The pet healthcare market is offers numerous remedies to calm an anxious dog. One of the latest innovations to hit pet shop shelves is the Johnson’s Veterinary Products, Calming Collar for dogs, which contains natural extracts to help treat canine nerves and anxiety. In this blog, we break down what our dog collar contains and why we believe it to be one of the most effective in the market.
Why have we launched our Calming Collar now?
Most owners feel they have grown closer to their pets, particularly the increasing number of dogs in UK homes, which offered significant benefits during the lockdowns and loneliness that often came with working from home for many.
This greater affinity with their pets has ensured many owners now recognize that just like them, their pets are susceptible to the stresses of modern life. The obvious trigger events such fireworks, travel and thunderstorms, have now been joined by separation anxiety for many dogs.
As many as one million dogs were bought during the two years of the pandemic and grew up with their owners as almost constant companions. However, as the return to the workplace gathers pace, these highly sociable animals can become very stressed when separated from their owners.
What ingredients does our Calming Collar contain?
The natural extracts at the heart of the collar’s efficacy are valerian and lavandin. These natural extracts are incorporated in a polymer matrix, which allows them to diffuse continuously for up to four weeks.
Dogs will exhibit stress in a variety of ways, often through undesirable behaviors such as aggression, destruction of objects, health problems, excessive hair loss, frequent barking, etc. And of course, obvious signs of stress in a pet, only makes things worse for the owner too.
Johnson’s Veterinary Products has produced our Calming Collar as the latest addition to our ever-popular range of calming products, joining the bestselling Calm-Eze tablets to help pet owners combat stress in their dogs. Our Calming Collar has been specially formulated to release natural extracts known for their calming properties in dogs.
What is Valerian and why do we use it in our Calming Collar for dogs?
Valerian is also known as Valeriana officinalis, and it is a flowering plant native to Europe and Asia – the root of which has long been used as a natural remedy for insomnia. Its use dates back thousands of years to the Greek and Roman Empires, with physicians also using it to treat headaches and nervousness. Valerian is still popularly used today, and humans often use valerian tablets as a safe and effective sleep aid.
Valerian contains valerenic acid which appears to affect gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in the brains of both humans and dogs. It is believed that one of the purposes of GABA is to control fear or anxiety experienced when nerve cells are overexcited, ensuring valerian acts as a mild sedative.
Is Valerian safe for dogs?
As valerian root has mild sedative effects and can cause drowsiness, some vets advise for it not to be given to puppies, elderly dogs, or dogs with severe health issues. However, our Calming Collar has been designed to release the valerian extract slowly and in minute doses over a period of four weeks, which makes it safe for dogs.
What is Lavandin and why do we use it in our Calming Collar for dogs?
Lavandin is a naturally occurring hybrid between two lavender species: Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula latifolia. This hybrid is a particularly pungent variety, native to Mediterranean Europe and renowned for producing a lot of essential oil.
The essential oil derived from Lavandin is described as having a bright, intense aroma, with a fragrance body that whilst more herbaceous, remains light, with the underlying touches of Lavender’s sweet-floral scent.
We include Lavandin in our Collar is for its calming, relaxing effect. Lavandin helps animals, including humans relieve stress and is particularly effective when applied continuously, which is why the collars are designed to release these natural extracts slowly, for up to four weeks.
Is Lavandin safe for dogs?
Lavandin is generally considered safe for topical use on dogs. Although pure lavender essential oils should not be applied directly on the skin or ingested, mild exposure to lavender is not generally harmful and may help your dog’s temperament.
Our Calming Collar for dogs contains a small amount of Lavandin to effectively soothe your dog. So, if you have a pet that can be easily stressed by modern life, to say nothing of fireworks, thunderstorms, travel and separation anxiety, a Calming Collar will be a useful addition.
Importantly, the Calming Collar can be used in conjunction with our Calm-Eze tablets, to really help your dog settle during particularly stressful situations. You can read all about our Calm-Eze tablets here and understand why help for stressed pets is only a pet shop away.
This is such a new product, we expect it will be a few months before we start to see reviews, but please let us know how it worked for your dog, if you’ve tried to calm them.
