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Help Rescue Dog with Seperation Anxiety

I rescued a female dog from the pound 2 years ago. She is a border collie/flat coat retriever. Very sweet and gentle. She sleeps all the time and sighs a lot. I wonder if she is depressed because she was found abandoned at age 1 and had obviously had puppies. She runs free and happy in the park but when she is home she sleeps all the time. She is very clumsy and often hits her head on furniture. Every once in a while (couple of months) when she goes outside she suddenly runs around zooming in big loops with her rear down. It's very funny. She has seperation anxiety everytime I try to leave, and the last time she was home alone she managed to pull a small (toy) baby stroller through the cat door and shred the whole thing. I never leave her alone anymore. Can anyone suggest a remedy for her? I would really appreciate your help.
 
  norsksunshine on 2007-08-15
This is just a forum. Assume posts are not from medical professionals.
HI

Give your pet Bach flower essence 'Gentian' 4 to 5 drops twice daily for a fortnight followed by the essence 'Honeysuckle' for a fortnight. That will help your pet to become self-assured and handle any short-term or long term separation.
 
maheeru last decade
Thank you Maheeru - I am just curious to know why you recommend the Bach Flowers as treatment and not homeopathic pellets like Ignatia. ? I am not at all trained - just curious. Thanks.
 
norsksunshine last decade
Hi

Bach flower essences in general act wonderfully on animals' emotional and behavioural aspects. Moreover they could be given based on scant striking symptoms.
 
maheeru last decade
Thank you so much Maheeru. I am so grateful for your suggestions for my dog and for taking the time to help me. I will order the remedies and let you know how the treatment goes! Thanks again! Tina
 
norsksunshine last decade
Hi Tina

You're welcome and don't forget to report the progress.
 
maheeru last decade
Maheeru,

I started the remedy for my dog Lola, but I am having trouble getting her to take the drops. What is the best way to give her the remedy???
 
norsksunshine last decade
Administering flower remedies to animals:

Flower remedies are easy to administer to animals. They can be added to food or drinking water, without compromising their efficacy. Other ways of administering remedies include putting the drops on your hand and letting the animal lick them off. Remedies added to little pieces of bread or absorbent biscuit make excellent snacks or training rewards.

You can also squirt the drops from a needleless syringe to the back/side of your pet's mouth.
 
maheeru last decade
My own experience with homeopathy was not to take the remedy with food or drink - so thanks for explaining that about the flower remedies. Administering the remedy to my dog Lola will be much easier this way! Thanks again. I will keep you posted on her progress.

( Just a note - Lola was licking herself quite a bit this morning - grooming herself - This is unusual behavior for Lola since she normally just lays flat all day. I think it's a little too early to tell since I only started the remedy 2 days ago on 08-22, but I am keeping a keen eye on her behavior and monitoring her progress.)
 
norsksunshine last decade
Hi Maheeru.
Just reporting in on my rescue dog Lola. Sad to say that I did exactly as you said and I don't notice much difference in her. I've noticed that she seems even more fearful than before.
 
norsksunshine last decade
Norksunshire can you tell if the anxiety initially improved then worsened or it didn't improve at all?. Can you also tell about your pet's emotional profile, thirst, fears and other behavioral aspects.

You might want to have 'Rescue remedy' in your kit for sparing use during acute fears or severe anxieties.
 
maheeru last decade
Maheeru,

It appeared as if at some point after the second or third week that Lola didn't seem as anxious. I would go outside for 5 minutes and come back inside to find her inside the house instead of right by the door. Then as we went into the third/fourth week it seemed as if that stopped and she started sleeping more underneath the dining table and coffee table. I noticed that her behavior was also a bit more hesitant. In other words hesitant to come to me - walking towards me as if I would hurt her - which I wouldn't of course.

Lola is never really thirsty. She is like a 'ghost' dog. She is very quiet and somehow just 'appears' where we are. Always following us from room to room but very quietly. She likes to sleep near us (me and my daughter) often on our shoes or clothes if they are laying around. She also likes to sleep right in the walkway but also up against the table legs or in the corner somwhere. She is afraid of loud noises and yelling (I imagine that by her behaviour she was with a family where the husband was physically abusive to his spouse and that there was a lot of yelling) One time my father grabbed my mother to dance and Lola went to attack my dad. I have never seen agression in her otherwise. She is a great watch dog at night and will bark and try to chase away whatever it is that comes by - most likely raccoons. Every once in a while Lola will come around for attention but otherwise will lay around all day. She only recently in the past 2 weeks has started eating everything she can find outside (food) and she has discovered the cat food container indoors at night.
Lola loves to go outdoors and run free in the park - then she is a different dog. She goes for those 1 hour walks about every 3 days. She runs around and barks (talking) to other dogs, then she chases squirrels and rabbits and looks like a happy hunting dog. Even her stance looks different. Then she comes home and she is very happy and out of breath and then she goes back into her lay around all day and very hesitant and like depressed all day.
What more can I tell you about her behavior?
 
norsksunshine last decade
Hi Norksunshine

Give your pet Bach remedy 'Walnut' for 20 days. If there's any worsening in between just stop the medicine and report. If you find improvement you can repeat the same for another couple of weeks. As I said earlier have 'Rescue remedy' handy for acute panic or anxiety.

If there's no improvement with the above then after a reasonable gap of 2 weeks repeat 'gentian' on and off for few weeks.
 
maheeru last decade
Hi Maheeru,

Thank you for your advice. I will try the walnut. I wanted to ask you first if you don't think she needs to be treated for her abuse from the past? I forgot to mention that Lola also cowers and hides if I get the fly swatter out and start chasing down a fly. There is no doubt that she was really abused but I just wanted to make sure you were clear about the Walnut before I ordered it. Please let me know. Thanks so much.
 
norsksunshine last decade
Hi Norksunshine

If you browse bach flower literature you might stumble across a reference that 'Walnut' is termed as Link-breaker remedy i.e remedy to break excessive old influences including abuse, relocation, loss of litter, put up in a pound etc. Moreover its a good complementary after 'Honeysuckle'. However we'll have to wait and watch how your pet responds to this remedy.
 
maheeru last decade
Hi Maheeru,

I read up on the link-breaker. Thanks for that info. I will let you know how the Walnut goes.
 
norsksunshine last decade
Hi Maheeru,
I have given my dog Lola the Walnut for over 20 days and there is no difference in her behavior. What do you want me to do next? Gentian again?
 
norsksunshine last decade
Hi Norksunshine

Yes, administer Gentian as I've mentioned above. You can continue it on and off till you see amelioration and until you don't see any aggravation. We'll see later if h'pathic remedy can be chosen for your pet if the problem still persists.
 
maheeru last decade

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