I don’t know how or why it started. It’s a mystery, but it has now become a real problem in our family.
Dora, my red devil dog and fearless hunter, is deathly afraid of the stapler. The sharp crack of “POP!” sends her quaking and panting into the recesses of dark corners or crawling up and over my head. You might be laughing now, as my husband did at the beginning of this travail, but it really is not funny at all.
And her fear of certain noises, even the anticipation of certain noises (despite what I write about this silly dog, she is incredibly bright) is worsening. When she sees Ed enter his study and sit at his desk, she is scrabbling to disappear. My neighbors had a new roof put on their house last week. When I found her behind the couch that first day, hunched, panting and trembling from the nail gun noise, my heart broke. Consequently, she went to the clinic with me every day.
Fear is pure misery. It is the most damaging emotion a social species can experience, and it causes permanent damage to the brain. It’s an emotional response caused by an encounter with anything, real or anticipated, that appears to be a threat: the unknown, the disappearance of a loved one, a predator, a noise.
I suspect each of us can remember the first time we felt severe fear. It leaves an indelible stain.
Whatever the species, our bodies experience changes in brain and organ function when we are afraid. When faced with danger, our bodies spring into action. We breathe more rapidly, our heart rate increases, our muscles tense, glands secrete. Body and mind spring into self-defense mode commonly known as “fight or flight”.
Fear helps humans and animals recognize danger and take action, whether it’s to freeze, run and hide, fidget (bark or pace) or stand and defend themselves. It’s pure instinct for protection, but it can also cause inappropriate responses that make life miserable for fearful pets and their people.
Fear-Anxiety-Stress (FAS) in pets is similar to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) in humans. Bonny Lass fears the outdoors and must be coaxed out of her house for a walk. Lola becomes aggressive within the confines of a small room. Sam is a whirling dervish for the groomer. Mickey digs a hole in the carpet behind the toilet with thunderstorms.
Daily, we see pets with stressful, fearful signs in the clinic and hear about them at home. Dr. Marty Becker, author of his most compelling and important book to date, “From Fearful to Fear Free”, has started an avalanche of dialogue and new methods of care for these FAS pets. These pets are suffering. Their emotional distress is not only damaging, but it also causes physical damage to affect health, happiness and longevity.
Up to 20% of dogs suffer from noise phobia. Thunder and fireworks are the most common, but it can also be to the rustle of a garbage bag, beep of a microwave oven or whirr of a ceiling fan. Thunderstorm phobia is the most complex because it encompasses sound, changes in barometric pressure and ionization, darkening skies, presence of wind and rain, and the flash of lightning. To a dog, a thunderstorm seems to bring the wrath of God into their home, and they feel completely alone. Interestingly, these dogs often also exhibit separation anxiety.
Fear of loud or unexpected noises are triggered by what’s called the “orienting response,” the brain’s mechanism for being aware. When dogs (or humans) hear certain sounds, the brain instantly processes the sensory input to determine whether it signals danger. Sensitivity to sound is instinctive to all dogs.
Why has it taken us veterinarians so long to recognize fear in our patients? Has it always been there and we just dealt with it? Has the anthropomorphism of companion animals made for closer relationships between human and pet, as well as with veterinarians? Is our world so stressful and fearful that it has percolated into our pet’s personalities? A topic for interesting conversation!
However, right now, I’m just worried about Dora and the terrible, horrible, no good scary stapler. Ed and I will now begin experimenting with the dozens of holistic solutions for FAS, including “chill pills,” calming music, pheromones, compression garments and therapeutic massages.
It won’t be easy, and it will take time, but she is definitely worth it.
