Herbal dog calming remedies
My Golden Labrador, Basil, has always been a nervous, highly strung dog. I live way out in the countryside and he barks when he hears a car approaching or any strange sound. That, in itself, is great – what a good guard dog you say.
But, especially when he hears something which wakes him from a deep sleep, it’s not a bark it’s more of an hysterical scream “Who is it? What is it? What do you want? Go away! Help!”. Non-stop too! Drives me nuts!
“Calm down for God’s sake Basil it’s only the wind/chickens/plumber!” (delete as appropriate).
What made matters worse is that Basil suffers from occasional epileptic fits and these are nearly always triggered by these panicked reactions to strange sounds. If you’ve ever witnessed a dog having a grand mal seizure it’s heartbreaking to see and, the first time it happened, I honestly thought he was dying and I felt so helpless!
Now I know better and that these seizures are not uncommon in many breeds and, as in Basil’s case do not necessarily require prescribed medication. However I decided that a search for herbal dog calming remedies was in order to help my lovely pet be a bit more laid back about unusual noises. Bark, fine – go crazy,no!
The veterinary prescribed treatment is a kind of doggy Prozac and that, for me, was out of the question so an herbal alternative – a doggy tranquilizer was in order. I wanted him more relaxed not doped up!
So my next port of call was PetAlive - a new sponsor of this site and sure enough there was the possible solution to Basil’s problem: PetCalm
This all natural herbal and homeopathic product was advertised as able:
* To immediately calm anxious, stressed and highly strung pets
* To treat anxiety in pets with anxiety disorders or those with nervous dispositions
* To reduce anxiety and excitability in competitive events
* To help your pet cope during times of domestic stress (conflict, divorce or other domestic difficulties)
* To reduce distress during Halloween, fireworks and other frightening occasions
* To act as a tonic for the nervous system.
I will now be offering my own testimonial to the PetAlive site as I too had fast and impressive results. I give him a pinch of the granules (he licks them from my hand knowing a treat will follow) morning and evening.
He’s still excitable and a bit nervy, continuing to bark at strange sounds, but he doesn’t fly off the handle yet remains alert and happy. He also seems more relaxed and less ‘on edge’ as he was before and the incidents of his seizures has dropped by half at least (after a 3 months trial). I heartily recommend the PetCalm product.
One year on update: Now in April 2009 and Basil is still on Petcalm each morning. He hasn’t had a fit for around 6 months and the last few have been far apart and much more mild than that terrifying first one and he recovers more quickly. This product has quite simply changed his life ( and mine).
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CindyS | Jan 14, 2008 | Reply
Cool Site. I have often wondered if the Pet Calm works. I’ll keep it in mind to tell my customers.
Kris | May 26, 2008 | Reply
Rescue Remedy by Bach, which is Flower Essences, works wonders on my GSD.
Also, Calms Forte is another popular herbal, homeopathic remedy for anxiety, though I’ve not used it.
Labradoodle | May 31, 2008 | Reply
My labradoodle also has grand mal seizure problems and i can sympathize with the scary feeling of helplessness you get watching you dog go through that.
I will be trying petcalm soon, I’ll keep you posted how it goes.
Graham Williams | Jun 9, 2008 | Reply
After reading your blog a couple of months ago I started to use petcalm and to be honest I can not recommend it enough. It has helps calm my nervous dog and you can see it works almost instantly
Jacob | Jun 14, 2008 | Reply
My golden retrievers may get some relief from this.
I will try it this week. Thanks!
Jake
Rob | Jun 18, 2008 | Reply
I’m so glad that the natural remedy worked because it’s just so horrible to any animal suffering. My dog really doesn’t do well on sedatives and it really takes a few days for her to get over it.
Purina One Dog Food | Jul 7, 2008 | Reply
My dog becomes afraid when visitors come, and he becomes so nervous that he will start running and hide underneath the chairs. He will be afraid of anyone he doesn’t know. It is hard to see him do this when we have 40 people over for a party. I am going to give some Herbal Dog Calming Remedies a try.
Bach Flower Remedies | Jul 19, 2008 | Reply
Bach flower remedies are great for animals and i’ve hear lots of feedback from customers who use these for themselves and their pets.
Dog Accessories | Jul 23, 2008 | Reply
It’s good to know there are some useful remedies around to help this unfortunate situation.
Thanks for your tips!
Craig | Sep 3, 2009 | Reply
I have heard that this is not a bad product. My veterinarian carries a product called Enlightapet Calming Spray, which I spray into the side of my young German Shepherd’s mouth a couple of times. She used to get very aggressive when guest would come to the door, and now just a few sprays, and she is cools right down. The products are all-natural and herbal and that is why I feel comfortable using them. The company that makes them is also known for their herbal products for humans. Still have to try those out to calm me down!
Charlotte Wright | Dec 16, 2010 | Reply
i support herbal products because they are all natural and from what i know, they do not carry nasty side effects ,.;