Summer storms are common in Utah. Our dog Beatrix becomes scared during thunderstorms. We made sure to have high value food on hand, like cheese and steak.
What has been your personal experience with dog's who have been neutered/spayed vs. hasn't when it comes to being afraid of storms (e.g. pre and post op, frequency, degree of fear, etc.)? Seems like the more studies I read about it, dogs that have had been spayed/neutered do have higher rates of fear of storms, among other problems (cancer). PMID: 24432963 if you want to look up one of the studies.
Sam I haven’t had a chance to check out that study, but I do think this is an interesting question. I wonder if it’s possible that dogs that are spayed or neutered during a sensitive period in their development (ie. A “fear period”) might develop more anxiety or fear issues as an adult. It seems that exposure to traumatic experiences (I think surgery qualifies) when they are already experiencing more intense emotional responses could certainly have long term implications. - Alyssa Rose
What has been your personal experience with dog's who have been neutered/spayed vs. hasn't when it comes to being afraid of storms (e.g. pre and post op, frequency, degree of fear, etc.)? Seems like the more studies I read about it, dogs that have had been spayed/neutered do have higher rates of fear of storms, among other problems (cancer). PMID: 24432963 if you want to look up one of the studies.
Sam I haven’t had a chance to check out that study, but I do think this is an interesting question. I wonder if it’s possible that dogs that are spayed or neutered during a sensitive period in their development (ie. A “fear period”) might develop more anxiety or fear issues as an adult. It seems that exposure to traumatic experiences (I think surgery qualifies) when they are already experiencing more intense emotional responses could certainly have long term implications. - Alyssa Rose
mine wasn't afraid of storms until a year after being spay. This has nothing to do with it