He wears his Thundershirt when the weather is iffy, or if we are traveling long distances. I haven't tried medication because for the most part he is pretty good. I work hard to keep his crazy temperament at bay with lots of exposure, and positive reinforcement.
When I was last at my vet clinic for Brit I saw a pamphlet for this food- Royal Canin Calm. I asked the receptionist about it, if they had sold much, what the response has been etc. They didn't know really so I ordered a bag to try.
I know, the ingredients are less than ideal. lol. But for me personally if it helped to take the edge off even a bit it could be beneficial. I don't know why it works, and can't explain it. But. It has been three weeks. And I *think* I am seeing a difference. For real.
Some examples.
For the last week he has fallen asleep in the middle of the living room. On multiple occasions. This has never, ever happened before. He is usually far too insecure for that.
He has been seeking out attention, and actually cuddled on the couch.
He played in the yard last week- even though it was windy and the trees were blowing around.
On our leash walk yesterday a bus passed us and he didn't spin, or shrink! That is pretty huge.
I also notice he seems happier, calmer, and just relaxed. Which is unusual for him a lot of the time.
I could be reading into it too much. Seeing things that aren't there. But I'm convinced enough to try another bag. I am only half way through the first one, and called to order the second.
I am not sure that I would keep him on the food long term. I may mix it with something of better quality and see if it still seems to be helping. Or maybe I'll just keep him on it exclusively. I'll be watching for signs of itching, or bowel problems, but so far so good. Nothing different- except his behavior....
6 comments:
I have a grooming client that has put her dog on that food and he went from a drooling, shaking, peeing, pooping, skidish mess to a lovely dog that walks calmly in my house, jumps into the bath tub on his own, no longer mess's all over the table. I was very skeptical when she told me about it, but I just can't believe the difference!
Looking at the ingredient list, it's sure hard to figure what it is that's making a difference. But it's certainly worth the experiment to see if it helps.
Very interesting!!
Tryptophan!
Basically a factor in what makes us sleepy when we eat turkey dinner is what makes the difference in this food.
If he does get icky from the food maybe he can just eat turkey the rest of his life haha.
But hey, if it works it works.
You can get both the lactium and tryptophan in supplement form if you want the effects but don't want the gross food.
I found them both through Swanson.
I just purchased something very similar this week from our vet. Our 11yr. old corgi has begun nipping. She's full of tumors, has snarled for some time, but with age is heading towards psycho. We're hoping this will just take the edge off. Love your re-do on the blog. Since making the decision to keep Leo, it had to be done! Hang in with the changes.
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