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Thundershirts Are Go!


Florise
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My boy was stressing at the odd bang an hour or so ago, trying to climb into my lap. I was sceptical but dug out the thundershirt which I had never really had an opportunity t try before. He seems to like wearing it and when all hell broke loose at 12MN he slept through it. Impressed!

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We tried ours for the first time last night but it didn't work :(

Because he is a greyhound I wondered if the fit might not be right due to his deep chest?

Both of my greyhounds wear them, Maddie's first test was last night, and they work well for both, thankfully. They don't work for all unfortunately :( What size have you got CBL?

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We tried ours for the first time last night but it didn't work :(

Because he is a greyhound I wondered if the fit might not be right due to his deep chest?

Both of my greyhounds wear them, Maddie's first test was last night, and they work well for both, thankfully. They don't work for all unfortunately :( What size have you got CBL?

I got the large - he was in the weight range but stupid me didn't think to check his chest size. Patch was blinded in a storm so I totally understand his reaction to thunder/crackers. He is much better than he used to be but last night just paced and clung to me (with his heart racing). Glad you guys had success though! I will try it on him again in a storm - still thinking of trying one on Oscar to take the edge off his vet visits...

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We tried ours for the first time last night but it didn't work :(

Because he is a greyhound I wondered if the fit might not be right due to his deep chest?

CBL, the thundershirt hasn't worked for my storm phobic Belgian & I did a lot of preparatory work beforehand too, as advised. In fact she seems to overheat in it & the panting gets worse. Seems it works for some & not for others, but it is worth persevering & giving it another go.

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We tried ours for the first time last night but it didn't work :(

Because he is a greyhound I wondered if the fit might not be right due to his deep chest?

CBL, the thundershirt hasn't worked for my storm phobic Belgian & I did a lot of preparatory work beforehand too, as advised. In fact she seems to overheat in it & the panting gets worse. Seems it works for some & not for others, but it is worth persevering & giving it another go.

Thanks trifecta - I will give it another go and if it doesn't work i will donate it to rescue.

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It worked on Harry pretty much from the beginning, but Whitney took a few goes.

It works on her now, but she is an anxious soul and also has meds to calm her. The meds only weren't enough, but with the thunder shirt they work much better. We are hoping to get her off the meds eventually, but while she needs them she'll get them.

Try a few more times before you give up on it, and good luck!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have been told that it's ok to leave on when we're not there, but I never do.

Harry (greyhound) would overheat, and Whitney (great dane) seems to get out of any coat I've put on her when we're not there! They're in the house if we're not at home, so can't run away.

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I have a few thundershirts for different dogs, different anxieties. My storm phobic dog only gets full calming effect from the shirt if I get it on her before the storm arrives. She can tell when they are coming though and tries to climb into my lap, panting alot. As long as I get her shirt on and her into a place she feels secure (smallish crate, covered over) then she copes. If she's loose, she tends not to calm as she doesn't feel safe.

My generally anxious boy who got even more freaked with helicopters constantly over us during recent bush fires, sometimes has an anxious night if his routine is disrupted. He then whines and barks all night. If he's unsettled when he comes in of a night I will sometimes need his thundershift on to help settle him. He usually needs a spray of dap or some rescue remedy too.

I also used to have a little rescued dog who didn't like being confined in a crate but who sometimes needed to be if I was out at a trial for example. He was much moer relaxed (won't say completely chilled) if I got his coat on well before he went into the crate. If he was in the crate and became anxious before the shirt went on then it didn't have as much effect.

I am finding the combination of shirt, dap and rescue remedy the best, especially for my boy who needs his routine to go to plan.

I never leave them on when I'm not there either. They aren't unsafe or anything but I don't like a potentially anxious (and panting) dog to maybe overheat.

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