Sometimes, our animal friends will become very frightened. There are many causes that may bring this on. A dog could be chasing your cat, or a trip in the car could bring on panting and nervousness. Many dogs especially are terrified when they hear loud noises like fireworks, thunder or gunshots.

An animal’s response can vary greatly to their fear. You must be very careful around scared animals, whatever the cause. They occasionally get so frightened they will snap and bite, even at those they know well who are trying to help them. If your pet is very frightened, try to get them to a safe, dimly lit place where there is no noise and no other animals or people. If you know what the cause is, and can remove it from their sight or hearing, do so immediately. A few minutes of rest in a quiet place will help them begin to feel better.

Do not attempt to give by mouth any of the remedies listed below while your animal is still extremely agitated. Flower essences can be rubbed into the ears if need be, and homeopathic remedies can be dissolved in a liquid your friend will drink and placed near them. If dissolved in water, you may also rub this on their ears if they are approachable.

The first thing to reach for when faced with any sort of fear or fright is the flower essence combination, Rescue Remedy. A few drops in the mouth or on the ears given every few minutes, usually works wonders in calming a frightened animal. And if the trauma that has caused your pet to be fearful is upsetting you also, take a dose every time you give one to the animal. You’ll both feel better for it!

Other flower essences you may want to try include:

penstemon – trauma, for inner strength

mimulus – nervousness, jittery, shy, timid, fear of car rides

poison oak – fear aggression

aspen – vague fears, unconscious fears

cherry plum – extreme stress, trapped feeling

garlic – nervous fear

red clover – hysteria, good for cats

snapdragon – aggressive when fearful, biting

impatiens – nervous behaviors

filaree – anxiety with obsessive tendencies

rock rose - complete terror

These can be mixed, up to 5 essences in a small dropper bottle with spring water. Put 4 drops of each applicable essence in the bottle, fill with water, and shake gently. Administer 4 drops in the mouth or rub on the ears, as needed. It may take several doses within a few minutes of each other initially, and then only a couple of times a day thereafter. You can also put this mixture in a spray bottle and mist the room. This is much safer when dealing with very upset animals.

There are also many homeopathic remedies that work very well to calm a fearful animal. But these remedies must be matched carefully to the symptoms you observe. The first to be used in cases of shock or extreme terror is Aconitum napellus (acon). It is given for deep fear, panic, terror where the animal is agitated and moving about, breathing may be difficult. It is used for true shock where the animal is almost hysterical and restless. Natrum muriaticum (nat mur) is a good choice for vomiting brought on by fear. A choice for an animal this is scared and drools and pants is Cocculus indicus (cocc). Phosphorus (phos) is good for fear of noises, if they are also agitated, but refuse to be left alone, clingy. Arsenicum album (ars) animals also don't want to be left alone, but are very thirsty, and eventually will be tuckered out from the fear. If they are listless and quiet but still very frightened, trembling, maybe having bowel problems try Gelsemium sempervirens (gels).

It will probably be very difficult to give the pills of these remedies to your animal directly when they are fearful, so dissolving the remedy in a bit of water is the best way to go. Then that water can be squirted into the animal’s mouth or just left in a dish for them to drink. Rubbing the water into their outer ear may also be helpful. Give the remedy every 15 minutes for several doses until improvement is seen and then stop. Remedy strengths of below 30C are recommended.

A combination homeopathic remedy available in health food stores called Calms Forte is also very effective for many animals, particularly for insomnia due to minor anxiety.

Also for lower levels of anxiety, many herbs can be helpful. These can be made into an infusion and given in food or as a tea if the animal will drink it. Chamomile is very relaxing and peppermint will help with anxiety induced nausea.

Various forms of conditioning can be very helpful in training your animal friends not to be afraid. For instance, getting a dog to not be terrified by thunder involves playing a thunder recording very quietly for a few minutes while playing or petting the animal. Give them a treat when they are calm. And don’t reward anxious behavior. Over a couple of weeks, the volume is increased very gradually until at a loud volume, the noise no longer upsets the animal. This sort of behavior modification can be used for all sorts of fears.

Car ride fears can be overcome by having the animal sit in the car in the driveway for a few minutes, leading up to short drives, over many weeks. A little bit at a time is key to this technique. If your pet feels any discomfort, go slower with the distance traveled. And make sure that they get to go to fun places in the car – not always the vet office!