Dietary supplement for management of the firework season (Nutracalm):
Firework season is upon us and our veterinary surgery has a counter display on Nutracalm. It is listed as ‘fast acting nutritional support for stress and anxiety’ in cats and dogs. According to the blurb it is only available at veterinary surgeries.
Dose: Depends on weight - information is on the box. It is in capsule form and should be sprinkled on food. Needs to be started a few days before 5th November. Maybe it would be best to administer the capsule about 5pm.
Composition:
It is high in B vitamins and these are good for the nervous system. It also contains tryptophan which is an amino acid, high amounts of which are found in turkey. This is said to reduce anxiety - link.
Dietary advice:
The company has a leaflet with some general advice about management of pets in firework season, e.g. turning the television up, drawing curtains etc etc. They mention that giving the dog a carbohydrate meal before the fireworks start may be helpful. Because of the tryptophan I am wondering if it would be useful to feed dogs turkey around the firework season. Does anyone know if it would be best to feed this raw? I would imagine so because it would be there in higher amounts, not having been removed by processing.
Cost:
I have just paid £10.06p for one packet of 15 capsules. That should see us through the firework season for the dog who is sensitive to noise. The other two are OK.