Psychological Or Physical - Help Needed With My Lab

[RPMgirl]

Hi everyone,

I don't post a lot but I'm the proud owner of a seven month old puppy, Lucy. She's a yellow Labrador.

She's usually full of joyous puppy behaviour, but something's happened today that I need help with.

She had her usual morning walk and was very happy - then I had to take my kids to school. Whilst I was at the school a very noisy storm struck and there was an enormous clap of thunder. When I got home she was saturated, drooling and shivering.

My initial thoughts were that she's got a fright from the storm - she's an outside dog but has a kennel on our deck which is enclosed on three sides. She's been mopey and tail between her legs all day and keeps shivering on and off. She'll accept a liver treat but wouldn't touch her daily bone.

I'm wondering now if there's the possibility she may have been bitten by something but I thought if that was the case she'd be frothing at the mouth (she isn't) and not eating or drinking.

How do you deal with a dog that's been scared. I've just tried to bustle around the house as usual and keep our routine normal but I hate seeing her like this.

Cheers.

[Caesars mum]

RPMgirl, I don't have any advice but if she has never been scared of storms before I would be checking with the neighbours to see if anything else happened whilst you were out.

if she does not improve I would take her to the vet.

can you take her for a short walk and maybe take her mind off what happened

[noisymina]

and there was an enormous clap of thunder. When I got home she was saturated, drooling and shivering.

How close? Could that lightning have come to earth somewhere very close to your house?

If so, that might explain it.

She may be suffereing from shock if that is the case.

I assume you have dried her and warmed her since you got home.

[RPMgirl]

Yes, I dried her, warmed her up and popped her into her Hound House.

Where she is, the neighbours can't see her but I might take her for a little walk and see how she goes. I did call the vet and they suggested to just go about normal routine to help her calm down.

[RPMgirl]

I did take her for a walk and she saw a few of her doggy friends - tail wagging and much happier - the tail goes between the legs as soon as we get home. I wonder if she's associating the back yard with "bad things". I also called the trainer who has been helping me and she suggested to just keep on doing as I'd been doing. Thanks for the walk suggestion. It did help!

[noisymina]

Yeh - makes me think that lightning was a bit too close for comfort. Poor thing.

It happens here quite a bit as we are on a large block, can see for quite a distnace and have lots of trees.

Needles to say, our dog prefers inside away from windows and lights on when it storms. If we are not home, she runs around in it and gets soaking wet, like yours did.

If lightning hit close by, I guess she would be the same as yours was when we got home. Luckily that has not happened.

[poodlefan]

Did it rain?

Was the ground wet when you got home?

[Adza]

I know how she feels, I'm totally scared of storms . I haven't had one since we got pup, but I'm trying to sort myself out I'll probably be ok knowing I have to be for her sake.

If you got a loud clap of thunder then the lightning would have been close by.

[sas]

If you're worried take her to the Vets.

She may just be reacting to the storm and perhaps you felt a little sorry for her and treated her differently and so she's continuing the behaviour?

[RPMgirl]

Thanks for the input everyone. She's back to being her normal Labrador self I haven't had the experience of any of my dogs ever being frightened by storms so it was a new experience.

Many thanks.

[noisymina]

Glad to hear it!

[MissMonaro]

Dont know where in QLD you are....but I invite you to my place next time we have a huge thunderstorm and you can see the effects it has here.

Our house was actually struck by lightning a few years ago now. Hit one side of the house and blew the TV, air conditioner, hot water system that were all on that side of the house. We were actually out at the time so I have no idea how the dogs reacted.

So now one gets very agitated. We bring her inside where she will drool, pant, pace, whine and basically she has an anxiety attack. I'm sure she would jump inside my skin if she could. We do have sedatives for her - but I only ever give them to her if it is really really necessary.

One of the others will sit at the back door and bark to come inside when there is a thunderstorm - when I let her in she settles down on the mat and is happy.

Sometimes though I'll go outside into the pergola area with the others and just play catch etc to take their minds off the storm. I can't always be here when a storm hits so they do need to learn to cope themselves and I know that pandering or letting them sook to me doesnt help the anxiety.

My in-laws actually had a dog that smashed through a flyscreen / open window to get inside out of a storm and when inside would go into a dark cupboard and hide until the storm had passed.

[RPMgirl]

Dont know where in QLD you are....but I invite you to my place next time we have a huge thunderstorm and you can see the effects it has here.

Our house was actually struck by lightning a few years ago now. Hit one side of the house and blew the TV, air conditioner, hot water system that were all on that side of the house. We were actually out at the time so I have no idea how the dogs reacted.

So now one gets very agitated. We bring her inside where she will drool, pant, pace, whine and basically she has an anxiety attack. I'm sure she would jump inside my skin if she could. We do have sedatives for her - but I only ever give them to her if it is really really necessary.

One of the others will sit at the back door and bark to come inside when there is a thunderstorm - when I let her in she settles down on the mat and is happy.

Sometimes though I'll go outside into the pergola area with the others and just play catch etc to take their minds off the storm. I can't always be here when a storm hits so they do need to learn to cope themselves and I know that pandering or letting them sook to me doesnt help the anxiety.

My in-laws actually had a dog that smashed through a flyscreen / open window to get inside out of a storm and when inside would go into a dark cupboard and hide until the storm had passed.

:D

HI Miss Monaro,

Thanks so much I'm in Brisbane - I am glad to know I am not alone. Do you breed Labs - I love your avatar photo

[noisymina]

Lightning struck the telephone pole out the front of out place once. Our telephone line is aerial and therefore run on the same poles as the power.

The power must have tripped the breaker so that was ok.

But the surge came down the phone line, destroyed the phone, zapped the TV remote that was on a table near it, which then zapped and killed the TV.

Thankfully we were not home.

Even more thankfully, nobody was using the phone at the time.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

You can buy a CD by Dr Harry that desensitises dogs to thunder storms. For about $25, it could be money well spent - haven't tried it myself but keep meaning to.

I have sedatives for my dog who barks throughout storms, it is really annoying.

[RPMgirl]

You can buy a CD by Dr Harry that desensitises dogs to thunder storms. For about $25, it could be money well spent - haven't tried it myself but keep meaning to.

I have sedatives for my dog who barks throughout storms, it is really annoying.

Thanks for this suggestion, I'll see if I can find it :D

[jacobite]

Close lightning strike sounds likely to me.

We had lightning strike our house while I was home, it made a HELL of a bang and shook the house ( and fried my video recorder )

Only had an older dog at home ( an Afghan ) and she was not bothered at all.

Dave