WEATHER DOG

I was stretched out on the bed just resting for a bit.  Suddenly I was joined by a very
nervous dog.   Aw crap, there must be a storm coming for Callie has a real fear of them.   I listened carefully and heard the rumbles of thunder growing closer.

Knowing I would have a heartbreaking basket case on my hands soon as the storm got on top of us, I pulled her to me and held her close, talking softly to her.  For a while she calmed down but as the rumbles got closer, she tensed up again. 

As the rains hit and the thunder got closer, her panic grew.  She trembled violently .   I tried to comfort her but this time she stayed rigid, shaking and panting.  Callie doesn't have the best breath so panting is not what we go for. 

Then suddenly she pulled away from me and sat up. Her eyes grew wild, her body spasmodically jerked and her head snapped to the right.  A second later, I heard a thunder clap  that sounded like it was right on top of my house.  The lightning strike had to have been really close. The thing is, she knew it a second before the sound occurred so it wasn't the sound that made her jerk in a spastic manner.

  
I started thinking that maybe she actually got a static charge as the lightning struck near by.  Off to Google I went.  This is what I found and it makes perfect sense. 

Although dogs can't exactly hear lightning, they are indeed more sensitive to drops in the barometric pressure and shifts in the static electric field that happens right before weather changes.  Researchers even believe that dogs may experience shocks from the static electricity during thunder storms.

That would have explained her acting like she had been hit by a cattle prod right before that clap of thunder.   Hey, If I got a shock when thunder rolled and lightning zapped about, I'd be a bit panicky with storms and loud noises.

I no longer think of my dog as just being an inconsolable, heartbreaking little storm weenie and hopefully I can find a way to help her. 

There is supposedly a garment for dogs  called a Storm Defender Cape
that will dissipate the static charge but it seems to not be available right now.  

Also checking into a Thunder Shirt  though I doubt that would stop the actual shock but may give her some comfort. Worth a try.  Any of you all ready tried one and did it work?

Hum, do cats feel the shocks also? I really don't know for if Minnie does, she just hides. I will have to be more conscious of Minnie with the next storm. 

Do you have pets that have storm terrors?