Best calming supplement for Italian Greyhound

So you're moving away from the Thunder Shirt for summer — that makes a lot of sense for an Italian Greyhound. They feel the heat acutely, and a wrap that works brilliantly in winter can become a source of discomfort once temperatures climb. Anxiety in dogs tends to show up as separation anxiety, noise phobia, or a more generalised low-level nervousness — and the right supplement really does depend on which of those you're dealing with, plus how intense it gets. What does the anxiety look like for your dog, when does it tend to hit, and how old is she?

That's classic noise phobia, and it's very common in the breed — Italian Greyhounds are sensitive souls and they often feel sound more acutely than sturdier dogs. Good news is that noise phobia responds well to supplements, especially if you can dose her about an hour before a predicted event. Before I point you to a specific product, a couple of quick questions: has she ever had any liver or kidney issues, and are you looking for something you give situationally — just before storms or fireworks — or something daily to take the edge off generally?

Perfect — situational use is actually ideal for noise phobia because you're targeting the trigger rather than medicating constantly. For a 7-year-old IG with that profile, I'd go with Zylkene 75mg capsules. It's a casein-derived supplement — essentially a protein found in milk — that has a genuine calming effect without sedating her or dulling her personality. It's well-studied, widely recommended by UK vets, and at 75mg it's the right dose for a small dog like an Italian Greyhound. You open the capsule and sprinkle it on food, which makes it easy. Give it one to two hours before the storm or fireworks, and for really anticipated events like Bonfire Night you can start it a day or two ahead. It won't knock her out — it just takes the edge off the panic response so the shaking and hiding are less severe. It's available on Amazon UK and widely stocked by online vets too.

Yes, completely safe to combine. Zylkene and an Adaptil diffuser (that's the main DAP product in the UK) work through entirely different mechanisms — one is nutritional, one is pheromone-based — so there's no interaction to worry about. In fact, running an Adaptil diffuser in the room she retreats to during storms is a solid complement to the Zylkene. It won't replace it for acute panic, but it adds a background layer of calm that can make the supplement work better. Just make sure the diffuser is in the room she actually uses, not tucked away somewhere she avoids.

That's a solid plan for summer. The Zylkene 75mg is the one to go for — keep an eye on the weather forecast and dose her an hour or two ahead when you can. If you find the situational approach isn't quite cutting it after a few events, it's also safe to give daily for a month or so during a particularly bad season. Hope she has a calmer summer.