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Anxiety from loneliness…

Behavioral Issues
  • JennnALJ

    Hello to all of you wonderful Basenji owners out there!

    Okay, it is day 5 of Fred's passing, and Ginger seemed to be taking the past week with just a little bit of moping, and sleeping alot, which she usually did anyway. I now know for sure she is deaf, as she took many cues from him and his movement before that she doesn't respond to now.

    I usually only go away to work 4 hours at a time, and she has never hesitated to get in her crate with treat incentives. I never make a big deal about going in or coming home, and I never would rush or create an anxious time of going in, and it was never a problem with the 2 of them, and they would settle down and go to sleep. I leave the hepa filter on for some noise, and all was well.

    But now, she's realizing that she is in there alone. And within minutes the crying starts. Oh, a heartwrenching, horrid sound it is, too. And when I get home 4 hours later, it is still going on… along with some destruction. I had a cover of a big towel over the wire crate that hasn't been touched in 10 months (and yes, I know that we could never have towels inside for them to shred), and the ends were somehow pulled inbetween the wires and shredded... she didn't eat them, just pulled them, because I watched her do it - she didn't hear me come in.

    So I put fleece over the top next time, and forgot a tshirt on top of that, and somehow, the tshirt got pulled partially between the wires and shredded (a Boycott Petland shirt!). I got her outside where she began to stress-poop everywhere.

    The next time, nothing was around but one piece of fleece inside, and it wasn't touched, but she stress-pooped inside the crate, which they have never done in the 10 months I had them.

    In between those times, I tried the sedative the vet gave me "just in case" - Acepromazine - and the first time I gave her half at 3pm, and she was knocked out until the next morning, basically - she was so woozy she could barely walk outside to pee.
    The next time I gave her 1/4th, and it still seemed to knock her out. (She is also on Tramadol and Benedryl 2 times a day).

    I took her to my boyfriend's last night (where she has been many many times before, and I have left them with him with minor fuss), and he said she howled the entire time, even though he and his daughter were there.

    SO, what do I do next, without drugging her so heavily?
    Will this pass, because it just seems to be getting worse, not better?

    http://dancingjenn.blogspot.com/

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  • jonny b.J

    so sorry for your loss. we had to try several things to calm anxiety in our dog. they were both rescue dogs and came with some issues, mostly just moving to different places and getting use to new homes. we got this from our vet and were directed to give three a day but one was plenty. we did try two a day and it was too much. but it really helped.
    the script name is clomipramine 25 mg. i know it is really hard to watch something you love be so sad and unhappy. hang in there.

    jonny b. and HAnsel, he's so hot right now

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  • BasenjimammaB

    Bless her heart. I don't have any great tips, except maybe DAP, although it might not be the strong stuff needed. Otis is sending his warm hugs to her..

    Petra and Pippin

    with Otis in my heart…

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  • Rita JeanR

    Lots of love and time maybe a toy or something they shared together. Sounds to me like she is afraid of losing you. Best of luck.

    Rita Jean

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  • wizardW

    Since she is deaf (has your vet confirmed that BTW) the loss of her friend is probably even more severe than if she weren't. Any chance you can get her another buddy?

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  • thunderbird8588T

    Awwww poor Ginger i feel so sad for her and you having to cope.
    All i can suggest is lots and lots of TLC and perhaps another companion if you can cope and the time is right.
    Do you have to have a cover on top of the crate? If not it is one less thing for her to destroy.

    Shelley

    Basenji Malaika

    Basenji Malaika
    Basenji Kwame

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    Acepromazine is a drug I will never ever give to a dog again. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=570 I agree with Shirley, it seems very fearful. Sadly, that's often a trait you can work to help control, but it is something your dog simply may be born with. You can work on desensitizing to vet... by doing by, let them toss a treat, go home. Do it for quite a while. Ditto on muzzle.. do it at home for a few mins, take off and treat. Work on making both as unstressful as possible. But better to muzzle than have a bite incident.
  • A

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    D
    He should adjust in time to losing his companion. However long that takes is questionable though and he will continue to be angry and feel neglected and reflect that anger with destruction just out of loneliness. It may improve with time and may not. You have to ask yourself is this fair for your dog? I would spend nearly all my time with him when I was home taking walks, etc. and if you can't do more than 2 hrs. it may be best to find a better home for him where he has a better environment. If his new home is a better place where there is a yard to run, and owners that can spend more time with him he will gradually accept the new home and owners. I know that is hard but may be the best. When your living situation improves you may think about owning another dog. Other than that, working 2 jobs leaves the dog alone too much to be fair so you need to get someone…the same person all the time... over to your apartment to spend time with him if you don't want to give him up. He can bond to that person and that will help the loneliness somewhat. If you decided to give him up, the new owners could come over frequently for walks and visits before you gave the dog to them so that the dog would consider them friends before adoption, that would help the dog transition. I would not give that dog to an inexperienced owner though. That could end in disaster. It will do the same things with the new owner although it should get over the transition quicker because it will be in a better environment. Also, was your husband the dog's leader? You now have to be a positive leader for him because it sounds like he lacks leadership.
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    I'm having the same problem with my current basenji that gbroxon mentioned - it's not the crate at all. And working on solving SA (different from boredom) is tough, I've found. You just need patience and lots of it.
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    @sharronhurlbut: Re car rides, this is going to sound odd, but it does work for me and my 2 dogs. Even if you have walked your dogs before a car trip, I find the excitement of the "get into the car" and going makes there guts act up. So, here is what we do. We take the dogs a lot on vacation when we go by car. We walk the dogs in the am, feed and water. Get them into the car. Drive about 2 miles and stop and let them out to walk. Both always pee and poo when we stop. Once back in the car, they settle and are quiet. About a hr or so into the ride, they start to get "ACTIVE" again…we stop at a rest area, they go, and then they sleep the rest of the way. Could be the excitement of leaving home, the motion of the car or whatever, but these stops, even tho you want to get going...make the trip much easier on all involved. Give it a try. All you can lose is a bit of time... Sharron…I've had friends use that method as well...so I think you (and them) are on to something. Wizard...It is a tough road, separation anxiety. I never had much success with the DAP - spray or plug-in...and I used both for about half a year. I finally gave up on it. Although, my vet and the pet store I bought it at said they knew of people that had had success with it. Good for you for working with a behaviorist...they definitely will have better ideas about things to try. The second beastie was the golden ticket for Ruby though...and seriously, I've found that 2 b's are so much easier than one. So much so that I'm thinking of adding another either this year or next...and for that I might need my head examined.
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    There is a light at the end, but with some dogs it can be farther away. I had a boxer a few yrs ago that had it really bad, and after lots of crate training and patients she was able to stay in her crate. She would make such horrible noises she sounded like a fog horn. And she'd pee in her crate or poop in and then step all in. IMO, I don't thing Lola needs medication. It can be quite frustrating, but biggest thing is lots of patients to train her that you will be back and it is okay to hang out by herself. Also, since she is not destructive but is pooping when you leave, make sure she gets a good walk or play session where you know she has gone potty. I'd take out the treats, that gives something to put in that must come out. You can give simple treats or things that need worked on like a kong stuffed with soemthing tastey and frozen so it'll take work for her to eat it all. Here are some links with articles on seperation anxiety. http://www.wagntrain.com/SeparationAnx.htm http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/applied-ethology/behaviourproblems/anxiety.html http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/dog_behavior_tip_sheets/separation_anxiety.html