My dog, Pony.  Photo by me.

 Humans are not the only species on Earth that get stressed.  All creatures get stressed.  Perhaps one of the most stressed creatures are dogs, just because they spend so much of their times around stressed people.  Since dogs are so great for reducing stress in their people, it’s only fair that we people try to help our dogs when they are under stress.  Although there are anti-depressants available for dogs, there is also natural doggy Prozac.  As always, please don’t use this article in the place of a veterinarian’s advice.

Desensitizing

This only works if you know in advance what is stressing out your dog.  In desensitization, to work as natural doggy Prozac, you have to very gradually introduce the stressful element into the dog’s life so that they learn tolerance.  Many dogs are terrified of thunderstorms, for example.  You can get a tape or CD of a thunderstorm and play it at a very low level.  Reward your dog for this.  Make thunderstorm desensitization time fun time.  This also shows that your dog can look to you to know if s/he should be stressed or not.

Dog Appeasing Pheromones (DAP)

Not only can microscopic scent (called pheromones) be used to attract a mate, it can also help calm your dog down.  This is perhaps the most natural doggy Prozac that you can buy.  Dog Appeasing Pheromones (DAP) mimics the scent mother dogs put off when they want to calm their puppies down.  DAP has only been out for the last decade or so, but the results are promising.  You can get DAP in a room disperser or a spray.

Herbs

I don’t recommend using your dogs to experiment with herbal remedies.  I do recommend using doggy products that have herbs in them.  A popular and safe homeopathic remedy for both dogs and humans in Bach’s Rescue Remedy, made up of flower essences.  You can put a few drops in the dog’s drinking water or directly onto the tongue (if you can safely work with his mouth when he’s stressed).  This is very mild natural doggy Prozac.

There are also biscuits with calming herbs in them that can be given as a treat ten minutes before going to the vet, or whenever a situation is about to occur when you know your dog will be stressed out.  There is also a paste form which looks a lot like smooth cake frosting that is infused with calming herbs like chamomile or vervain.

Grannie’s Lap

For my own dog, Pony, I’ve discovered that the best natural doggy Prozac ever is clamboring up into her Grannie’s lap. (I’m Pony’s Mommy, my biological mother is Pony’s Grannie.  It makes sense in its own twisted way, trust me).  When Pony gets stressed, she seeks the comfort and security of Grannie’s lap.  As Pony weighs nearly sixty pounds, sometimes Grannie gets stressed by Pony leaping into her lap.  However, it works every time.

Hope this helps.

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