HomeoPet Anxiety (15mL)

Promotes a sense of calm in animals exhibiting fear, fretting, anxiety or any unwanted behavior caused by: being left alone-separation, travel anxiety-car sick, thunderstorms, fireworks, loud noises, vet or groomer visits, or any other stressful situation.

Dosing for Dogs/ Cats under 20 lbs/10 kg, 5 drops; 20-100 lbs/ 10-50 kg , 10 drops; over 100 lbs/50 kg, 15 drops. In acute cases the doses can be given every 15 minutes for the first hour, every 30 minutes in the second hour, once in the third hour, then reducing to 1 dose 3 times daily. For cases that are not acute one dose 3 times daily; this is often best started 5-7 days before any situation causing anxious behavior e.g.: before kenneling. Once a response is seen, the administration should either be reduced until symptoms reappear or ceased until symptoms reappear. If any reduction in dose or frequency leads to immediate recurrence of symptoms, then medication should be continued with a reduction being done every 12-21 days to check that the medication is providing control rather than relief of symptoms.

Dosing for Small mammals, exotics, and birds: 3 drops in drinking water daily. For severe cases a drop can be diluted in 1 ml of water or other oral rehydration fluid and given to the patient orally, taking care to avoid aspiration of the fluid into the respiratory tract by the patient. This can be repeated as for cats and dogs where the case is acute, but with a volume of fluid suited to the patient.

More Info

Ingredients: Chamonilla, Valeriana, Borax, Cypripedium Pub., Ignatia A., Colch. Veratrum A., 6c&30c in 20% USP alc. In purified water.

ANXIETY RELIEF - provides relief from Vet/Grooming visits, separation from surroundings and relocation

Natural Organic Chamomilla 6c & 30c, Valeriana 6c & 30c, Borax 6c & 30c, Cypripedium Pubescens 6c & 30c, Ignata Amara6c & 30c, Colchicum Autumnale 6c & 30c, Veratrum 6c & 30c.

Behavior Indications -Promotes a sense of calm in the anxious or irritable patient especially where nothing will remove from that state. -Calms Hysterical Patients, especially those that are highly sensitive, thus aids where there is separation from surroundings. -General sensitivity to sudden noises, Phobias in general, wakes at night hysterical. -Mental agitation such as during Veterinarian and Grooming visits. -Fear of abadonment, boarding, kenneling, hysterica, obessive behavior such as licking legs. -Upset stomach, difficultly traveling to kennel, sensitive to all external impressions and odors. -Melancholy, fretting and sullen behavior refuses to eat. -The pet who feels displaced by a new pet or child. Animals that finds a new home difficult such as rescue animals.

 

Storm Phobia in Pets
Phobias are excessive, unreasonable and intense fears of objects or situations that usually pose little or no actual danger. In the case of storm phobias, pets display both nervous and behavioral signs that may worsen as a storm intensifies. Nervous phobia signs include one or more of panting, shaking, dilated pupils, excessive salivation, and loss of bladder control, bowel control, or both (see table). Behavioral signs can be as simple as whining or crying, and also include obsessive seeking of human companionship for comfort and reassurance or just to be in the vicinity of the owner. Hiding is common in storm phobic dogs and is the most common sign seen in cats. Selected hiding places are often dark and den-like (for instance a kennel, closet, or behind furniture). For reasons not fully understood, some dogs favor hiding in a bathroom, perhaps because ionized bathroom air is more calming. Frantic barking, destruction, and attempts to escape, are also described in storm phobic dogs.

Behavioral and nervous signs that dogs and cats may show when storms threaten or are in process.

Behavior Signs	Nervous Signs
Hiding (most common sign in cats)	Dilated pupils
Compulsive seeking of the owner's company	Excessive salivation (drooling)
Trembling or shaking	Pacing
Ignoring commands	Panting
Vocalizing (barking, howling, meowing)	Chewing
Trying to escape- include digging, running away, biting, and scratching at doors	Urinating
	Defecating

It is more accurate to describe the condition as storm, rather than thunderstorm phobia because that phobia can develop in the absence of thunder, arising in response to one or more of a combination of rain, sleet, strong wind, changes in illumination from lighting flashes, and even snow. Some dogs may begin to show behavioral signs of storm phobia well before a storm actually arrives, or even when there is nearby storm of which the owner is unaware. These signs may be restlessness, pacing or whining and could be a response to a sudden drop in barometric (air) pressure or change in the electrical charge of the air.

The more frequently a pet reacts to the anxiety-provoking stimulus, the worse and more paid the response may become, so the owner is faced with a growing problem with no easy solution. These fear behaviors can escalate to panic, causing dogs to be seriously injured in their attempts to escape what they perceive to be severe danger. Phobic dogs have been known to break through screened or glass doors or windows. Household damage also results from the pet biting and scratching doors, carpets, drapes, furniture and other items.

Dogs rescued from shelters may be at greater risk than non-rescue dogs for developing storm phobias. Herding dogs, particularly German shepherds, Labrador retrievers and golden retrievers appear to be over-presented among dogs with various phobias, perhaps linked to their inherently anxious temperaments. Although many dogs with storm phobias do not have any other anxiety-related problems, it is quite common for storm phobia to be accompanied by separation anxiety, and there may also be a phobia of loud noises. Dogs with fearful personalities are predisposed to storm phobias which can result from genetics, from early aversive experiences or from inadequate socialization as puppies. Dogs with well adjusted temperaments and no history of early changes in home or aversive experiences can also be affected. Phobic signs are typically first seen in dogs between 1 and 5 years of age, although many dogs may be less than 12 months old at the time the problem begins.

Obviously upsetting for the pet, storm phobias are a problem from an animal welfare perspective. Additionally, the behavior shown by the pet, especially dogs, is extremely upsetting for owners, who are distressed by their pet's anxiety and by the resulting damage inflicted on their homes. Failure to effectively manage these phobias can have an unfortunate effect on the owner-pet bond and lead to pet abandonment, placement in a shelter or alternate home or even, in the severest cases, to euthanasia.

Storm phobia is considered a particularly difficult fear to treat. Typically in behavioral problems, desensitization is very helpful. Desensitization involves repeatedly exposing the pet to the threatening stimulus at a controlled level which is below the threshold that initiates the phobia. As the pet become accustomed to the low-level threat, exposure is repeated at gradually increasing levels in a manner that does not produce the signs of phobia. However, owners who live in areas where storms are common may be unable to isolate their pet from storms during the desensitization period, and so desensitization alone is not adequate.

There are no pharmacologic treatments registered to treat storm phobias. Some drugs have been tried off-label, including benzodiapines and acepromazine, although the latter may sometimes make the signs worse. Anti-anxiety drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (eg fluoxetine) and tricyclic antidepressants (clomipramine) have also been used, but have a drawback in that treatment must begin 2 or more weeks before the phobia-initiating stimulus. All drugs carry risk of side effects, typically excessive sedation, and some may cause vomiting and other problems.

Inside Right
In treating storm phobia, drug adverse effects may be avoided by using alternative therapies, such as homeopathic remedies or dog appeasing pheromone (DAP®). DAP is a synthetic mixture of compounds that match post-partum secretions of the sebaceous glands, and are delivered by an electronic diffuser. Homeopathy involves giving very small doses of remedies that would produce the same or similar symptoms of illness in healthy pets if they were given in larger doses. A recent survey of owners using a homeopathic product (HomeoPet Anxiety™) found a positive response in 34 of 36 (94.4%) dogs treated for storm phobia (see figure 1). An important benefit that emerged in the survey was that there were no adverse reactions to the homeopathic remedy. This safety profile, combined with the favorable post treatment alleviation in signs of phobia, may account for the high level of client satisfaction that has been reported with HomeoPet Anxiety™.

Figure 1. Percentage of storm phobic dogs in levels of improvement after treatment with HomeoPet Anxiety™. Grading was completed by each dog's owner on a scale of 5 (much worse) to 0 (no change) to +5 (much better or completely cured).

References and Additional Reading
Crowell-Davis SL, Seibert LM, Sung W, Parthasarathy V, Curtis TM. Use of clomipramine, alprazolam, and behavior modification for treatment of storm phobia in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2003 Mar 15; 222(6):744-8
Mc Cobb EC, Brown EA, Damiani K, Dodman NH. Thunderstorm phobia in dogs: an internet survey of 69 cases. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 2001 Jul-Aug; 37 (4):319-24
Overall KL, Dunham AE, Frank D. Frequency of nonspecific clinical signs in dogs with separation anxiety, thunderstorm phobia, and noise phobia, alone or in combination. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2001 Aug 15; 219(4):467-73
Simpson BS, Papich MG. Pharmacologic management in veterinary behavioral medicine. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 2003 Mar; 33(2):365-404, vii.
Author Tom Farrington MVB MRCVS VetMFHom