Do Not Use Laser Pointers With Dogs – Part 12

A follow-up on Gracie’s progress.

Gracie, at her vet’s office to be weaned off Prozac.

In Part 10, I shared what I’m doing to help Gracie overcome laser pointer syndrome.  She has progressed.  She went to her vet last week for weaning off Prozac.  The Hemp CBD seems to work better. 

Gracie has not had a full-force episode since about February.  She gets distracted easily now so stops before she bounces, barks, or stares at the floor.  Outside noise was a trigger, but as of last week, although she barks, she only took a position to look for the elusive laser twice and was immediately distracted when I called her name.  I wish I could capture that on video, but it happens quickly before I can get to my cell phone.  The video below is Gracie on her sniff-trail.  

I’m still unsure if the laser pointer syndrome will be totally reversed, but Gracie’s progress has certainly been a miracle.   Her progress has also helped me.  The OCD made Gracie miserable, and it consistently kept me on my toes , feeling helpless.   I am thankful for Victoria Stillwell and Two Sides To A Story; Victoria for sharing logic in a video that dogs with laser pointer syndrome have to be taught to use their sense of scent again, and Two Sides To A Story for sharing the difference between Hemp CBD and Cannabis CBD.

 

 

 

 

Do Not Use Laser Pointers With Dogs. Part 8

Part 8: Videos On Social Media of Dogs Psychologically Damaged By Laser Pointers, and Videos of Professionals and others Addressing the Issue.

The following are videos, some showing dogs exhibiting OCD after playing with a laser pointer.   This is serious and there is no known cure.  Veterinarians prescribe medication such as Prozac, but I’ve experienced that it doesn’t  stop what triggers Gracie to look for the elusive laser.  With plenty of chew toys, puzzle toys, and exercise, the dog might stop looking for the elusive dot as long as there are no triggers. 

There is Gracie when she’s played fetch, and tug-o-war, and a sniff game and she’s tired, but when she hears something outside and starts to bark, she gets triggered and has an episode.  There is Gracie when she’s calm but sees me with a broom, and she is triggered.  (Maybe the broom causes her to think that I’m going to sweep the dot out of the floor so she can catch it.) 

Of the videos below by trainers, only one shows what she uses to help the dog.   That trainer is Victoria Stillwell of the program “It’s Me Or The Dog”.  Since no others say or show what they do to help dogs with OCD because of playing with a laser pointer, in an upcoming post, I’m going to share some things that I’ve done that have helped Gracie.   They are not cures, but they have helped her so that she isn’t looking for that elusive dot unless she is triggered, and some of the things that triggered her a month ago no longer do so. 

In the following videos by trainers, they conflict on one important fact which is, how much playing with a laser pointer causes laser pointer syndrome/OCD?  Some say one time.  Some say “long term use”.   Personally, I don’t think that this issue should be generalized.  It is my opinion that the longer a dog plays with a laser pointer, the more symptoms they exhibit that are associated with where the laser pointer was pointed during play. 

The first video is one of my Gracie, before and after the laser pointer.  It is also in Part 2.   An interesting thing is that all of the dogs demonstrate the same behavior when searching for the elusive light.

The Mutt Master, Deb Nabb