If you have a dog that is frightened of fireworks and thunder, many owners recommend melatonin, which I have used to positive effect. Some dogs, however, have severe thunderstorm/firework anxiety, and it can have a large impact on the owner's (and the dog's) life. Besides becoming extremely anxious they can start scratching/ chewing up everything around. Or even busting out barriers and escaping, or tearing the house apart trying to burrow into small spaces. They can get into closets and pull everything out of them. Or tearing the caulk from the toilet and physically moving it trying to get between the small space where it sits against the wall.
In some cases, crating and conventional medicines don't seem to help, and you can't always be home to watch/ comfort them. For these kinds of extreme cases, ther is a new drug availible for dogs called Sileo. This has been a real blessing for many people and dogs, with many comment's referring to it as a "total game changer". It’s a “noise
aversion” reducer and sedative, that has been previously used on people in the intensive care unit who have to be intubated. The drug is called precedex when used on people.
It’s expensive, but you can save it for the bad storms or when you’re going to be away and know storms or fireworks are coming. It works in about 20 minutes too, while many other similarly acting meds can take hours, which makes them ineffectual against a sudden, unexpected storm.
You administer with a syringe, but it is very easy to learn and do. Just don’t mix drugs. If you are giving
your dog something daily then you will need to look into interactions. Sileo is a pretty powerful sedative so be careful with it. It's non narcotic and not dangerous, but too much could put the dog under quick. Accidental overdoses (though not fatal) can occur if the ring stop mechanism on the syringe is not properly tightened, so make sure to follow instructions!
You can get Sileo from a Vet - around 25$ for 5 doses for a 60 lb dog, but price will vary as it is based on weight. We used 3/4 of what the vet said the dose was... which worked perfectly. Our dog was dopey but still alert. He was not confused and didn’t shake at all on the 4th of July, with loud fireworks going off nearby. Usually he would not have been ok in that situation.
