Fireworks medication. Gabapentin not cutting it

[Pollypolspol]

My dog is so terrified. Getting worse every year. There have been fireworks ever day for two weeks and they’re so loud. He’s shaking and I fear he’ll have a heart attack. We have gabapentin but it doesn’t even seem to affect him. What do others use ?

We are trialling Gabapentin and trazadone atm. Very stoned dog, but no side effects. Hadn't heard of gabapentin on its own?

of course fireworks stopped the minute we gave it to him. So not sure how effective

There are lots of options and combinations of options so chat to your vet.

@MotherofAdults thanks - I’ll ask about these together. @Needanadultgapyear of course I’ll be going to but it’s not an emergency tonight and I’m just keen to know what’s on offer from you lovely lot and what people have tried. It’s hateful seeing him upset.

I think it's horrible that people have to drug their animals because people won't just purchase silent fireworks. Hope you find something that works for him.

Me too @Arlanymor. They’re louder every year or so it feels.

I’ve started my dog on YouTube fireworks for dogs. I’m playing them quietly at random times during the day. So far I’ve been able to turn the volume up a fair bit and she’s ok. It’s worth a try.

Sileo gel is the only thing that works for my dog and he’s really really bad with fireworks / storms. A lot of vets have to order it in so ask sooner rather than later. Good luck!

There are some medications specifically designed for this - short term Tessie and Sileo (eg for a few hours on Bonfire night) and longer term Pexion.
Its worth going to the Adaptil website (they sell anti anxiety products, which aren’t super effective for severe noise phobia, but also have a lot of good info on measures you can do at home like a den, distractions etc). Some people also rate the Thundershirt.

Once fireworks season is over, you can try to desensitise him to loud noises. If he is obsessed by balls or food, use these as distractions as the noise builds up.

We use Gabapentin on its own and it works great BUT we also do loads of extreme things like have an Alexa in almost every room playing classical music (loud) for dogs via Spotify / all the TVs on , obvs all curtains and windows closed. We also walk a lot longer during the day to try and physically exhaust them. Dog is still scared but it’s definitely not as bad as it once was. She used to refuse food for basically 2 weeks whilst simultaneously having a badly upset stomach. I hate fireworks.

Pexion is off-label for noise sensitivity (at least here in Ireland) and caused extreme anxiety in my dog.

Sileo and fluoxetine seem to be the best combo here

.

I know some people feel this works, but for us last year it made no difference. Our pup reacted completely differently to fireworks in our local environment than to the videos, no matter how much we turned up the volume.

We've always done pretty much the same as @Hopeandfaith1990 ; earlier walks, curtains closed, lights on all over the house to minimise flashes, radio on in the kitchen, classical music on the hi fi, dogs get a treat to chew on, cats get loads of food so they'll hopefully settle. Still dreading it because current pup is extremely noise sensitive 😟

OP you may have tried this already , but my doggy really benefits from a ‘thunder jacket’ when he is stressed by loud noises. We had a heavy, tighter jacket initially and now he can manage with just a regular doggy jumper and cuddles . It calms him down.

may help compliment the other methods you use?

I was given a herbal remedy called Optima Calm last year which I was very sceptical about. It was like witchcraft. Doggo was calm but not "stoned". She was groggy with everything else we tried. We sadly lost her recently, but I'd have used it again without hesitation. She barely turned a hair when she'd taken it. Such a game changer for us.

In The UK Pexion has a licence for noise phobia.

We found Sileo impossible to administer. Trying to get it into the inner cheek of an agitated dog was not fun. And then it didn't really touch the sides.

Ah, good to know, thank you

So, the Gabapentin and trazadone didn't really work. DDog was a bit wobbly, but once the big bangs started, he went off with frantic barking and whining as usual.

He is pretty difficult to sedate at the best of times - the vet had to really work to knock him out for an op last year.

Not sure what to do next.

We use adaptil soft chews very fast acting or nutricalm very similar very good . In the past we've used skullcap & valerian tablets & drops by Dorwest but they needed a bit of time to build up beforehand.
I'm currently waiting on some more drops to arrive from pet guru so will try those too. Sounds like a lot but with Halloween, fireworks & New year, it's a long season to cover as each event gets stretched out longer every year now doesn't it.

Well another night of wide eyes panting and that was just me ….poor poor doggo. I can’t wait for it to be all over and need to ring for another prescription tomorrow