everything, including dogs, have different fears. It's like how some people are afraid of flying while others are afraid of thigh spaces.

Answer 10

Is there any chance at all that this particular dog was near a gunshot? I know that may sound weird but sometimes thunder can sound like that, and he may have had a traumatic experience? Slim chance I guess, but also possible.

Other than that, no idea.