'Sileo' Helps Dogs Scared Of Fireworks

CANTON, MI — Most people enjoy a good fireworks show, which is why there are so many planned each year around Metro Detroit. But what about man’s best friend? The reality is that the loud booms and bangs of fireworks shows can be a significant trauma for some dogs.

Pacing, hiding under furniture and clinging to owners are common behaviors for dogs that are stressed out by firework shows. Now, veterinarians have a new way to help those animals overcome their fear of fireworks in a drug called Sileo.

Approved for usage about a year ago, Canton veterinarian Dr. Michael Petty of Canton says it has helped his own dog and others. "It was terrible to see her during a thunderstorm or fireworks, she would pace back and forth, she'd get up on the bed, she'd get up on the furniture, get down, she'd hide behind the furniture on and on and on," Petty told WDIV-TV. He owns a Kiki, a Portuguese Water Dog.

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Petty said a similar drug has been around for years, but Sileo is a new formulation that comes in a gel and is administered orally. He said it has helped Kiki and other dogs he sees at his Arbor Pointe Veterinary Hospital in Canton with not only fireworks, but more common events like thunderstorms and car sickness.

"We started using this primarily during the fireworks on July 4th last year and one day we ran out,” Petty told WDIV-TV. “We had given it to her six or seven times in a row and one day we ran out the fireworks started, and she didn't care and that was really nice because she had finally wrapped her head around it.”

The medication should be given in very low doses and can lead to problems if it’s not. The Food and Drug Administration recently warned dog owners and veterinarians about the risk of accidental overdose, according to a Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association article.

The FDA has received 28 reports of overdose in dogs since Sileo was introduced. The problem could be with a ring-stop mechanism on the syringe device. While the FDA hasn’t said with certainty that the ring-stop is causing the overdose, it felt the need to warn users.

"We took this action because the risk of medication error and overdosage described in these reports may be reduced by greater awareness on the part of veterinarians and dog owners, particularly pertaining to the proper use of the oral dosing syringe,” FDA spokeswoman Lindsay Dashefsky told JAVMA in the June 14 article. "We also wanted to increase user awareness prior to the summer months when this product is more likely to be used."

Photo by WP Lynn via Flickr Commons