Chihuahua night anxiety

Question
QUESTION: HI,I adopted a rescue from a puppy mill. She is a wonderful dog and I love her dearly. Here is my problem; after the first few nights in her crate she began sleeping with me. She had done that for 3 years. We had a fearsome thunderstorm. My little baby was scared to death. This was followed by the noise of the 4th of July. She would go to bed and would sleep well until the middle of the night. At this time she would jump awake and begin to vomit. I would then put her in her crate. She calmed down but was very tired the next day. After about 4 nights in her crate she vomited in her crate. At this point I got some medication to help her at night. She did well for about a week then suddenly last night she jumped up, jumped off my bed and wanted in her crate. I put her in and went to bed. No vomiting! But, today she seem exhausted to the point that I am afraid she is not sleeping in the crate. Any hints of what I can do to help my little girl?

ANSWER: Hi Linda...

How long ago did you adopt her from the puppy mill?  You've had her for three years, is that right?  And she's been sleeping with you for three years?  Is this the first thunderstorm that she has experienced, or was this one worse than any others?  How does she usually react with thunderstorms or loud noises like fireworks?  When she had this type of reaction (to the severe thunderstorm), did you have her examined by a qualified veterinarian?  I ask due to the vomiting mainly. What color was the vomit (yellow, clear, frothy, undigested food)? What medication did you give her to calm her down and how much?  When was her last physical?  When were her last vaccinations, heartworm medications or flea preventatives?  Is she on any type of medication on a regular basis?  When was the last time that she had any blood work done?

If you could get back with me with the answers to the above questions, I should be able to have a better idea of what's going on and be able to, hopefully, provide you with some ideas.

Jo Ann

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, I've had her for 3 years. She is a wonderful dog. Except for the first few days, she has slept with me. This started with a severe thunderstorm followed by the 4th. She only vomit at night. Some undigested food, some bile. She has always been afebrile. I've had her to the vet. She got some prophylactic antibiotics. Her physical was fine. She is very healthy. She has always been afraid of storms, but this one was very loud. She gets heart worm medication every month about the middle of the month. She is on no other medication. Her vaccinations were early in the year. Last night she slept well until about dawn. As soon as she got up to go to the end bed I woke up. I called her back I thought I saw some lighting, so I got up to put her in her crate. I never heard any thunder and so thought the lightening was my imagination. And so got her out of the crate. Just about the time we laid back down there was real lighting and thunder and put her back in her crate. She stayed there until it was time to get up. No vomiting. She has stopped doing that. The medication is aupomazine. I think that is correct, it is hard to read his writing. A friend at the Chi rescue suggested DAP.
Linda

Answer
Hi Linda...

I'm wondering why she was given a prophylactic antibiotic?  This was for her reaction to the thunderstorms and noise on the 4th?  What did the vet suspect that he was hoping to fend off?  Did she have blood work? Has she ONLY vomited at night having to do with loud noises?  I'm asking all of this due to the fact that I want to make sure that she's not showing symptoms of a liver shunt (common in this breed of dog).

I'd like you to read up on vaccinations and symptoms of vaccinosis.  Lately, it has been found that dogs don't need vaccinations every year and that there is a definitive problem with over-vaccinating. I titer test my Chihuahuas now and I'm seeing far less reactions to things that were a problem in the past, especially with one Chihuahua and he happens to be my only dog that had a profound reaction to noises like fireworks. Why is she getting heartworm medication all year round?  While this is a medication that is strongly needed in some parts of the country, it is also used in parts of the country where heartworm isn't a problem and is often prescribed all year when mosquitos are only present during the spring or summer months. I only mention this because any toxins that we put into our dog's bodies can manifest in all kinds of problems.

I think the medication that your vet prescribed is acepromazine.  I'm not a big fan of this drug and one side effect is that it causes an inability to maintain normal body temperature which isn't good for the Chihuahua breed.  Even when a Chi has minor surgery, they are placed on a heating pad to maintain body temperature.  This medication can last up to 8 hours and may account for why she seems lethargic the next day.

DAP is usually used for separation anxiety. I'd say that it's worth a try, but it's said that using this without any type of behavior modification (training) probably isn't going to get you the results you're looking for. So, that brings us to the need for conditioning or desensitizing. Many people use CDs or audiotapes of storms to get their dogs use to the sounds and desensitized. You can play these while giving the dog reinforcement that it is safe. You start with only playing a tape for a brief minute and giving the dog positive reinforcement and then playing it for the same amount of time or for a minute longer the next time (depending on how the dog tolerated the last session) and keep going and increasing time increments until the dog, hopefully, appears to be building up a tolerance to the sounds.  

I have a Chihuahua that is horribly intolerant of fireworks and I turn the TV up and turn on either stereos or TVs throughout the house on those nights that we can expect to hear all the loud noise. My other Chihuahuas are totally not affected, but he is.  I notice that he's very sensitive to other sounds that the other dogs aren't bothered by as well - such as a high pitched noise made by a parrot.  I have seen this dog improve over the last couple of years without my using any kind of medication or supplement to calm him.  I use no flea preventatives or other medications on him and he is titer tested instead of automatically vaccinated every year.

Have you considered using Rescue Remedy?  I have quite a bit of confidence in that particular product and they do make one now for pets that is alcohol-free. Make sure not to mix any medications and holistic-type things without consulting with your veterinarian first.  

Linda, I found this website for you and although they talk a lot about various prescription medications, my purpose in showing it to you has more to do with other information that they offer and how they talk about rescue dogs having more of a sensitivity to the same noises that your dog has.  I found that interesting as my one dog that has problems with fireworks is also a rescue dog.  

http://www.baytownhumanesociety.org/info_storms.htm

You're already doing EXACTLY as they recommend by putting your dog in a safe place like her crate when she's so stressed by these sounds. I'd like to see you use safe means of acclimating her to the sounds of storms & fireworks by using conditioning and using safe products like DAP or Rescue Remedy.

I hope this helps some.  

Jo Ann