Whippet Dilemma

[Greenkit]

I have a dilemma and no matter what I do it will be the wrong way:

We have a whippet who is just coming up to 10yrs old, he suffers from anxiety, quite severely. It has been getting steadily worse over the years, till it has become unbearable.

Good things: Very loyal, obedient, never runs off, never aggressive.

Bad things: Worries/Cry/Panics about air balloons, fireworks and storms (Standard I guess in quite a few dogs)

Really bad stuff: Cant be left alone at all; in the cage he cries and barks, out of the cage he cries, barks and scratches the doors. He whines and wants to be with you all the time, or led on his bed with the covers over him, if the cover comes off he barks at it, till someone puts it back on. (Which is what happens when he is on his own.

Solutions: sedate him, we do this around firework night, but its two/three weeks and he needs tablets every day.

Rehome him, with someone who is there pretty much all the time, in an area where he has open space and the neighbours cant hear him crying.

Put him to sleep: I don't think there is a vet in the land who would do this, as he is healthy is all other ways.

I am home all week and husband is home on weekends, but I work two nights a week and he just can be left.

Ideas please

There is another option of behaviour counselling and anti anxiety medication

You can find an accredited behaviourist here
www.apbc.org.uk/help/regions

It might be worth exploring.

Unfortunately sedation often makes noise phobias worse as it prevents the dog from 'hiding' or coping with the trigger but does not reduce anxiety, it's important Thant anti-anxiety medication and behavioural therapy are used instead to support the dog, build confidence and allow him to cope

I'm going to talk to my vet about putting my dog on Prozac. My behaviourist recommended this as you can't really address and recondition the behaviour while they are in such a state

Ridingthegravytrain - that makes sense

Veterinari - Thank you

Another solution: go to YouTube and look up "fireworks for dogs" for desensitization. The great thing is, you could run the soundtrack as very quiet background noise for example when dishwasher/ radio is on, when you feed him, or give him tasty treats, ... whatever works best for your dog.
Once he has accepted the sound, you can slowly turn up the volume...
It won't be a quick fix but over time, he should not worry about the noise.

Prozac is not necessarily the best medication for anxiety. You really need a consult with a veterinary clinical behaviourist who can do a fulll assessment and prescribe appropriate medication. It's also important to remember that medication alone won't fix this - it is a tool that 'resets' your dogs brain and allows him to learn instead of panic. But you then have to invest time in retraining him appropriate responses to his fears - hope that helps

I'm a fellow whippet owner with an anxious dog. Mine is only four months old and I'm spending a small fortune on a trainer, day care and a specialist vet in hope that early intervention can help his separation anxiety. Whippets are wonderful dogs but after hearing from other owners and speaking to my vet is does seem that separation anxiety is somewhat over represented in the breed

Luckily my boy is fine with noises, other dogs and life in general so I think there's some hope for him.

Medication isn't a quick fix. Any SSRI meds will take time to be effective and even then, like with humans, different meds will suit different dogs and some have to be on a combination of drugs for the best results. After all that it's just the tool to get them in the right headspace for training to be effective.

Worst case scenario for me is I have to send my boy back to his breeder. Very different with a puppy to a senior whippet.

Good luck

Are any options like thundershirts or those bandage-type bindings worth a try?

So I have also posted elsewhere and thunder shirt has been suggested, plus the possibility of dementia.

So I am armed with good information and will work on sorting him out.

Assuming the behaviours you describe are not a recent development, dementia is unlikely. It does not usually trigger noise phobias.

Thundershirts can be helpful but have variable results. You need a consultation with a qualified behaviourist rather than spending money on random 'therapies'

Not recent behaviours, but escalating to extremes

I have tried the chews and it seems to be settling him and he doesn't seem as worried or stressed.