Search Results for: blog spring proofing your pet thunderstorms

Pets with Noise Phobias

With the Fourth of July on the horizon, this is a good time to take another look at pets with noise phobia. Some veterinarians and behaviorists believe that as many as one out of five dogs suffers from noise phobia. For some pets, reactions to noises can be mild. Perhaps they shake or hide. For others, the reactions can approach full panic. Some pets go into total panic and can hurt themselves trying to escape. Shelters can end up with lots of pets who got spooked and took off during a thunderstorm or the Fourth of July fireworks. Storms and … Continue reading →

Calming Pet Pheromones

Posted on by

A writer friend of mine came home from a convention to find that his two cats had expressed great displeasure at his absence… all over his bed. Someone suggested using calming pheromones to help the cats relax when they’re left alone. It can be surprisingly easy for a pet to get stressed out. Some common causes for animal anxiety include: Moving Major changes in the daily routine of the household Addition or loss of a family member Addition or loss of another pet Noise phobia Separation anxiety After relocating to the west coast with my two dogs, I noticed a … Continue reading →

Pet Phobias

No… not people who are afraid of pets! There are some pets out there who have some very odd fears. Take the pets in my family, for example. My dog Lally is afraid of probably the weirdest thing ever: ceiling fans. She will not go into a room when the fan is on. No amount of coaxing or treats will get her through the door! It just so happens that we have a ceiling fan on the porch, in between the kitchen door and the backyard. If the fan is on, Lally is not budging. She’s also easily startled by … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for Apr 2-8

It’s that time again: time to catch up on what you might have missed last week in the Pets Blog. Below is a daily breakdown of what Aimee and I covered: Monday, April 2 Poor Aimee had to endure a Moose on her head at 2 a.m. thanks to Nights of Thunder Tuesday, April 3 There was no joy in Kittentown when it came to Aimee’s friend’s spayed kitten Zoe and the “creative diapering” they partook in to keep her from licking her stitches. In honor of April being Pet First Aid Awareness Month, we gave you a list of … Continue reading →

Spring Proofing Your Pet: Thunderstorms

Photo by Vickie Matthews I love spring, but Tuesday night I was reminded of what else comes with it besides longer hours of daylight, pretty flowers, and nicer weather: storms. We had a pretty severe storm roll through complete with tornado warnings, lightning, thunder, and pounding rain. This was my first experience with Tabby in a storm situation. She was perfectly fine. However, perhaps you read Aimee’s account of her nights of thunder with her dog Moose. Like Moose, Murphy and Kitty do not like thunderstorms either. Murphy happens to be one of those dogs who can sense a storm … Continue reading →

Animals Have Emotions, Too

Some people like to think animals are just animals. They think animals don’t think or feel or have emotions. Oh really? If animals didn’t have emotions, would they take orphaned animals in and nurture them as their own? Even when they’re different species sometimes. Would they cower from thunderstorms or snakes if they didn’t feel fear? Would they mourn the loss of their babies or even their people when they die? Would they show signs of depression? Would they smile when they’re happy? How could they do any of those things if they didn’t have emotions? I get viral emails … Continue reading →

How Do You Earn a Roaming Stray Dog’s Trust?

Friday I wrote about the elusive stray dog roaming our neighborhood that I’ve seen every now and then for the past few weeks. I told Wayne about how she had ventured up to our front porch on Friday, but how she took off the second I tried to open the door. He’d never seen her –until Saturday morning. He offered to take me out for breakfast and that’s an offer I never refuse. As we headed out of our subdivision, Wayne asked, “Is that your dog?” I looked and saw Ms. Thing (other than being skittish, I haven’t spent enough … Continue reading →

Murphy, Tornadoes, and One Ruff Night

Just shy of a month ago violent weather hit one afternoon and caused Murphy, Mr. Meow, Tabby, and I to huddle together in the laundry room due to potentially tornadic activity heading our way. If you’ve caught any of the news today, you’re well aware Tennessee was one of the states ravaged by bad weather once again last night. It was a dark and stormy night… There were tornadoes in the Nashville area around 10 p.m., but not near where we live. Thankfully we weren’t forced to seek refuge in the laundry room again. (But I did have everything set … Continue reading →

A Stormy Thursday Huddled Together in the Laundry Room

Yesterday afternoon around two o’clock the weather suddenly turned violent. The sky grew dark –very, very dark– and Murphy was beside himself panting and shaking with fear. It was the second time that day he’d worked himself into such a state. But this time was even worse than the first. The first time was earlier that morning when a thunderstorm rolled through just after I’d gotten in the shower. My dog who hates baths was suddenly standing on his haunches desperately pawing at the shower door for me to let him in. (And the second I opened the door to … Continue reading →

The 4th of July: Murphy’s Most Dreaded Day of the Year

Don’t let this picture fool you. Murph may be sporting a patriotic bandana, but the 4th of July is not his most favorite day of the year. For some pets the annual trip to the vet is the most dreaded day of the year. Not for poor Murph. Vets are a piece of cake compared to the whistles, bangs, and pops exploding in the sky outside. Nothing phased our first dog, Budly. Not thunderstorms and definitely not fireworks. (But take his beloved tennis ball away and that’d spark a meltdown.) Murph, however, is very different. He’s more sensitive to loud … Continue reading →