Urgent suggestions needed for Clifford

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Postby Violet » June 20th, 2009, 1:43 am

You guys probably remember Clifford of Katrina notoriety. Well..Clifford has just the BEST home ever. WONDERFUL people. They have turned their lives upside down for him and they adore him.

I will try to remember everything they have tried and list them. See..we knew Clifford had some anxiety issues. Hypersalivating when crated. And he had turned into a bit of a destructo dog his finaly months prior to adoption. We knew he was stressed and bored. And so did his adopters. We also knew Clifford had some lingering hangups because of all he had been through (Katrina, EDNAH, etc.) So some behavior challenges were expected and accepted. They had done VERY well with Clifford until they moved a few months back..and the real problems began.

A few things to understand..Clifford does NOT do well with confinement. Clifford is now between 8 and 9 years of age. He is just a SUPER dog other than his anxiety. Totally bombproof not only with humans but with other animals as well including cats and small dogs. He is just a truly exceptional and sweet dog. But Clifford has become increasingly destructive since his family moved and some small life changes happened. Husband changed jobs and now travels sometimes a few days at a time (which results in mass destruction) And they live in a more urban area with mroe neighborhood activity. And one thing in particular that seems to drive Clifford crazy is a generator that a neighbor runs non stop all day long.

Clifford has been through more vet appointments than can be counted. And they have tried every modern remedy for stress and anxiety. (Aromatherpy, homeopathic meds etc) They have also tried numerous natural and holistic solutions. He has been to a behaviorist who diagnosed Clifford with PTSD. I don't have any trouble believing that. And they have tried every training method and everything else suggested to keep Clifford happy.

They have truly tried everything THEY could think of and every suggestion I have given them and nwo, out of options..they realize they might just not be able to ever heal Clifford. :( They even begged Caesar for help. (he was too busy)

I contacted one of my adopters (whom I adore) who is an animal communicator. Just hoping and praying for some slight resolution. But talking to Holly today, as she cried and talked about the things CLifford has destroyed and how unhappy he clearly is, I had to tell her that in the end, if we cannot come up with a solution to ease Cliffords tortured mind, they would have DRAW's support in euthinizing him.

These are not people who are giving up, want to return the dog, think hes a pain in the ass types. These are committed owners who have spent THOUSANDS trying to ease Cliffords mind. They have even considered trying to sell their house and move back out of the neighborhood thinking CLifford would be happier. But thats not a very realistic solution, especially if it doesnt work.

If anyone has ANY suggestions that might help give poor Clifford and his family some peace..please speak up quickly. It is not fair on him for him to be so stressed and anxious that he randomly and neurotically keeps eating the house and everything in it.
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Postby Malli » June 20th, 2009, 2:11 am

what about Clomicalm? or similar?
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Postby Violet » June 20th, 2009, 2:15 am

Malli wrote:what about Clomicalm? or similar?


they tried it..some things have worked for a few days at a time until they reached the highest dosage they could give and they tried something different.
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Postby iluvk9 » June 20th, 2009, 6:12 am

I only have a simple, logical suggestion for the noise from the generator: Can they put a radio on to drown out the noise?

When we have a thunderstorm, I turn the stereo up and it helps Lenny's anxiety when he can't hear the loud booms outside.
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Postby Marinepits » June 20th, 2009, 8:50 am

When you say they've tried "every modern remedy", does that mean Prozac, Xanax, Elavil, etc type drugs?
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Postby katiek0417 » June 20th, 2009, 9:19 am

Marinepits wrote:When you say they've tried "every modern remedy", does that mean Prozac, Xanax, Elavil, etc type drugs?


I was wondering the same thing....
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Postby Malli » June 20th, 2009, 12:39 pm

Clomicalm can take up to 2 weeks to work fully, too. They have to take it for a while for it to build up in the system, I believe...
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Postby Violet » June 20th, 2009, 1:20 pm

Marinepits wrote:When you say they've tried "every modern remedy", does that mean Prozac, Xanax, Elavil, etc type drugs?



yes. they have gone through the gamut of prescribed meds. (sorry..i put the wrong thing in the wrong place in my explaination) they have also gotten second and third opinions from different vets.
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Postby mnp13 » June 22nd, 2009, 1:16 pm

Have they been to trainers, behaviorists, or vets?

They are all very different. Some overlap, most don't... and don't forget that ANYONE can label themselves a "behaviorist" with zero credentials, training or anything else (not to be confused with a veterinary behaviorist which is different). You can take an open book test and be a "professional trainer" at PetSmart.

I'm not poo-pooing the work that they have put in, but there is often something out there that will work.
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Postby call2arms » June 22nd, 2009, 4:57 pm

Hum, my sister's lab used to be a bit like that (she used to break crate bars with her nose out of anxiety, following my sister everywhere, pacing all the time) and what really helped (along with 3 years of clomicalm) was long obedience routines every morning to try to "tire her"... She could not intensely exercise her because she has the most crappy hips and elbows ever, but that could work, too?

Good luck, and like Michelle I'm sure SOMETHING will work, or a combination of things...
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