On December 4th, 2018, the FDA approved the drug, Pexion, to help keep dogs calm during fireworks, thunder, street noises, gun shots and loud noises. We've posted the update for information on the approval below.

However, if you're like us, the furthest thing you want to do is give your dogs a prescription drug. We've been using Young Living essential oils to help ease our pets during fireworks and thunderstorms. As you know, there are always side effects with prescriptions and this is something a dog owner dreads. Our dogs can't tell us what is wrong. This is why we stay away from prescriptions and over the counter medications unless absolutely medically necessary. 

Our first "go-to" is to get the diffuser going with Lavender and T-Away. T-Away is an essential oil brand under the Animal Scents label specifically for pets from Young Living. I will also change it up and add Ylang Ylang to this mix and sometimes Peace & Calming. The scent with just Lavender, T-Away and Ylang Ylang is amazing as it diffuses through the house. That is my favorite combo for them and they love it.

Then our next essential oil is Lavender. We will oftentimes apply it, with a carrier oil like Young Living's V6, down the spine using the petting method. V6 doesn't make their fur all gunky so it's works great on short hair or long hair breeds. This will usually get us through the fireworks and loud noises. 

If the thunder is booming, we'll also apply T-Away essential oil. Again, using the petting method down the spine and mixed with V6.

Here is the info about Pexion. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that its Center for Veterinary Medicine has approved Pexion (imepitoin tablets) to treat noise aversion in dogs. Dogs with noise aversion are sensitive to loud noises such as fireworks, street/traffic noises, and gun shots. Dogs may show their distress through hiding; vocalizing (whining, barking, howling); panting, shaking or trembling; or may vomit, urinate or defecate. Some dogs may damage furniture, doors, dog beds, or other items in their surroundings.

The effectiveness of Pexion was evaluated in a study of client-owned dogs that had previously demonstrated noise aversion behaviors in response to fireworks. The dogs received either Pexion or a placebo twice daily for two days prior to New Year’s Eve, when fireworks events were scheduled to be held. Treatment continued through New Year’s Eve. The owners evaluated their dogs’ responses to the fireworks at four pre-set intervals and scored the level of 16 different behaviors. The overall score for the dogs receiving Pexion were lower (better) than those receiving the placebo.

The owners also evaluated the overall effect of treatment based on previous New Year’s Eve fireworks experiences with the dogs. The owners of 66 percent of dogs receiving Pexion scored the overall treatment effect as excellent or good, compared with 25 percent of dogs receiving the placebo.

Pexion is administered to the dog twice daily starting two days before an expected noise event and continued through the event. It is available in 100 mg or 400 mg scored tablets and is dosed according to the weight of the dog.

The most common adverse reactions seen in the study were ataxia (difficulty standing and walking), increased appetite, lethargy, and vomiting.

The owners of three of the 90 dogs that received Pexion in the effectiveness trial also reported that their dogs became aggressive, including growling towards a young child and lack of restraint or self-control towards other dogs. Certain drugs used to reduce anxiety, such as Pexion, may lead to lack of self-control of fear-based behaviors and may therefore result in a change in aggression level. The label information accompanying Pexion notes the recommendation that owners should carefully observe their dogs during treatment.

Pexion will be available by prescription only, because a licensed veterinarian is needed to determine whether Pexion is an appropriate treatment.