FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

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christina chow mum
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FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by christina chow mum »

Hi Chow friends, this is an FYI. I am walking on air, jumping for joy right now :) :)
Mentioned in other posts Ming’s (and mine) terrified, traumatic episodes during thunderstorms. Storms have been predicted here for all of this week thru Saturday, my stomach has been churning at the thought. It isn't raining yet but have already boarded up the shower, got his lead and “fear blanket” ready and was prepared to “sit it out” again singing to him and just hoping he won’t have a heart attack this time around :roll:
This note may be useful to “Oscar’s Mum” for her Toby chow and FYI for “Me&Tess” who has been a pillar of strength suggesting medications for Ming. Unfortunately these are not available in Greece.

By chance I met my neighbour this morning with relatives in the U.S. She gave me a product which they had used to bring back a new puppy on a long Atlantic plane trip. (The poor little thing slept all the way through I am told) =D=

It is a tube of “Gel” which dogs lick off your fingers like a doggy treat in a certain amount according to weight, about half an hour before the “terrors” begin. That’s great for me coz getting pills down Ming in his food is always risky, hit and miss and like most dogs, strangely, he always “knows” it’s in there. :roll: :roll:

The product is QUIET MOMENTS by NaturVet California, U.S. The main producer is Garmon Corporation (http://www.naturvet.com/) The site has a “talk over” about the product. It is a calming aid for dogs covering Fireworks, Grooming, Boarding, Thunderstorms, Travelling, Night Terrors, et al.

So I now have this fat little tube in my hot little hand and am about to go “licking” with Ming, lol! Thank the lord for good neighbours! Due to Ming’s great strength and the total chaos/wreckage he leaves behind in my tiny flat after a “storm terror” I am really keen to see if it works on him!

“Oscar’s Mum” Don’t know if this is available in the U.K. ? Hope so! :)
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by christina chow mum »

Well would you BELIEVE it :!: Another FYI. I have just been in the yard, my fingers covered in the aforementioned "Miracle" Gel which is brown, yucky and smells of marmite and the little monster absolutely refused to lick the stuff off my fingers as per instructions. So, using my "Alpha Dog" tactics, I smeared it all over 2 of the boiled bones I give him. Well, the bones are gone but in their place is a dollop of the brown gel on the ground... sob!! Right that's it! The storm hasn't come yet but his next dose of gel is going to get mixed up in his food. If he's hungry enough he'll get it down him ...but with Chows...maybe not :?: :roll: :roll:
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by christina chow mum »

Oooooops! folks, I am feeling like a real insensitive female "dork" right now :oops: :oops: Raving on about Ming licking gel off my fingers, or not, whether a storm is coming or not, Greek weather reports and "fear blankets" blah blah blah,when on a beautiful tiny paradise on this Planet there are 10,000 Phillipinos dead, 2,000 missing whereabouts unknown and god knows how many more, no fresh water, electricity or food, orphan babies everywhere, looting and rape, and all this from their own dreadful storm. It is a pity that there is no tube of Quiet Moments Calming Gel in the world that could even begin to deal with "Nature's Revenge on Man". I am not a religious person but I will pray for them in my own way. :oops: :oops:
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by christina chow mum »

Quickie feedback. I don't know how much gel Ming managed to swallow but right now we are in the middle of a real "banger" storm. He came in, didn't go near the shower at ALL (WOW!) and came and lay down at my feet. I have covered him with his "fear blanket" from head to foot and am stroking him on and off. There is still the "panting and trembling all over" but not half as much as it used to be. Great!! I highly recommend this gel, for sure! Right now in Patras in southern Greece, houses have been blown down, cars washed away, landslides, total electricity blackout. What is WRONG with this planet of ours :?: :?:
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by christina chow mum »

Finally to put this to bed, "It's raining, it's pouring and old Ming's SNORING!" =D= =D= =D= =D=
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by chow4life »

Ha. Glad all is well with Ming. Your stories are to funny:)
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by lrfishwick »

Wonderful news - long may the snoring continue!!
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by wokman »

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) might want to look into what is in that brown, smelly calming jell. There has been all kinds of things put into these products that someone is mixing and packaging, yes even in the sometimes over regulated land of the Free. I do not imply that any one involved is knowingly recommending any thing that is illegal or harmful. There has been many people out there hawking snake oil to people desperate for a cure. It is easy now for anyone to put up a slick web site to impress those desperate for a cure to their ills or just wanting to save some money. I hope you have found a legitimate and safe product for Mings anxiety attacks. =}=
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by wokman »

Have you thought about sharing a few shots of Ouzo with Ming as the storms approach, if Ming won't take any at least one of you can calm your nerves. Hope you do not have to use the W.C. during one of the storms since you boarded things up.
While you are here in the U.S. for your conferences you should find a PetSmart or PetCo store and purchase Ming a Thunder Shirt, they are not cheap as is the case with most Pet products. I have been told they help, but time is needed to get the Animal use to the feeling of it.
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by christina chow mum »

Good afternoon my friends, so the storm (the biggie eeekie iggie trembly one) is over but there are more to come tomorrow god help us all! :roll: :roll: Just found 5 minutes to let you know how the sticky smelly jelly stuff finally worked out in case any of your chows may have need of it in the future.

As I said in the main topic and before giving it to Ming, albeit the storms come so fast you don't get a chance to open an umbrella let alone dose up a raging, furious, terrified 40 kilo chow with unknown "chow mummy's pharmy stuff" plus the fact there is NO WAY I am giving house room to a "JUNKIE Chow" LOL! so I did a bit of research with the manufacturer:
The product is QUIET MOMENTS by NaturVet California, U.S. The main producer is Garmon Corporation (http://www.naturvet.com/) The site has a “talk over” about the product. It is a calming aid for dogs covering Fireworks, Grooming, Boarding, Thunderstorms, Travelling, Night Terrors, et al.

I had already buzzed you that he had refused the "Kentucky Fried Finger Lickin' Gel Trick", as recommended by the manufacturer :roll: so had smeared it on 2 of his bones and that kind of went somewhere inside him but who knows where it went in the perennial fight to the death struggle and with all that fur.... :)

So, at the start of the storm, he knocked on the door in a total panic, I let him in, shaking all over (no, not ME dear ..HIM..) :roll: He completely ignored the bathroom (Eureka!) lay down next to my feet, surprise surprise... so I covered him from head to foot with his "fear blanket" with the dalmation dog spots all over it, stuck his fave brutally murdered teddy bear that he still really adores next to him and sat up stroking him until about 2a.m.

I don't know this product and was concerned about any side effects so I "watched" him carefully. The only difference (apart from his ignoring the bathroom where during every storm for the last 5 years god help me, he tried to dig his way to Australia in the shower basin in a mad panic, really bad on the nerves and the neighbours' quiet nights with all that clanging, scraping and banging on the fibre glass....groan..) - was in his breathing which was shallow and somewhat "raspy". Got a bit concerned about that but he soon went "doggy deep throat" and slept all night!! I found him on his own bed this morning, looking quite perky, hungry as hell, enjoyed his walk, toilet factory back and front all in working order and tail wagging quite normally...he he he...WOW!

No side effects as far as I can see so will order a couple of tubes of the magic potion gel from NaturVet.
All joking aside, these episodes have been a total nightmare for both of us (and my neighbours) :roll: :roll: so am delighted to have found something that actually does what it says it will, and actually did! =D= =D= =D=
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by Cam Atis »

Cristina, my sister have a dog that goes crazy during New Year's Eve with lots of firecrackers being heard. And he does not like storms too. Fireworks, one time he bite through the plywood of the screendoor, damaged the screen too, either getting out or getting in we dont know as he is INSIDE the house.. Using his paws and enormous teeth. The ff year, he was caged that time, he managed to stuck his head out of the round bars and well, you imagine the commotion just to unstuck him.

My dogs also used to hide during New Years Eve in some quiet corner. But they are mostly fine, knowing nothing would ever hurt them there. Try to be nonchalant about it. Ming might pick it up. Cassie is different. Everytime she hears a loud crack, she'd bark back. I was laughing on her first year and first experience of the New year's eve.

Also, just to correct you, you may call us Filipinos, not Philippinos. Our country is Philippines and we are Filipinos. Change of spelling but that's the way it is spelled. If in tagalog vernacular, you may say Pilipino. The country being named for King Philip of Spain. Duh. And the 10,000 death toll is well, not sure. The dead is closer to 2,000 but who knows. Dead if the body is found, missing if the body is not found. So maybe 2000 dead, 8000 missing. Duh. Technicalities.

About the gel your neighbor gave you, it must have some sedatives in it. I AM SURE . I would not try it unless out of desperation. Chows are somewhat sensitive to anesthetics and so I think it is also not a good thing to let him eat it
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by christina chow mum »

Well, many thanks for all the great info Cam Atis and sorry about the spelling (Filipino). :oops: :oops: I only gave Ming one dose of the gel which I don't like doing and that helped calm him down through the great big storm we had last week. The last 3 storms I didn't give him anything at all and to my surprise he seemed to cope with them much better and actually slept through the last lot of thunder!! In Greece the weather is very hot with no rain at all from April to October so this rain now suddenly in November is very difficult for him to adapt to. I think it is also a question of my attitude towards him during these terrible panic attacks for so little time that we have rain or storms as I tend to panic more than him, on his behalf, :roll: but thank you for your input.
FYI: I have a friend who lives in England, her name is Grace. Her mother Luz is Filipino from Manila and her Father was English. We met several times times whenever I was at Exhibitions in the U.K. Although her Father was English she looks very Filipino. I have also met several of her family and friends over the years and heard a lot of Tagalog being spoken!. :) I hope that you nor your family have lost someone in this dreadful tragedy and wish you all the strength in the World to help you help those close to you. :)
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by rmb »

My Lucy who went to doggy heaven a few years ago was always extremely anxious during storms until I heard that if you rub a dog down with a dryer sheet, it takes out the static and calms them. It worked for her!
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by Me & Tess »

"Quiet Moments by NaturVet" sounds very safe. This summer I made Lilly a light chamomile tea & she loved it. I had wild chamomile growing in my garden. You only use the flowers. I didn't dry & save any. Should have more cropping up next spring. Happy Ming is doing better. Sorry about the Vaseline, I've used it on Lilly's little feet. She loves her feet rubbed.
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by christina chow mum »

Ha ha, bless you Me&Tess you really are a dear.
Don't say sorry... (Loving a chow means never having to say your'e sorry....). I thought the Vaseline trick was a GREAT idea as had never even thought of it before and thanks to you, he is "cured". =D= =D=
We too have camomile growing here in the Spring, just like yellow carpets everywhere. I collect bagfuls of it, wash it well and dry it in the sun thru the Summer.
Another thing you may be interested in for "Chow home remedies" is ALOE. I have huge aloes growing around my area and collect and cut the huge leaves into pieces and keep them in the fridge. [See pic below]. If you slice thru the aloe lengthwise, you get a kind of viscous gel which, if you apply it to burns, cools the skin, takes out the burn sensation and covers the area with a very thin "aloe bandaid". LOL!

Ming used to get what I call "Chow hot spots". I am sure you know about those. They are large round red spots (dermatitis) which itch, are painful and drive the chow mad trying to "get to them". :roll: :roll:
So I cut the fur around those, dry the spot with kleenex, then apply the cut aloe to the spot. It works a charm!! Inexpensive too!
Take care! :) :)
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by christina chow mum »

rmb said "...My Lucy who went to doggy heaven a few years ago was always extremely anxious during storms until I heard that if you rub a dog down with a dryer sheet, it takes out the static and calms them. It worked for her!..."

Many thanks for the input rmb, much appreciated. :) I have said before we don't have any rain at all in Greece from April thru October so thankfully Ming's dreaded storm terrors are few and far between during November, early December, then strangely Spring comes back again around February with all the fruit trees in gorgeous blossom. I don't think this is "global warming" its just simply "Mediterrannean style Nature" LOL!

These last few storms Ming has really improved, but I also think the improvement is due to my OWN attitude towards him during these "panic attacks". I have learned not to go up against him but to be calmer and more positive in dealing with his fears. :roll: :roll:

I doubt if I will ever need it but what exactly is a "dryer sheet"? Greece is still a way behind with wonderful per imports so have never heard of this.
Thanks again!
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by Me & Tess »

:lol: :lol: A dryer sheet comes in a little box, i.e., "Snuggle." You pull a sheet out and throw it in the dryer along with your wet clothes to make them soft & gives a pleasant smell. It also takes away "static cling."

I had a huge aloe vera plant in Southern California. It is too cold up here in the north country to keep them outside. I do have a small one that needs to be divided, basically it is a house plant.
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Re: FOUND A CURE FOR MING'S STORM TERRORS?

Post by christina chow mum »

O.K. Me&Tess, many thanks for the info, but I haven't got a clothes dryer LOL! :lol: :lol: Don't think anyone else has in Greece either.[?] I always had one in the U.K. a huge Bendix as it was pouring rain over there for 10 months of the year. :roll: :roll: Over here thank heavens, things dry very quickly. I get the picture though and know what you mean about static. Thanks again.

Re: Aloes. This big Vera is very similar to her big old auntie Vera just down the road. Lately I have been looking underneath both of them and pulling off the little "pup" shoots to pot them up in various containers where they are all quite happy. (See pics). I never buy plants. I collect seeds, shoots, roots and branches to root and plant. Right now in my kitchen an avocado pip has just sprouted after being stuck in a jar of water for over a month with three toothpicks he he! Also rooting spider plants, zebrinas and arctic ivy. Its all great fun! \:D/
My yard is all cement except under the pomegranate tree in the corner. Not much earth there so I complement it every day with tea leaves from my daily English tea. =D= =D= I also put tea leaves on the top soil of the other pots as a kind of "mulch". Banana skins are also good as a "mulch" as they contain potassium.
Thank you again and hope Lilly is still loving you to bits! :) :)
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