Anyone heard of ThunderShirts?

Has anyone heard of these before, or used them?

I was in my local pet store yesterday picking up dog food, and they had just got a shipment in of "ThunderShirts". The concept is interesting, but I'm still a little weary :shrug: I know I have read Temple Grandin's novels before where she discusses in depth the effects of applying pressure to cattle in chutes and the seemingly calming effect it has on the animal, I believe this works on the same principles... I suppose with a money-back guarantee you can't go wrong, and I do like the idea of a non-invasive method over an injection, pill, etc... still, I would love to hear if anyone has heard of these!

http://www.thundershirt.com

I remere ember reading something about this idea on another forum and there were spme posters there who use ACE bandages wrapped up a certain way to calm the dogs. The consensus was that apparently it does work if done properly.

I'll try to find the info and post back.

Hi cassiek, they work!! Sasha has become increasingly afraid of thunder. I bought one for her and it just calms her right down. This past weekend is a good example, on Sat we had a huge thunder and lightening storm at 3 am, I ound Sasha on the floor in a quivering mass of fear. She would not givr me a chance to put the Thunbdershirt on her so I laid on top of her for almost an hour to calm her. On Sunday I put the TShirt on her before going to bed we had another big storm and she stayed in bed and was so much calmer, no shivering, she went back to sleep. They are designed from the techniques of "Bodywraps" that TTouch uses. pbp

Hmmmm...wish I had three here right now. :rolleyes: *sigh*

I would imagine they could work well, Cassie. I used to wrap Ava in an old sweatshirt and it helped with calming her during storms.

They use this type of wrap applying pressure to certain parts of the body with autistic children to calm them, that is where the idea came from to be used on animals.

Ethel has one for Iggy....whether she uses it that often :shrug:...most times she lets him sit on her and cuddles him :cloud9:

LP I sent you the link on those before.....remember?

I would imagine they could work well, Cassie. I used to wrap Ava in an old sweatshirt and it helped with calming her during storms.

Thanks everyone for your reviews and comments. I just happened to stumble across them in TailBlazer's the other day and thought it seemed pretty interesting.

LP we may try that with Diesel. He has some seperation anxiety when I leave in the mornings for work. It's not a major deal as I live out in the country; so he's not disturbing anyone per se, but still it would be nice for him to calm down. We have left him frozen kongs with peanut butter, chew toys, raw bones etc. and he is just not interested in them. So we might take one of Richard's shirts and at least leave it in his kennel with him, maybe the scent will help... :shrug: I'm not sure if it would be safe to leave him wrapped up in a shirt without supervision...? :confused:

I remere ember reading something about this idea on another forum and there were spme posters there who use ACE bandages wrapped up a certain way to calm the dogs. The consensus was that apparently it does work if done properly.

I'll try to find the info and post back.

Huh, quoting myself here :rolleyes: but I've found the threads - it was on this board :lightbulb: and here's the link: http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=68513&highlight=thundershirts

I'm thinking about buying one for one of my cats next year (yeah there are also for cats) because she's really scared of storms even wind storms. She runs to the closet and stays there for hours then comes out all cautious, prawling.

Let me know how it works for her. They are really helpful, try to put it on her several times before she might need it so she doesn't relate the Tshirt to storms. These worked for Sasha for several years during thunderstorms but for some reason did not help this past summer.

You could try Rescue Remedy (NOT the candies which contain xylitol) or DAP diffusers. I guess for cats they would be CAP diffusers, apparently they exist but sorry, don't know where. DAP comes in collars for dogs, not sure if they do for cats.

My cats like to sit right in the window and watch the lightning. Since we humans are told to avoid windows in lightning I think I'd prefer they run for cover and hide somewhere safer.