Noise Aversion in Dogs

posted: Thu Jun 09 16:02:43 EDT 2016 by: Jill Farley Tags: "Clinic Specials" "News" 

Common triggers of noise aversion in dogs can vary. Fireworks are a top trigger in dogs with July 5th being the busiest day for shelter intakes in the United States with so many dogs escaping their yard and homes. Other triggers include: 
-Traffic or street noise
-Construction work
-Celebrations
-Thunder


Common behaviors displayed by dogs reported by pet owners are the following:
63% Trembling/shaking/ears back
59% Clingy
56% Hiding
45% Panting
44% Pacing/restless
44% Whining/whimpering/barking
37% Cowering
30% Hypervigilant
17% Tries to escape/does escape

Methods for helping with the fear can vary from dog to dog. Sometimes merely remaining calm and not reacting yourself along with playing music or the television extemely loud can be enough. It is generally not a good idea to placate/pet/soothe the dog as that seems to reinforce the idea that the noise IS a scary thing. If your dog has this noise anxiety try and be sure to anticipate events that can elevate this fear and make sure your dog is not outside or in an area that it may panic and escape the yard or collar. Have you ever seen a dog panic when watching a parade and the fire truck siren goes off? (add parades to the list of triggers while we are at it.)  :)

The next level of treating noise aversion is through medications. Some do work wonderfully but need to be given in advance and have the side effect of sedation which is usually not desired.

A new drug is now available called SILEO (dexmedetomidine oromucosal gel) that calms without sedating which allows for normal dog-owner interactions during noise events. It is the first and only FDA-approved treatment for canine noise aversion and is clinically proven to be safe and effective. It is fast-acting episodic treatment that is easy to administer at home by the owner. The name SILEO comes from the Latin word sileo, which translates to English as "be silent". The correct pronunciation for SILEO is /si-lehh-o/.


Sileo is a gel that is administered between the dog's cheek and gums 30-60 minutes before the anxiety event OR immediately after the dog shows signs of fear related to noise OR when the owner detects a typical noise stimulus (example fireworks) eliciting anxiety or fear in the dog.

It will take 30-60 minutes  for SILEO to take full effect, and the effect typically lasts 2-3 hours. Should the fear-eliciting noise continue and the dog's noise aversion behaviors resume, further doses can be given at minimal intervals of 2 hours-- up to 5 doses can be given during one noise event.


If your dog suffers from noise aversion consider trying SILEO. With hurricane season upon us along with holiday celebrations it would be a great time to have some on hand. If you are interested, give us a call to see if your dog would be a good candidate. The amount dispensed is dependent on the body weight and the gel is easily measured out safely in a dosing syringe that we would demonstrate for you.
252-726-0181