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Hi Susie

Anxiety is really difficult, although lots of useful suggestions in the posts above. It seems like Border Collies have thunderstorm issues in particular. My step-mum had one, a dear girl called Megan, who would cram herself into the tiniest gap under a bed, and sometimes even pee herself during fireworks or thunderstorms. It is really difficult to try to help them feel better.

I am convinced there is a link between stress/anxiety and IMHA in some cases, although not all. Molly was an anxious cat, ever since her first vaccinations. Of course, cats are different to dogs, but we used a feliway plug in, which is the feline version of adaptil. There was also a product called Zylkene we tried. Did they work? Not sure, but worth a try perhaps. Zylkene is a tablet, so be sure to check with a vet if you want to try that.

Other things we did (mainly because she developed idiopathic cystitis), was to put down more water bowls, and more litter trays, as well as giving her lots of places she could hide. Again, this is quite cat focused, but it was because I had more than one cat and it was aimed at reducing her feeling of competition. Could that be an issue for Emily at all?

Don’t worry, you are not the only one who does silly voices on behalf of their pets ;)

Good luck with the fireworks, and have a happy independence day.

Mary and Mable x

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Oh Brigitte, the luring of the dogs into the pool with cheese did make me laugh. I reckon that would do the trick for me too :)

[admin]

Hahaha, that did make me chuckle! Not sure what smells better – both are ok by me ;)
xxx

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Hi all

Thank you so much for all your helpful replies. The girl is doing ok, taking her pred like a champ, and although the patch is still quite sore, I’m hoping it will start to heal soon. Thank you for your reassurance about reducing the pred – feeling much better about that. Vally – such an important point that I’d never considered about why some vets cut pred so drastically in IMHA pets. I also had a short course of it once, like your nephew, and stopped abruptly. I think you guys must be right about the duration being the important factor.

Brigitte – thank you for telling me about your daughter’s allergies, although I am sorry they have been through all that. You are so right, that allergies are so complex. I have reacted to certain medications, then been fine, then reacted again. I think, as you say, it is sometimes more than just the allergen which triggers it – certainly in some types of reaction anyway. I also think stress is a huge factor, although perhaps not well understood.

Mable is an outdoor cat – she has free access in and out during the day, and I keep her in at night. I’m afraid her diet is very commercial. She is immensely fussy, and turns her nose up at almost anything outside what she knows and likes (except prawns, thanks to Sheena). I do try to add a few bits of fresh food and grain-free foods at times, but I can try adding more – I even have a cat recipe book somewhere (!) This allergy is definitely seasonal and happens every summer, for the past 3-4 years, only this year it’s worse. My gut feeling is a grass allergy, maybe like Lynn’s Madison. I put grass seed down a few hours before I found the sore. Vet said she would likely have respiratory symptoms, so may be coincidental. The other likelihood is a flea allergy, so I am focusing on keeping her environment flea-free, as I’m confident she is flea-free at the moment.

Dr Dodds is another possibility – I will take a look at her site and see what’s available for cats, and if we can use the facilities from over here.

Thank you all again, so much. It is such a help to have somewhere supportive to figure all this out! Life in the aftermath of IMHA is never quite the same, and I so appreciate being with others who understand that.

Lots of love,

Mary and Mable x

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Thank you Lynn. I’ve been looking into the brewer’s yeast you mentioned, as well as the diatomaceous earth, and I think these seem quite promising. I’m just trying to get her skin better before I do anything, and probably need to run it past the vet too, but I definitely prefer this idea to chemicals. I’m also just trying to keep the environment and all her bedding clear. Most people seem to put the brewer’s yeast in the food, although some say you can just rub a little into the coat which I prefer the sound of. Apparently it’s totally different to baker’s yeast, which isn’t safe.

Thank you again – I really do appreciate your help!

Mary and Mable x

[admin]

Worth having a look
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/fear-noises

[admin]

Hi Susie

I read about the diarrhoea – pretty likely to be coincidence with dropping the famotidine, but these things are always sent to worry us when we change something in their routine/treatment. Glad to hear Emily has settled on that front – keep us posted on that though.

I’m really with you on this fireworks/thunder – I also had a border collie who was FRANTIC with any loud bangs. He would try & dig through the floor, try to get UNDER the fitted carpet & he was inconsolable. Do not cuddle Emily or make any fuss of her. Ignoring (that is so hard when they are destructive) worked better for us than anything, although being happy & clapping as if we were having a great time worked too – sometimes – not always. We played loud music/TV which did help slightly. We also tried playing with his toys – not interested. And yet, at Christmas he would get to burst all the balloons in one go with his teeth & he loved it – bizarre? I do think the Tellington Touch is really good – try it, please. What about a crate? do you have one that she likes going into? Worth a thought, but we never used a crate as it made him go nuts.

I have also heard noise aversion therapy works – this will take time though, so doesn’t help you in the short term. You play recorded bangs, fireworks & thunder on your iPod or whatever, very quietly to start with, then gradually up the volume over weeks & months.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/pets-health/6502787/Noise-therapy-will-keep-dogs-quiet-on-Bonfire-Night.html

I feel so sorry for you – it is awful to see them so stressed out – keeping calm is number one for now, so Emily knows you are not worried (ha ha). Hoping it will soon be quiet again. We are experiencing a heat wave too – set to get much worse over the next few days – no fun for our pets at all.

Love Sheena xxxxx

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Hi Mary

Brigitte’s post is fantastic – a process of elimination & detective work for you then!

That dose of pred is small & – most importantly – short – compared to the huge longer terms doses for IMHA. Mable should not have a problem at this level, but we completely understand why you are wary – I am always cautious these days & we have every right to be – you especially so, Mary, having had such a terribly sad time with poor Molly. And don’t you EVER say a post is silly – anything goes on here if it makes us feel better or gets us some support & advice from others, you know that. We are here to worry together!

Love Sheena & the boys xxxxx