408 more on separation anxiety in pets
Unpublished247 Anxiety shirts Thunder shirts and other ideas (don't for get to link back to this article)
ASK THE VET: Dr. Boyle Brown, DVM from Port City Referral Hospital in Portsmouth, NH sits down and talks separation anxiety in pets.
By: Tonya Boyle Brown, DVM, DACVIM
As busy families, we are acutely aware that the priorities of our four legged family members take a back seat to the needs of our two-legged family members. There can be an accompanying guilt associated with our busy schedules and lack of attention directly bestowed upon our pets. This guilt may be compounded when we come home to a mess, chaos or an excitable, easily overstimulated pet. Often we blame ourselves, thinking they would be less anxious and more even tempered if we spent more time exercising and interacting with them.
There is some truth to this, but dogs, and cats (yes, cats can suffer from separation anxiety too, as my brother’s cat Baily has taught me), live in the present. They learn routines and social cues allowing them to know when it’s roughly time for the family to come home, time for a walk, or time to be fed, but in between those times, they wait. So where does separation anxiety come from?
For many dogs and cats, the anxiety is in the waiting. It is not as much about the time we are gone, as it is about the reentry; the expectation of the greeting they will receive when the family returns.
Imagine being in a quiet house all day with minimal distractions. Now imagine your favorite humans, disrupt that silence in a sudden and frantic (we call it “happy”) emotional state. We are excited to be home and overjoyed to see this fluffy source of unconditional love, so we begin an energetic, high pitched, greeting that goes something like this (with variations): “hellllloooo, mommy’s little girl!!! Who is the bestest smoochie, poochie woochie in the whole world? Who is? You are! Yes you are!!”
The emotional greeting: We all do it, we can’t help it, and that’s okay; but this onslaught of emotions can be very hard on a dog (or a cat). It can be hard for some animals to categorize the emotion associated with this sudden burst of energy and their joy at the return of their beloved human(s). This can turn the greeting into something they anticipate about all day long while they wait. Some animals associate the return with the burst of energy, so in order to hasten the return, they begin the burst of energy for you… your furnishings may pay the price for this absence, but that’s just collateral damage, and well worth it (to your dog) if it means you’ll be home sooner rather than later.
So how do we help our four-legged family members avoid or cope with separation anxiety? Avoid these strong fluctuations in energy.
- Start a new homecoming routine:
- Enter the house calmly.
- Avoid eye contact and initially, even physical contact.
- Allow everyone to adjust to a busy house again with the least amount of fuss possible.
- Set your stuff down
- Take your pet outside to relieve themselves.
- After about 5 minutes you can let yourself get silly, once the normal bustle of the house has been reestablished.
Is it separation anxiety?
If most or all of the following statements are true about your dog, he may have a separation anxiety problem:
- The behavior occurs primarily when he's left alone and typically begins soon after you leave.
- He follows you from room to room whenever you're home.
- He displays effusive, frantic greeting behaviors.
- The behavior occurs whether he's left alone for short or long periods.
- He reacts with excitement, depression or anxiety to your preparations to leave the house.
What causes separation anxiety
It's not fully understood why some dogs suffer from separation anxiety and others don't. But it's important to realize that the destruction and house soiling that often occur with separation anxiety are part of a panic response. Your dog isn't trying to punish you for.
These are some of the scenarios that can trigger separation anxiety:
- A dog accustomed to constant human companionship is left alone for the first time.
- A dog suffers a traumatic event (from her viewpoint), such as time at a shelter or boarding kennel.
- There's a change in the family's routine or structure or the loss of a family member or other pet.
- Don't make a big deal out of arrivals and departures. For example, when you arrive home, ignore your dog for the first few minutes then calmly pet him.
Leave your dog with an article of clothing that smells like you, such as an old T-shirt that you've slept in recently. - Establish a safety cue—a word or action that you use every time you leave that tells your dog you'll be back.
- Consider using an over-the-counter calming product that may reduce fearfulness in dogs.
Use the techniques outlined above along with desensitization training. Teach your dog the sit-stay and down-stay commands using positive reinforcement. This training will help her learn that she can remain calmly and happily in one place while you go to another room.
Create a "safe place" to limit your dog's ability to be destructive. A safe place should:
- Confine loosely rather than strictly (a room with a window and distractions rather than total isolation)
- Contain busy toys for distraction
- Have dirty laundry to lend a calming olfactory cue or other safety cues
Anxiety shits Thunder shirts
Anyone ever heard of these or used them?
We cannot help being affected emotionally by the events
Irrational fears can begin at any age but most are characteristic in young dogs. Loud noises such as fireworks and thunderstorms are the most common phobias in dogs. Here are some associated behaviors:
Panic
Immobility
Attempts to escape
Destruction
Hiding
DRUG-FREE - No medications... just safe, comfortable pressure.
EASY TO USE - Just put it on and watch the results. No training required.
There are several different brands. Thundershirt is another. Bark magazine usually has ad's for all of them. A new dog store in town sells them. They are very reasonably priced and the owner usu. Gives a discount for rescue dogs. I will speak to her in the next day or two and let you know. I have a crafty friend who found instructions for making her own online. I'll find out where she found those. I myself am not one bit crafty...
I have also used passionflower drops on some freeze dried chicken at the suggestion of the kids swim teacher. I didn't have much success with it, but you may. You can buy them at health food stores. I have hadsuccess with mentally stimulating them. It is almost as if when they are mentally stimulated, they are unable to think the anxious thoughts! As little as 5 minutes before being in an anxious situation has worked for us. Nothing fancy, just making them sit and down over and over again. Frasier can shake, spin and crawl and Lil can twirl on her hind legs on command and is improving her shake. It calms everyone down and makes me so proud!
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to work with a dog that has separation anxiety? Vet gave meds, but that makes him stress over the loopy feeling he gets :(
A couple of weeks ago he started licking & chewing his front legs & feet :( I feel so bad for him ❤ The picture shows how stained his legs are now. :'-(
Linsey Cushing Shaffer We give Paisley a PetEase treat (Petsmart has them) before we go to work in the morning. It has calmed her anxiety some
I tried an all natural liquid you drop in their food. But he hated the smell & would not eat. And this boy will eat ALL DAY if I would let him.
Boston Terriers Have you tried a thundershirt?
Susie Sutton With the Thundershirt, make sure you have him wear when he's calm a few times first, so he associates it with being calm. I've heard more success stories when this was done first. Rescue Remedy is a holistic supplement that can be used for stress and...See More
Chris Berch Rescue remedy usually works. It's four drops,whether you give it to a horse,rabbit,or human. I asked my vet one time about it,and she said its one of those things that works,or not,but not in every case. Since it doesn't always kick in,she didn't like
Susie Sutton I actually bought the bottle for people and then diluted for the dog. In addition to Zoey attacking every night for 3 weeks, I had a list of other things stressing me out so I decided to try it. I can't say it reversed anything, but when a couple things happened I didn't over-react. Jury is still out for Zoey.
Chris Berch There is something the vet have us once,that you can put on bandages,on front legs,especially,that tastes bad,so they don't lick,or chew them. I THINK you can put it on just them,too,so they won't want to lick their legs. I know Dana Babb,said alum can be used on some things,but I'm not sure about this. Does "Bitter Apple" work on body parts?
Susie Sutton Not sure what meds you tried, if you need or want to try meds again, Clomipramine has been used for separation anxiety (also types of aggression). We had Zoey on a fairly high dose and didn't notice the drug induced or lethargic state until we tried doubling it; we weren't seeing the results for the aggression. I've heard Clomicalm also works without the lethargy, but I didn't try it and it's more expensive.
Patrizia D'Milano How about the thundershirt for dogs.
DeAnn Paddy I'm trying the Rescue Remedy now & will purchase a Thunder Shirt to try out. If neither works, I will try some of the other suggestions before using any other un-natural meds again.
Chris Berch Ute Luppertz (Pets Point of View) in Portland,Oregon,does all kinds of things,in helping people with various dog problems. She only uses holistic types of treatments,and also does alot of the TTouch techniques,for calming. She's on Facebook,and might have some other ideas for you.
Marnie Spencer Try the Thundershirt. I know a lot of pups it has helped. Also ask your vet for a different medication. There are several to keep him from licking. When all fails get help from a pet behaviorist NOT a trainer.
Susie Sutton I agree with Marnie to some extent, however some trainers have been in business over 20 years and understand behaviors and are addressing those as well, not just obedience training. You just have to ask around and use the resources in your area.
Anya Woronzoff You can cut socks and put over the legs. We use rescue remedy as well and that helps. Is your pup crated when you leave? Smaller, confined spaces were better for my pup. Also I used to freeze Kongs with peanut butter in them and leave him 2 or 3 to wor...See More
DeAnn Paddy Yes he is in a kennel I would love to let him run the house when gone, but he tears up anything he can get ahold of. I try every so often to leave him out if I make a quick trip around the corner, but he gets upset & finds something to chew
Cassie Little Just an off the wall do you have a kennel big enough and do they get along well enough to try kenneling them together?
DeAnn Paddy I've thought about that. They get along very well I guess I should try that too.
Cassie Little Dont leave them long in case of a fight just kennel them together and go in another room where they cant see you be very quite and listen
DeAnn Paddy They sometimes sleep in the same kennel at night. I'll be getting ready for bed & they will both be snuggled together, so I'll just leave them instead of waking them up.
I will defiantly try for short times at a time. They have never fraught before, but you never know.
Cassie Little Dee Ann mine have never really fought just arguments but the last month has been a bad month and we have been through the wringer we always make sure of safety first.
DeAnn Paddy Oh yes, they are my kids ❤ I would be devastated if one got hurt (or worse). That's why I've always kept them in separate kennels. Maybe he'd be happy if I put them next to each other. Right now they are able to see each other, but a few feet away.
Anya Woronzoff You can also think about an x-pen or something like that. Rudy started in a kennel, then moved to an x-pen, then one room, then a floor, and then the house. It really helped him acclimate to being alone at home, not because he was a behavior issue but because his separation anxiety forced him to stay glued to the side door until we came home. It was so sad!
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