Separation Anxiety can get expensive!

Pets are great. They’re rewarding to have, they are awesome to snuggle, and they can make a home complete. Sometimes they aren’t all fun and games though, sometimes they can get expensive. Pets, particularly dogs, can get sick, lost, or hit by cars. They can also develop bad habits that can get very expensive. We’ve all heard stories of home owners returning to find half of their home destroyed by a dog who gets nervous when left alone.

When I first adopted Molly, we cautiously introduced her to our rented house. We got her from the SPCA, so we were unsure about what quirks she might have, or if she was going to be destructive when we left her alone. The last thing we wanted was to come home to the dry wall chewed or something else our land lord wouldn’t look to kindly upon. Fortunately, she wasn’t destructive and didn’t mind being left alone.

She wasn’t perfect though, she came with a few issues. She was afraid of the car, she’d tremble and shake for the whole ride. She was also afraid of other dogs. While a big golden retriever gallumphing towards you might look friendly and seem like nothing to worry about, to my dog Molly, it looked like an evil monster coming to eat her.

So I took her to a trainer, and while she gave me many things to work on, she also recommended I try out a Thundershirt to help alleviate Molly’s anxiety towards her canine brethren.

I was lucky enough to get a chance to review a Thunder shirt. Its an interesting concept and works on the same principal as the swaddling of babies. Swaddling a baby tightly in a blanket makes them feel comfortable and safe. By fitting a dog with a snug shirt, the same effect can be achieved. For more information on the science behind it, click here. The tightness of the shirt provides a calming sense of security for Molly, and helps her cope with situations that cause her anxiety.

The first time I tried the Thundershirt on Molly, I wasn’t sure how it would work. Fitting the shirt was easy, the website guide allowed me to select her size, and the shirt actually fastens with three sturdy velcro flaps. I fastened it on her and, after letting her get used to it for about 15 minutes, we loaded her up in the car to take a drive and see if her usual symptoms were any different.

She didn’t quite know what to make of it at first.

When we usually go for a drive with the dog in the car, there’s a lot of panting, drooling, and trembling. She doesn’t wine, but she’s clearly uncomfortable and unhappy. While wearing the  Thundershirt, she seemed much less concerned about the whole situation. The same thing occurred when we introduced her to a doggie friend that she hasn’t seen in many months. When she first met him, she was afraid, and growled and snarled to warn the other dog to stay away! This time around, she was much less concerned with him and was soon snoozing on the floor. No growling or snarling.

Molly loves her Thundershirt

Nowadays, before we take Molly anywhere that might make her nervous, I put on her Thundershirt as an extra layer of security. I still plan on continuing to work with the trainer to help her move past her issues, but the Thundershirt gives her the little bit of extra confidence she needs to face scary situations.

The best part about the Thundershirt is how affordable it is. While professional dog training can cost several hundred dollars to fully deal with a dog’s issues, the Thundershirt is available online for $39. I’m pretty frugal, so this low price appealed to me. It’s also versatile. The shirt was originally designed to help dogs that were afraid of thunderstorms, but its been found to be beneficial in any situation where a dog might be nervous and prone to acting out. Its been used for dogs who are afraid of the vet, who become aggressive with strangers at the door, and for dogs that are scared of being left alone and turn destructive. There’s even a version meant for use on cats!

The behaviors I mentioned above are all too common, and could end up costing the owners thousands to fix and repair the damage done. In those cases, the Thundershirt is a great, low cost training aide to help achieve positive results in conjunction with a trainer.

Not only was Thundershirt kind enough to let me review their great product, they’ve also given me a chance to give one away! If you’ve got a dog or cat with any of the problems mentioned above, you could benefit from using a Thunder shirt on him or her. Don’t have a pet? The Thundershirt has been endorsed by Pet Finder, a huge online pet adoption network. A thunder shirt would make a perfect donation to your local animal shelter, to help ease the worry of the animals in the stressful shelter environment while they wait to find homes.

The giveaway will last one week at which time the winner will be contacted. Entry is super easy! Just follow the instructions in the widget below to enter, there is absolutely no purchase or commitment necessary.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you ever had a pet that had trouble with anxiety? I want to know!