Anxiety is like blood pressure. Everyone has it, and if yours were zero, you’d be dead. It has important purposes for both humans and animals – our anxiety keeps us safe by helping us avoid dangerous situations.
At least, that’s what my therapist said when I asked if I could ever expect to be “cured” of my crippling social anxiety. That was a few months ago and – excellent news – with treatment I no longer feel controlled by anxiety, and I no longer struggle like I once did.
While we have many ways of managing our own anxiety, our pets need help, whether they suffer from chronic, ongoing anxiety issues (like my Cow) or they just need extra support in times of stress.
Pet calming products from Alzoo use essential oils to naturally induce feelings of calmness in dogs and cats. They sell a plugin, a collar, and a calming spray that you can use on their own or in conjunction with other products or treatments.
We had the opportunity to try Alzoo products just in the nick of time – we’ve recently added a cat to our family and both Matilda and Cow are having trouble coping with the changes.
There’s still a long road ahead of us, but there’s a noticeable difference on days when we forget to use our Alzoo calming products.
They’re perfect for when your dog is stressed, but they don’t have a serious enough anxiety issue to warrant prescription medications. They’re more affordable than synthetic pheromone products (which are also good, but pricey!) and seem to work just as well.
Scroll to the end of this blog post to enter for a chance to win one of three Alzoo Calming Care Packages.
Overview of Alzoo Calming Collar, Spray, and Plug-in
In my care package (which you’ll also get if you’re one of three lucky giveaway winners!) I received a plug-in, spray, and collar.
My favorite is the calming spray. I can spray it on and around my dogs’ beds, common areas like the living room carpet and couch, just about anywhere.
I also spray it on Cow’s Thundershirt.
I love that I can just spray it on the carrier, in the car, or on a harness when I have to take one of my pets to the vet. It’s just so versatile.
As for the calming collar, I tried it out and thought it would be helpful in situations when you can’t easily reapply the spray. It would be great for a reactive dog if you were out at the park all day, or if they had to stay at a boarding kennel.
I found the collar to have a strong essential oil scent. While not unpleasant, I couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t irritating to a dog’s sensitive nose with hours of wear. I placed it under Cow’s bed and the scent lasted all month, so I didn’t have to reapply the spray there.
As for the calming plug-in, it made my home smell nice for the whole month, but it wasn’t overpowering. Since we have a small apartment and sometimes struggle to have enough outlets for all of our devices, though, it’s something I might not purchase again. I preferred the control and versatility of the spray.
What’s In Alzoo Pet Calming Products?
Alzoo calming products contain valeriane and lavandin essential oils. These are commonly used in other calming products, and they’ve been used for thousands of years, so they’re well-known, yet not extensively studied.
A 2016 owner-reported study found that about 40% of dog owners saw a decrease in stress-related behaviors when they used a valarian oil based calming product.
Valerian oil has actually been shown to make cats hyper, just like catnip. I didn’t know this for the month I used the products, and our cat is about 9 months old, so it’s hard to tell if she’s been wild because of the oils or because she’s a precocious teen. Either way, this isn’t undesirable. It’s good that she’s been playful and wild during this time, even when surrounded by our pesky, nosy dogs. But it’s good to know if you have cats.
As for lavandin, it’s a derived from a cross between two species of lavender plants, and it produces a higher volume of stronger-scented oil, so it makes sense that it’s used in calming products. Like lavender oil, it’s safe for both dogs and cats.
With cats, though, you’ll want to be careful of how much of any essential oil you use around them. Even oils that are safe to diffuse around cats should not be applied directly to their coat, as they will consume it while grooming, and that could cause mild toxicity. To be on the safe side, I didn’t apply these products directly to our cat or her bed.
Lavender has been more widely studied than other essential oils. It has a calming effect on cats as well as dogs.
When it comes to essential oils, some are toxic to animals, but not the ones used in these products. Always use products formulated for pets, and use sparingly at first, as individual pets can have an allergy or intolerance to just about anything, including safe oils.
How To Use Alzoo Pet Calming Products
When your dog is overaroused or “going nuts,” it’s impossible for them to learn. They may not even take a treat while they’re overstimulated or over threshold, whatever you want to call it. If your dog is barking, fixating, and doesn’t respond to their name, your efforts to train them or desensitize them aren’t going to be successful.
The purpose of calming products from Alzoo isn’t to instantly fix your dog’s anxiety. But they can help take the edge off those big feelings and put your dog in a calmer state. When they’re just a bit calmer, they can actually pay attention to you and respond to training.
We still have a long road ahead of us when it comes to the cat. The situation is not ideal. I hadn’t planned to bring a cat into our family until we moved into a house with more space. Alas, a tiny black kitten meowed for food twice a day on our patio, and curled up on the bench cushion every night to keep out of the cold – and here we are.
With the help of Alzoo calming products, all three animals can hang out in the same room together. The dogs go crazy when the cat gets playful, jumping around on furniture and doing wacky cat things. Matilda gets under threshold, and I can ask her to stop barking, and she actually will. Cow still gets out of control sometimes, but I’m seeing progress every day.
I don’t yet have a solid plan for anyone else who might be struggling to introduce a new family member to their dogs. It will likely be a few more months until we can depend less on gates, crates, and barriers and hang out together as a family more often.
Even so, every step towards household peace is promising, and there’s plenty of love to go around.
Whether you also are going through a big change, or you just need help with stress during routine events like vet appointments or grooming, I think you’re going to love Alzoo calming products too.
Enter to win an Alzoo Calming Care Package!
If you live in the USA and you’re 18 or older, you can enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win an Alzoo calming care package, which includes an adjustable collar (should fit most dogs), a bottle of calming spray, and a calming plug-in. We have three care packages to give away!
Want to try Alzoo products right away? They’re available on Amazon with Prime shipping.
She also uses her pet copywriting business to make sure the best pet products and services get found online through catchy copy and fun, informative blog posts. She also provides product description writing services for ecommerce companies.
As a dog mom to Matilda and Cow, she spends most of her days taking long walks and practicing new tricks, and most nights trying to make the best of a very modest portion of her bed.
You’ll also find her baking bread and making homemade pizza, laughing, painting and shopping.
