Can ThunderShirts Really Help Ease a Dog’s Anxiety? Here’s What a Vet Says
These gentle, swaddle-like vests are designed to keep pups calmer during storms, fireworks, car rides and more.
Some dogs are just a little high-strung. I have an anxious pup, and I tried it all — trainers, supplements, calming music, Dog TV and more — before visiting a vet for prescription anxiety medication. That helped, but my dog has recently become more anxious about car rides, and I’ve thought about adding a ThunderShirt to our rotation.
Not familiar with the ThunderShirt? It’s a compressive vest that applies gentle, constant pressure to your pet, similar to swaddling an infant or getting cozy under a weighted blanket. The brand recommends it for thunderstorms, fireworks, vet visits, separation anxiety and travel. But does it work? We talked to a behavior veterinarian to find out.
Chewy
ThunderShirt Classic Anxiety and Calming Vest for Dogs, Medium
These shirts have Velcro straps to help you tighten and fasten them around your pup. They’re made with a stretchy rayon, spandex and polyester-blend fabric. $33 at Chewy
Dr. Andrea Y. Tu, chief of veterinary behavior services at the Heart of Chelsea Veterinary Group in New York City, treats animals for anxiety, reactivity and other behavioral issues. She says every dog is different, but it could be worth a shot: “It may or may not work, but it’s not going to do harm.”
“The way ThunderShirts work is through something called moderate- to deep-pressure compression, and in humans and in some animals, it has been shown to reduce sympathetic arousal or your ‘flight or fight’ response,” Tu says. She adds that there’s limited evidence to show that this works on dogs, but that many vets recommend trying them because there are no adverse effects.
However, she also notes that not all dogs are good candidates for a ThunderShirt. For dogs who are mildly scared or anxious, it could work, but it’s not the best option for dogs that are extremely anxious or going into a full-on panic. It also works best for anxiety around specific events (for instance, travel or fireworks) instead of ongoing anxiety.
Essentially, a ThunderShirt is like a swaddle for your fur baby. (Chewy)
A good analogy, Tu says: Think about people who are scared of flying. If you’re a tiny bit nervous, you might over-prepare for your flight and feel a little tense or on edge at the airport. If you’re mildly nervous, you might order a drink or a cup of chamomile tea before your flight. If you’re more nervous than that, you might take an over-the-counter medication, do breathing exercises, hold your partner’s hand and try to distract yourself with reading or a movie. And finally, if flying sends you into a panic, you may need to work with a psychiatrist. A compression wrap or a weighted blanket isn’t going to work for most people in the latter two categories, she says.
So, how do you know how anxious your dog is? Mild anxiety often shows up as yawning, excessive licking (especially around the mouth and nose), frequent blinking or pacing. Dogs with more intense anxiety may put their tail between their legs, tuck their ears back, shake, cry or howl. Truly terrified dogs might stiffen up, stare, growl, snap, break through doors or soil themselves involuntarily.
One caveat Tu adds is that, for your dog, anything that’s new can be scary and feel weird. If your dog has never worn a shirt before, a ThunderShirt may freak them out more. “Before you go spend money on this expensive ThunderShirt, if you have like another doggy shirt or stuff like that, find a slightly more snug one and put it on your dog,” Tu says. “If your dog is the type where they’re like, ‘I love this. I look great. I enjoy wearing shirts,’ they’re probably a good candidate for the ThunderShirt.”
For dogs that don’t like wearing shirts or the feeling of something on their skin, “Don’t even bother,” she says. “It’s going to take you more time to get them used to that than the benefit from the ThunderShirt.”
Chewy
ThunderShirt Classic Anxiety and Calming Vest for Dogs, Extra-Large
ThunderShirts come in seven sizes, XXS-XXL, to fit every dog from the teeniest of tremblers to the biggest of fur babies. $52 at Chewy
Of course, a ThunderShirt isn’t your only option for an anxious pup. We’ve rounded up more ways to keep your dog calm during fireworks and thunderstorms, including an Adaptil diffuser (from the maker of