March is Pet Anxiety Awareness Month
Our pets fit so well into our lives that we sometimes forget they are different species with very different needs. Life can be busy, changeable, and noisy, and our pets may struggle to cope. Some signs of anxiety in pets are easy to spot, but others may be less obvious.
Common causes of anxiety in dogs include loud noises, such as thunderstorms, fireworks, and traffic, being left home alone, car travel, and visits to the vets. Early socialisation can help with some of the above, but some animals (and breeds) are simply more prone to anxiety, and some behaviours might be learned after a scary experience.
Signs of anxiety include shaking, panting, yawning, avoiding eye contact, hiding, whining and in more severe cases aggression. Aggression is usually a last resort, if the dog has learned that it can’t avoid anxiety-provoking situations.
Loud noises can also create anxiety in cats, who find changes to the home environment particularly stressful. Trips to the vets are also upsetting, as most cats are not used to car journeys and trips out. Cats don’t have the same social needs as dogs, so most are content home alone, but if they are sharing a home or garden with pets that they don’t get on with, they can find this very stressful.
The first step to helping an anxious dog is noting the signs of anxiety. Younger dogs can be desensitized to car travel or recurring loud noises such as storms and fireworks, or you can ask your vet about medications to help manage these events. Giving your dog a safe place to which they can retreat can be really helpful, and if your dog gets anxious out and about, let them move away, or take some time to get used to something new and scary. Try not to reinforce anxious behaviour by being overly attentive but be calm and aware of what your dog might be experiencing. If your dog gets very distressed when home alone, it would be worth chatting to your vet, who may suggest consulting a behaviourist.
Anxious cats will appreciate a home environment that is as consistent as possible. Making sure they have places to get away from anything scary is important, as is providing lots of beds, food and litter trays in multi-pet households. Pheromones (synthetic versions of animals’ natural chemical messages) can be used at home to create a calm environment.
If you want to read more about anxiety in pets, the Blue Cross have lots of useful resources on their website.
Pet Anxiety Month Blog: Blue Cross
Please do get in touch if you have further questions or concerns about your pet.