Has anyone heard of the Thundershirt?. As the name suggests it's to ease
anxiety during storms but apparently it is also good for other anxiety
issues. I have a little 2 kiilo Chihuahua who seems to be terrified of
getting her nails cut, ears cleaned and tries to bite me if I do any of that
including trying to look at her teeth. I've had to take her to a groomer but
the last time she got so upset when they tried to put the muzzle on her she
got a nose bleed and I had to take her to the vet. The vet has given me
tablets to sedate her. Petria lets me bath her with no problems but when I
bathed her a few days ago I was advised by the vet to give her ¼ tablet so I
could try and clean her ears. She was like a drunken sailor within minutes
so was I was very concerned but went ahead and as soon as I tried to touch
her ears with some cotton wool she quickly awoke and tried to bite me. I
couldn't believe she could wake up like that. However, she went to sleep and
stayed asleep until the next morning. The vet said if ¼ tab didn't work to
give her ½ tab., but I'm so worried about drugging her. I just found out
about this thundershirt but not sure if it will help her. Has anyone heard
of it or know it they are good. BTW I have taken Petria to a dog trainer,
didn't work. I must add she obeys me for everything else, if I call she
comes, if I tell her to sit she sits and so on.
Thank you,
Joanie.

I had a similar experience when I tried sedating one of my dogs for nail
clipping.... many years ago. I was astounded when he tried to nail
me.... as the problem had just been that he flapped and flailed all over
the place. I think that sometimes the sedative just "drugs" them enough
to loose their self-control.... Unless you give a dose big enough to
really knock them out.... and that's not only scarey, but probably
should only be done in the vet clinic.

I don't know whether the Thundershirt will give you enough anxiety
relief to allow you to do ears and nails. You say she weighs two
kilos.... 4.4 pounds by US standards.... so she's quite tiny. But I can
tell you a way to find out that is MUCH cheaper! Use an elastic
bandage, the type you'd use to wrap a sprained ankle, but the narrower
size (2 inches.... don't know the centimeters). Unroll the bandage,
then roll it up from both ends to the middle. Place the middle on her
forechest.... above and in front of front legs, wrap her torso around
and around with moderate but firm pressure until you get to her back
legs. Safety pin or tie ends. Let her wear it for a while, to get used
to it. If she soon (within a half hour or so) wanders off and goes to
sleep, or goes to sleep in your lap or beside you, consider this part of
the attempt to be successful. When she wakes up, remove the wrap.

On another day, at another time, while she is out of sight, get your
nail clippers or ear cleaning stuff ready. Wrap her up again. Let her
wander around a bit, then pick her up and do EITHER ears or feet.
Calmly, confidently. Give her a tiny treat after each ear or each
toe.... without any fuss. Praise her quietly as long as she is
accepting what you are doing. Aim for cleaning ONE ear or clipping two
nails in this session. Leave her wrapped up and put her down on the
floor and go do your thing.

If she throws a hissy-fit, leave her wrapped, put her down and walk
away. Ignore her. Try again in another hour.... or take up where you
left off.

Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat........ staying calm and firm and
praising any acceptable behavior.

How do I know this works? I only know how this worked for one of my
dogs who became panic stricken during thunderstorms. Even if he was
well into panic when I wrapped him up, he was asleep by my feet within
a few minutes. BUT, every dog is different. It takes some dogs a while
after being wrapped to relax, and this length of time may or may not
reduce with repetition. There are some dogs this does not work for at
all. There are dogs it works for for sounds, but nothing else. Lots of
variations on the theme!

If it works for your little twerp, THEN consider getting a Thundershirt
or an Anxiety Wrap jacket ( www.anxietywrap.com ). If correctly fitted,
it will work the same way, just more simple to get on....

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia, USA