| Jokerman | 05-21-2009 08:41 PM |
They make a jacket for dogs who have thunder storm phobias called "The Storm Defender Cape". This excerpt is from their website. When properly used, the Storm Defender cape will reduce the dog's anxiety. The cape has a special metallic lining that discharges a dog's fur and shields him from the static charge buildup reducing his sensitivity to the charge. The dog gets relief, and after a few storms begins to learn that the secondary triggers like rain, wind, thunder, barometric pressure and smells are no longer to be feared. With the cape on, the dog feels as though he has found a safe place.
The electrical activity is only loosely related to rain. We can have charge without rain such as "heat lightning" or rain without charge such as "April showers." Since humans are largely insensitive to this charge, we must take our cues from the dog. It is very difficult to calm a dog once they have reached full panic, so promptness is essential.
My friend's dog has extreme storm phobias, and she purchased one of these jackets after seeing them on the Today Show. She said when she first opened the package, she thought she'd been ripped off since it's a very light weight product and not much to it. But her dog has totally overcome her phobia of storms, and comes to her wanting her jacket on when storms are imminent. The jacket has a money back guarantee so you don't have anything to lose if you want to try it.
I have also heard you can rub your dog down with a dryer sheet and it will reduce the static charge buildup, but I have no idea if that really works. You could try that first before ordering the jacket to see if it works for your dog. Dogs' thunderstorm phobia reduced by Storm Defender cape | 