Anxiety in Pets – probably not a topic that would have made the dinner time discussion a hundred years ago… And not something that did not happen, but rather just not noticed in the ‘rat- catcher’ or ‘guard dog’ living outside. Since our living quarters have become closer and pets have become part of the family, more emphasis has been placed on our pets’ mental health. The impact of their behaviour on our lives also can not be ignored – ask anyone who’s had an emergency visit in the middle of the night because their anxious dog has just leapt out a second storey window!

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There have been great advances in Behavioural Medicine and our understanding of what’s normal and abnormal behaviour for pets; why anxiety and fears develop, as well as how to treat and manage these conditions.

When we adopt a pet we have great expectations of a life-long bond with a fantastic little pal. Apart from the feeding and grooming, we do all the other things we can think of to ‘raise them right’ and imagine that all will be fine. Why is it then that some animals start showing strange behaviours despite our best efforts?

What is Anxiety in Animals?

Anxiety is expressed in animals when they feel fearful or out of control – the same as with us! This expression varies according to the underlying ‘fear’ and as with all fear, may seem completely irrational at first.

Animals that are regarded as ‘generally anxious’, experience the world as a scary place. They may be fearful of new people, new sounds, new environments and may express this fear by running and hiding in a safe place. If not able to do that, they may try hiding behind their owner’s legs, show anxious facial expressions, drop their ears back, snarl, growl and snap or attack.

Animals that have noise or thunderstorm phobias may be absolutely fine and relaxed until a particular sound is heard and suddenly start panting, salivating, scratching the door to get in and hide. And yet others may show signs of separation anxiety caused by a fear of being left alone/abandoned. These pets may be very clingy, follow their owners constantly, drool and pace when owners are getting ready to leave, and display destructive behaviours whilst owners are out.

Why does a Pet develop Anxiety?

The reason why an animal develops an anxiety problem often involves a combination of factors:

  • Genetics: The animal’s inherited potential to show anxious behaviour
  • Learning: What an animal has learnt from its past experiences
  • Environment: The particular situation that the animal finds itself in at that exact time

Genetics: Certain breeds appear to be more predisposed to expressing anxious behaviours. For example, many vets and vet nurses have heard many stories of Staffordshire Terriers having terrible fireworks phobias and have had to treat them for self-inflicted injuries. It has also been shown that bitches that have been under environmental stress whilst pregnant pass on an anxious predisposition to the puppies in that litter. It’s now well recognised that certain genes can be ‘switched on’ or ‘switched off’ by environmental factors, particularly during gestation (pregnancy).

Learning: There are ‘critical’ times during a puppy or kitten’s development where they are likely to develop their ‘view of the world’ based on their experiences during these times. For puppies this is roughly between 4-12 weeks of age and for kittens it’s thought to be between 3-9 weeks of age. To develop into confident and friendly adults, it appears that puppies and kittens need regular, gentle handling and exposure to new and novel experiences in non-threatening ways. This allows them to see the world as a generally interesting, exciting and friendly place rather than a scary one.

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Environment: If an animal has nothing to do but stare at a blank wall waiting for an owner to come home at 5 pm, it is quite possible that it will feel bored and anxious as it has nothing to do with its pent up energy and time.

These various factors may inter-play in such a way that an animal starts to display some unusual behaviours which over time, may become more frequently expressed and more severe.

Here are a list of behaviours which may be regarded as part of the anxiety range:

  • Panting
  • Pacing
  • Salivating excessively / drooling
  • Constantly following and needing physical contact with owners (“Velcro” dogs/cats)
  • Hiding
  • Showing destructive behaviours – chewing furniture, scratching doors, jumping through windows
  • Vocalising
  • Urinating and defecting inappropriately
  • Self-trauma
  • Growling and snapping out of fear

What can be done about an Anxious Pet?

The most important way of improving an anxiety problem is by implementing a Behaviour Modification Plan. This involves the vet coming up with a practical plan for owners to use to ‘help their pet cope’ and develop strategies for reducing fear.  Sometimes medications (e.g. Clomicalm) and dog appeasement pheromone (DAP), or Feliway for cats are used to aid in learning new behaviours by dampening down the animal’s “anxious noise” in its head. Medications on their own are not effective – the animal has to learn new coping mechanisms.

Each Behaviour Modification plan needs to be tailored to a particular pet, its family and its environment as well as the cause of the anxiety.

Plans will involve looking at:

  • Environmental Management: e.g. providing a safe hiding spot for a dog that has a storm phobia
  • Avoid scolding or punishing anxious pets – this just makes them more anxious.
  • Cease reinforcing clingy behaviours and encourage calm, obedient behaviours. e.g. Don’t: fuss over a pet with a storm phobia by commiserating with her as to why she’s so scared. Do: give a ‘Velcro Dog’ a low-key “Good Boy” if lying calmly away from you.
  • Desensitising the pet to cues that ‘something is about to happen’ e.g. if a pet has separation anxiety, pick up keys/purse/handbag several times per day without leaving and ignore any abnormal or attention-seeking behaviours shown by the pet.
  • Exercise: Providing your pet with sufficient and appropriate exercise allows them to burn up excess physical and mental energy, leaving less available for them to use for feeling ‘worried’.

What to do next?

If you think your pet may have an anxiety problem, book a behaviour consult. These issues do not ‘go away’ by pretending they’re not there. They generally get worse if nothing is done to help the pet’s coping mechanisms.

A behaviour consult is usually a bit longer than the average since it allows time for lots of discussion as to when, where, why and how certain behaviours occur. You will receive a questionnaire to complete before the consult in order to facilitate identifying the particular issues your pet struggles with. Your pet will have a brief physical exam and I will discuss any medical issues which may be contributing to his anxiety. We will discuss treatment and management plans and how to implement them. And you will receive follow-up calls to check on progress and follow-up appointments can be made should any changes to medications or management be needed.

If you’d like to book an appointment, please call 0481 527 678 or book online at HealthyPetMobileVet.com.au