So my wife just got a new job two states away and the job is requiring her to start in mid-December. My job needs me to stay on through December, so I won’t be able to move up until the new year.
Our unique issue is our dog…He’s a nervous and anxious dog (he’s on prozac) who luckily doesn’t have bad separation anxiety–but I think he’s going to act out a little. He’s not going to understand that ‘mama’ is going to disappear for a month and everything is changing at home with boxes and things moving…and then he’s going to spend a few days in a car before going to a brand new place…where he’ll then be reunited with my wife.
Anyone have advice on how to do handle this?
Is facetiming with my wife going to help or just confuse him?
Carry on with the normal routine as best you can then when it’s time to move ask the vet for a healthy scrip of extra tranqs for him. It’s gonna be stressful no matter what you do so you could do worse than to keep him well medicated. If he’s the type who might bolt from stress then consider boarding him while packing up the house, especially if you can find a place that’s more of a doggy fun camp sort of place. Thing is, you won’t know how he’s going to react until you’re right in the middle of it all so hope for the best while planning for the worst. Also, make sure he gets plenty of exercise because a tired dog is a happy and calm dog and spending time with you getting tired will be nothing but good for the both of you.
If you get tranquilizers for him, make sure to try one dose at some otherwise calm time when nothing unusual is happening, just in case of odd reactions. Don’t know about dogs, but an occasional cat gets more upset instead of less on the same drug and dosage as calms others down.
Probably it won’t confuse him more than it helps him.
After my mom died, Shamus the Maine Coon lived with Dad and me. Dad had COPD and was in and out of the hospital probably half a dozen times before opting for hospice. We discovered that having Dad talk to Shamus on speaker phone helped Shamus not feel the need to look for him while he was away.
If a cat can be comforted by listening to someone familiar on speaker phone, I’m sure Facetime will help the dog’s anxiety too.
When my nephew/roommate Duncan got his kidney transplant, he had to stay in a hotel near the transplant hospital for a couple of months and someone had to stay there with him to monitor him. The first month his mom stayed with him and I’d call him once a day.
I tend to use speakerphone at home. When his dog Wally heard Duncan’s voice, he ran over and nearly sprained his tail wagging. After that, he talked specifically to Wally for a bit every call.
Dogs and their reactions to things can vary but in our case, it really perked Wally up to hear his boy. He loves me too but Duncan is his person and he missed him a lot. Getting to hear him helped.