Mia and the Thundershirt
28 Nov 2011 1 Comment
I have said a few times before that my poor dog has many issues. On top of severe allergies, she suffers from severe anxiety orders. We have tried EVERYTHING. Calming pills. Kenneling. The Cone of Shame. Mia’s anxiety comes in the form of self-mutilation tendancies. She gnaws on herself. And it breaks my heart.
So, we were coming to the court of last resort here lately. Doggie prozac. Now, as much as our pets are totally dependent on us, we can’t claim them on our health insurance. And I’ve looked into pet insurance, and it costs more per year that actually taking my dog to the vet, and the basic cost doesn’t cover extras – emergencies, drugs, etc. Sad. We’ve had Mia on calming pills (made of brewer’s yeast and ginger and some other holistic ingredients for a month) but the problem is, you can’t predict when she is going to have a bought of separation anxiety. And those pills are expensive, so you don’t want to have to give them to her every eight hours.
My girlfriend has a dog who was also abandonned, and he freaks out at thunderstorms. She’s been doing some research and looked into the Thundershirt. She forwarded the link to me and I looked into it as well. The thundershirt is basically an anxiety wrap for dogs. Vets have long stated that constant pressure on the dog’s nervous system tends to calm them. This shirt wraps around their torso and waist and fits them snuggly, like swaddling a baby. But they aren’t cheap – they run around $40. The material is breathable, soft and washable (very important when you have dogs). But still, $40 during Christmas season was just slightly out of my budget, and honestly, was it going to work?
But, my wonderful mother (who worries about her granddog) decided that she was going to go ahead and purchase the Thundershirt for Mia. So yesterday, we tooker Meems and had her fitted. I was still skeptical, but let me tell you, the difference was night and day (after of course we got her home from there store where there were kitties and treats and toys all at eye level). She is a different dog. No pacing. No biting herself. No chasing the kitties (they are thankful). Instead, she spent most of the evening passed out on the sofa. Even when I went downstairs to bring up laundry, which normally would have sent her into a biting episode.
And today, she’s a calm, happy dog. She’s not pacing. She’s not constantly begging me for attention. She’s not biting herself. She’s not searching the house for her daddy (who is off hunting). I’m amazed. I’ll give it a week, but if this is the thing that brings my baby some peace and serenity, then I’m all for it.
Thundershirt HO!
Nov 28, 2011 @ 16:57:10
What a great idea! And even better that someone else bought it!