As owners, we don't necessarily do anything to perpetuate this fear. Flashes of lightning, the crash of thunder, and the unpredictable nature of the storm can add to the animal's level of fear. The nondrug-oriented method of treating this fear is desensitization. Look for a recording of thunder sounds at your local library, or record your own during a storm. While desensitization can be very successful, she emphasizes that this treatment is a very long-term approach, taking anywhere from a few months to greater than a year, depending on the patient.
Desensitization takes time and patience to be truly effective.
During desensitization treatment, you are creating fear in the animal. There is debate about which reinforcement will work best, but a positive reinforcement may be gentle stroking or a food treat. Drug therapy is a new form of treatment for this fear disorder. Drugs commonly used include Acepromazine and Valium. We have not done enough research with drugs such as Prozac, Amitriptyline, or Valium to understand the true effects on the animal's behavior.