Pets Can Suffer From Separation Anxiety Too
My-Dog.info > Dog Care
It is not unusual for pets to experience anxiety under certain
circumstances, such as a visit to the veterinarian or when
exposed to a new environment. However, when a pet is left alone
and exhibits excessive anxiety or distress, the condition is
called separation anxiety. Separation anxiety is the most common
anxiety in dogs.
In all cases of separation anxiety, your veterinarian should
be consulted. Separation anxiety can usually be treated
successfully with a combination of behaviour modification and
anti-anxiety medication. Your veterinarian will want to gather a
thorough medical and behavioural history, as well as perform a
thorough physical examination, to ensure that all possible
factors are considered.
To correct separation anxiety, one should recruit the help of
a dog sitter who can interact with the patient and provide the
necessary distractions whenever the owner leaves the house. In
this way, the dog will be unable to focus on destructive
behaviour and will gradually become desensitized to the owner's
absence.
Dogs that suffer from separation anxiety should also be
enrolled in an obedience-training course so that their level of
confidence both in themselves and their owner is increased.
Punishment must be avoided. However, many owners inadvertently
reward separation anxiety by comforting and reassuring their dogs
when they return home. This should be avoided and homecomings
should be kept low key.
The amount of time spent with the dog by the owner should also
be decreased to a level where the dog can become less dependent
on the owner for stimulation. This can be accomplished by
involving friends and neighbours in the day-to-day activities of
the dog. Increased play time, more frequent walks away from home,
and increased personal interaction can be done by friends in
order to decrease the dog's dependence on the owner.
Finally, the dog with separation anxiety must be trained to be
able to relax in a variety of environmental settings, both with
and without the owner. By desensitizing the dog to new
situations, he or she can be trained to accept new situations
that should occur in the absence of the owner.
If all else fails, certain anxiety-reducing drugs are
available from your veterinarian and can be used concurrently
with behaviour modification. The aim of behaviour modification is
to eventually allow reduction or cessation of the medication once
the pet's abnormal behaviour has been corrected.
Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca
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