Animal News #1_2012: 5 Products that Help Companion Animals in Stressful Situations

Last week “Good Morning America” companion animal expert Dr. Marty Becker appeared to demonstrate his favorite products that can calm our animals. Pets, he says, are often stressed by car rides, visits to the vet or grooming.

Dogs and Cats

Feliway Electric Diffuser and Adaptil

Available for both dogs and cats, this scent mimics pheromones, the chemical naturally produced by animal moms to soothe their babies. The diffuser is great when you leave your pet alone and the spritz is perfect to spray in a pet carrier for long trips. Dr. Becker puts this on his hands when he treats pets to give them a sense of calm during their visits.

Feliway (Comfort Zone) spray and diffusers prevent cats from urinating where they shouldn’t. This fantastic new pheromone Feliway spray or diffuser duplicates the smell of a cat’s natural scent glands. Cats will not soil anything close to where Feliway has been sprayed. I had personal experience with Feliway while cat-sitting for a friend. They had sequestered a street rescue in their attic until they could have him tested for infection diseases (there are two other cats in the household). A sweet and affectionate guy, I believe he had abandonment issues, because he howled and howled when left alone. We tried Feliway. The howling diminished and eventually died down.

Alterations in the cat’s environment such as visits to the vet, moving house, new arrivals, or nervous cats may manifest themselves as a change in behavior such as urine marking, scratching, loss of appetite and refusal to play and interact. The diffuser helps to restore a feeling of calm in

Dogs Only
Adaptil^TM  is a synthetic copy of the natural canine appeasing pheromone  proven to help support dogs in a range of stressful situations. Adaptil is canine specific, odorless, non-sedative, non-systemic and can be used alongside all other types of medication. The efficacy of Adaptil has been demonstrated in 18 studies published in scientific journals and at veterinary conferences around the world.

For puppies – Adaptil is shown to help puppies settle in a new home and to have significant positive effects on puppy socialization.  Fitting an Adaptil collar to puppies from 6-16 weeks helps puppies develop into confident, well-behaved adult dogs and significantly reduces the likelihood of anxiety-related conditions developing in later life.

For adult dogs – Adaptil has also been shown to help dogs cope in kennels during rehoming and in a range of other stressful situations such as during firework exposure and car travel.

Adaptil (formerly known as DAP^® ) has been used by behaviorists, veterinary experts and welfare charities for the last 10 years

Adaptil can be used in the following situations:

• Help promote learning during training and socialization
• Help puppies or adult dogs settle in new homes
• Help dogs to cope with challenging situations such as staying in kennels, staying home, alone, fireworks, visiting the vet, travelling, Christmas, new baby

“Through a Dog’s Ear”

If you think your dog doesn’t care about your music playlist, think again. Dr. Becker finds that animals are easily excited by rock music. This set of three CDs has been clinically proven to reduce anxiety in high-stress areas like the kennel or veterinarian’s office.

The music of Through a Dog’s Ear builds on the ground breaking psychoacoustic research of Dr. Alfred Tomatis (1920-2001). Known as the “Einstein of the ear,” Tomatis discovered the extraordinary powers of sound as a “nutrient for the nervous system.” His therapeutic discoveries redefine modern psychoacoustics — the study of the effect of music and sound on the human nervous system.

These recordings are psychoacoustically designed to support you and your dog’s compromised immune or nervous system function. When the immune or nervous system is heavily taxed, a natural reaction is to self-limit the amount of auditory or visual stimulation coming into the system. However, the “nutrients” of sound are needed the most when life energy is at a low ebb or when neurodevelopmental (including sensory) issues are present. To facilitate maximum sound intake while conserving energy output, the method of simple sound has been created.

The music of Through a Dog’s Ear use psychoacoustic techniques that naturally trigger the relaxation or arousal response. Therefore, when first using these recordings, consider the level of relaxation or stimulation of your canine’s nervous system that best serves the situation.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with the music; it cannot hurt you or your dog. If you find that your dog becomes agitated while listening, simply turn the music off or switch to a slower or faster CD. Your dog’s body will tell you what it needs… just be observant.

People have asked us why we created this music. One of the simple answers–as funny as it sounds–is to keep your dogs off drugs (Just bark no!!!). While not a magic bullet for every canine issue, properly arranged music can have a very deep effect on you, your family, and your canines. Inexpensively and without ongoing side effects… healthy nervous function can prolong life and we believe this music is a component of that endeavor.

Bottom line, the music of Through a Dog’s Ear is an extremely effective tool to speed up or slow down the nervous system using the most beautiful music in the world

Calming Cap

This calming cap, almost like a human sleep mask, reduces all visual noise for your pet. The fabric is see-through and dims the room, making it calm and dark. It’s easy to put on and slips right under your dog’s leash.

The Gentle Leader Calming Cap is a new behavior management aid that is designed to lessen a dog’s anxiety or aggression in high-stress situations. The Calming Cap was designed by Trish King, CPDT CDBC and director of Behavior & Training at the Marin Humane Society, in collaboration with Lisa Moore, CPDT. The Cap was developed originally to ease hyperactivity in a dog that became agitated while traveling in a car. Since then, pet owners and professionals across the pet industry have used the Cap to quiet and calm anxious or excitable dogs. How It Works: The Calming Cap reduces the visual stimulus that makes a dog agitated by filtering his vision. The single-panel sheer fabric window makes the dog’s vision indistinct, while allowing the dog to easily navigate his surroundings. Quality Features: Single-panel sheer fabric window offers enough vision to confidently navigate surroundings while reducing the provoking stimulus. Soft fabric and elastic fit provides maximum comfort. Two Velcro strips wrap around the collar allowing for easy on/off use. Available in four sizes! Petite – Most Toy Breeds, Puppies; Small – Shelties, Most Small Terriers, etc.; Medium – Cattle Dogs, Female German Shepherds & Rotties, etc.; Large – Mountain Dogs, Male German Shepherds & Rotties, etc.

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Thundershirt

This thundershirt was originally developed to help pets with thunderstorm phobias. It’s proven to lessen the anxiety that leads to destructive doggy behavior. Like a gentle embrace, the vest hugs the pet in all the right spots.

All of the pets featured on “GMA” today are available for adoption through the Humane Society of New York.

Sources: ABCNews.com;Throughadogsears.com; ceva.us/us/Products/Product-List/Adaptil-Formerly-D.A.P-R;