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Originally Posted by Yorkiesatwork  Just today, I had to take little Maxie to the Vet to refill a prescription and for initial weight monitoring (he has severe collapsing trachea) and he began to shake and cough and honk til I was frightened that he might not catch his breath... I had read, too, that using their name, and trying to be soothing could actually make the situation worse. Out of desperation, I started rubbing his back and singing an old Girl Scout Camp Song pretty loud (my God, they would have put me away if anyone could have seen/heard inside my car) and he quit shaking and coughing. I sang loud, and cheerfully until we got home, and then he settled down on his own.
It's so hard to know what the right thing to do is. Max has a Thundershirt, too. But with his condition, I'm reluctant to put anything around his neck or chest. |
I am so glad that you found something that works for her! It is so wonderful to help them through those bad times.
It is so hard to know, because you so want to soothe and love them and coo to them but I guess I do buy into the so-called experts' advice not to coddle them but to keep them encouraged and strengthened when they get weak and scared. It breaks my heart when Tibbe has a panic attack when he hears a funny TV surround sound noise - those are his bogey's still - and I want to gather him up and just caress and talk sweetly to him - instead I have to start cheerleading him and acting like I'm his own personal ego coach. So goes against human nature to not but a wise old trainer once said "but they aren't humans and we must respect the ways of mother nature" and keep them from thinking it is okay to be frightened by loving on them or saying that it is "okay" and such when they are scared. He said that in the wild and in feral packs, there are no nervous or anxious dogs, just pack members and curs, who get culled from the pack and that the dogs don't react fearfully in that setting. He should know from all his work with them so I guess it is so. But Tibbe has sure come along way using the "experts'" advice. And I've seen it work with rescues, too. Hard, though.