Many situations might be stressful to your pet that you may or may not recognize. Animals share many of the same anxieties that we have. Just think, when you are stressed out, you either have a drink, smoke a cigarette, have prescription medication from your doctor or some other form of relaxation. Our pets rely on us to help them through a stressful situation.
Stressful Situations:
- Loud noises (fireworks), airplanes, trains, etc.
- Visiting the doctor
- Unfamiliar places
- Change in daily routine
- Meeting new people
- Objects – Bicycles, skateboards strollers, wheelchairs, etc.
Signs of Anxiety:
- Barking, whining or crying
- Drooling
- Lip smacking
- Exaggerated yawn
- Dilated pupils
- Ears pulled back
- Tail tucked under
- Cowering or hiding
- Shaking
- Excessive shedding
There are easy ways to control your pets’ anxieties with either:
- Pheromones – that can be worn in the form of a collar, diffused throughout your house or sprayed on a particular item. Over the counter.
- Nutraceuticals – like Zylkene, which is a milk protein in a capsule that can be sprinkled on their food or in a chewy treat form.
- Mellows – which also contains a milk protein along with a few other ingredients in a tasty chicken flavour chew.
- Purina calming care – is a probiotic that is also sprinkled on the food.
- Clomicalm – is a long-term medication for more severe anxieties just to mention a few.
If your pet is one that a veterinarian cannot get close to for an examination, there are also some prescriptions that can be given the day prior to your veterinary visit to get the desired effect — Trazadone/Gabapentin/Alprazolam, to name a couple.
Talk to your veterinarian to see what exactly your pet needs for the more extreme cases.
Written by: Laurie Box, RVT