Thundershirts? Update last post

[onelanerode]

Anyone use one on a dog (or cat)? What was your experience?

I just ordered one for our hound mix, whose aversion to thunder and fireworks has progressively gotten worse (we’ve tried ignoring, we’ve tried distracting with high-value treats, etc.). He will be 6 in September, and I worry that as he ages, his anxiety will continue to escalate, and I don’t want to get to the point where he’s chewing through walls or hurting himself because he’s gotten so frantic. :no:

A friend with a thunder-phobic greyhound was the first to mention them, and I thought well, it’ll cost me $40 just to have an office visit with the vet to discuss pharmaceutical options, so we may as well give this a try. I believe it’s guaranteed, so if it doesn’t work, I can return it.

Apparently they also make a model for cats, which is intriguing. Of course we’d have to get past the hurdle of getting it on properly, but it does make me wonder if it could work as a bridge to reduce anxiety in certain situations. My cat has always been anxious (hissing at, evading) with strangers, whether they are friendly to her or ignore her. I think she’d come around quickly when she realized they meant no harm and some of them could even be reliable sources of chin rubs and butt pats, not to mention stinky fish treats, but we haven’t been able to get past the “ZOMG STRANGER DANGER” reaction, even with catnip and the aforementioned stinky fish treats. But I worry that getting it on her might be more trouble than it’s worth. :eek:

[MommaMare]

We tried it on our rescue dog with severe separation anxiety, in combination with prozac, a pheremone collar, and training… it certainly seemed to make him calmer when he wasn’t left alone - he’d just amble out into a sunny spot and fall asleep, and this is a high-energy dog! - but it didn’t seem to help with the separation anxiety. It seemed like the anxiety would “break through” whatever the shirt was doing to help and he’d be just as bad as before.

I know they’ve helped a lot of dogs, though, so it may well be worth a try!

[andreab]

I used one to help my dog that had thunder- and firework-related anxiety. It definitely made a difference for her! It didn’t stop the problem completely, but I did notice she was less upset/anxious.

[eventgroupie2]

The thundershirt works on our Corgi - does not stop all nervousness, but certainly helps and lets us get some sleep at night during thunderstorms instead of sitting up with him. It allows him to fall asleep during all but really severe storms.

[Rbow]

I think it made a slight difference. Any old tight fitting shirt would probably work as well or better.

I have my best results just taking the dog to a small room in the basement with no windows. I turn on music and work on the computer as long as I have electricity.

[Flagstaff_Foxhunter]

Being a complete tightwad, I decided to see if I could replicate the premise of a Thundershirt, without spending any money. My Lab/Pit mix is extremely thunder-phobic. In fact, the mere appearance of a few dark clouds has him cowering under the coffee table and he’ll refuse to go outdoors. I got an old t-shirt, not snug fitting at all and put it on the dog. Then I very carefully wrapped his torso with an Ace bandage over the shirt. IT WORKED! In five minutes, he stopped cowering, and came out and sat next to me. He had stopped his nervous panting and looked fairly calm. Success. I’ll do this every time he gets worried from now on. I would say I used medium tension on the bandage and covered from just behind his elbows to just about midline on his belly. The shirt may not be necessary, but it might be smoother feeling than just the bandage. Easy. If you want to get a Thundershirt, I imagine they do work well, and might be simpler to use. I love that someone figured out how to make frightened dogs feel more at ease and don’t want to take away from their innovation.

[glfprncs]

My almost 3-year-old hound, James, wears one when we have a lot of people in the neighborhood walking past the front of the house or if we have house guests. He gets really nervous with strangers, but put the Thundershirt on and he just plops himself down and goes to sleep. My husband calls it the “Prozac” shirt. The effect is almost instantaneous. He can be running around the house pacing and whining, but as soon as I strap him in, he curls up on the sofa and is dead to the world.

[onelanerode]

I am really glad to hear some positive reviews. Even if it reduces his anxiety by half that would be wonderful.

It’s a shame they don’t make these for people, lol! :winkgrin:

[rosijet]

@andreab;6321462

I used one to help my dog that had thunder- and firework-related anxiety. It definitely made a difference for her! It didn’t stop the problem completely, but I did notice she was less upset/anxious.

This is my experience as well with a border collie that gets very agitated with thunder. He is much calmer but not completely stress-free.

[jetsmom]

Melatonin also works well. You can get it at the grocery/drug store where the sleep aids are with no prescription. Dosage is 1 mg per 20 lbs. Don’t exceed 3 mg (or 6 mg for giant breeds). If your dog is elderly or has any medical problems or is on other meds check with your vet before giving it.

I used it on 2 of my dogs, and it worked great. Eventually was able to stop using it. Doesn’t make them dopey…they just don’t seem to care.

[bort84]

A thundershirt helped our thunderstorm hating greyhound.

Fireworks, loud noises, parades, she loves 'em (didn’t blink an eye during Mardi Gras), but anything that could be thunder freaks her out.

We’ve had good luck with this combo:

Thundershirt + melatonin + benadryl. We usually keep her on a regular dose of melatonin (doesn’t make our girl drowsy or dopey, but it can for some) and then add benadryl (does tend to make dopey/drowsy) and the thundershirt when a bad storm is coming. It’s also a good idea to put the shirt on at other happy times with treats so they don’t start associating it with storms.

This is enough to keep our girl calm enough to at least lay down to shake and pant instead of pacing the house. It wasn’t a miracle cure for us, but it definitely takes the edge off. Our vet also said he would prescribe valium if needed - I know a lot of people who’ve had great luck with this and have been able to wean off of all thunderstorm fixes in time with its use.

We have a friend with a very nervous dog, so she got him a thundershirt. It makes him much more able to handle new people in the house. For him, it really did make a DRASTIC difference. He’ll actually hang out with guests and enjoy a pat here and there whereas before he was a nervous, shy mess. They didn’t even pair it with much training and still had great results.

To me, the $30 was worth it. Plus, pretty much every vendor offers a 30 day guarantee, so if it doesn’t work, send it back = ) Ours has held up quite well, and we’ve used it frequently for a year.

[onelanerode]

Truman’s Thundershirt arrived today, right before some regular thunderstorms rumbled through.

DH was home to put it on him, and he said it seemed to help. I got home a few hours later, in time for round two of the storms, and I didn’t notice any shaking. There was still some yawning/panting and a little pacing/clinginess, but significantly less than usual.

I’m pleased so far. We’ll have to see how it does when we get a severe storm come through.

[RaeHughes]

Okay - now I am going to have to google “Thundershirts” and find out what they are!

[JanM]

Rae-I can’t believe you haven’t seen the commercials for it! Here they run the commercials constantly, and I’m so sick of them I could scream. In fact they’re playing one now, and it’s at least the third this morning. And if I ever run into whoever put that stupid song on there I might strangle them-it’s really irritating.

[lovey1121]

[QUOTE=JanM;6334245]
Rae-I can’t believe you haven’t seen the commercials for it! Here they run the commercials constantly, and I’m so sick of them I could scream. In fact they’re playing one now, and it’s at least the third this morning. And if I ever run into whoever put that stupid song on there I might strangle them-it’s really irritating.[/QUOTE]

Gee thanks, JanM, for ruining my perfect TV-free vacation by putting THAT SONG in my head…:mad::lol::winkgrin:

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=onelanerode;6322119]
I am really glad to hear some positive reviews. Even if it reduces his anxiety by half that would be wonderful.

It’s a shame they don’t make these for people, lol! :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]

Random factoid of the day: They do.

The thundershirt is actually based off a human invention; weighted blankets for autistic children and other children with emotional issues. Many of these kids cannot be touched (for a hug) but benefit greatly from a weighted blanket draped around them. Much like a hug for us “normal” people, there is something greatly comforting about having that weight draped around you.

As with dogs, the reaction in children/adults with special needs is almost instant. I don’t believe that WHY it works is actually known, but it does.

[JanM]

Lovey-sorry about that. I have it running in my head too, thanks to the many replays of the d#*$#$ commercial this morning. I’m sure they’ll have another commercial marathon of it tonight too.

[PaintPony]

[QUOTE=onelanerode;6321291]

Apparently they also make a model for cats, which is intriguing. Of course we’d have to get past the hurdle of getting it on properly, but it does make me wonder if it could work as a bridge to reduce anxiety in certain situations. My cat has always been anxious (hissing at, evading) with strangers, whether they are friendly to her or ignore her. I think she’d come around quickly when she realized they meant no harm and some of them could even be reliable sources of chin rubs and butt pats, not to mention stinky fish treats, but we haven’t been able to get past the “ZOMG STRANGER DANGER” reaction, even with catnip and the aforementioned stinky fish treats. But I worry that getting it on her might be more trouble than it’s worth. :eek:[/QUOTE]

:lol: Have you ever tried to put clothes on a cat? They think they are paralyzed. I am trying to harness train my cat but she keeps falling over and just laying there. :yes:

[Sonesta]

Regarding cats. I have found that one of those kitty blindfold muzzles causes the cat to completely relax and you can do just about anything to them while it is on. Bathe, trim nails, etc. So I’m quite sure you could put on a thundershirt while they are wearing it.

Buy one here:

http://www.amazon.com/Guardian-Nylon-Muzzle-Small-Black/dp/B000RRRIWO

Really. They work like magic. We had a killer attack cat and he would become a docile lamb while wearing it.

[dalpal]

Are these Thunder shirts…heavy? I’ve thought about getting one for my paranoid dog, but she’s heavy coated and I worried that it would make her hot.