Home » Dog Health, Dogs & Family

Behavioural Treatments for Animals who Suffer from Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety in dogs of all ages can cause a number of behavioral problems and can be quite common, especially when there is a change in the pets routine, for example when moving to a new home or when the owners are away for long periods. There are a number of things that can trigger behavioral problems and this can be things such as fireworks, gunshots or airplanes – anything that may startle or scare the animal.

A sign of stress could be trembling, hiding scratching or being destructive and this can bring on frustration experienced by the pet owner through having to deal with a pet with these issues. It can be quite common and is perfectly natural, although there are a number of products that can help relieve stress and anxiety in dogs.

Once this sort of behavior begins, it is very difficult to stop and this can cause the symptoms and the problems to progressively become worse but there are treatments available to help dogs deal with these situations a lot better.

One treatment is behavior modification techniques but this is not always successful. It is important that owners of these pets notice and recognize the behaviors which may lead to some of the unwanted behavior. One behavior that is triggered and made worse daily is separation anxiety and this is encouraged by owner’s daily routines.

[caption id="attachment_2295" align="aligncenter" width="573"]Dog who suffer from stress and anxiety Dog who suffer from stress and anxiety[/caption]

This is made worse through the owners making a real fuss over their pets before their leave when they should help the pet get settled. Zylkene is a natural product that comes from Casein and is a protein in milk. It is the molecule that helps to relax and calm down newborns. It can be used for short term problems such as travel anxiety but it can also be used for long term anxiety such as the addition of a new baby. It can be given as a whole capsule or by opening the capsule and mixing the contents with food or water. As this is a natural product there are no side effects and it can be used with other medications as there are no known interactions with other drugs.

Another option is Pheromone therapy and it is available for cats as well as dogs. The options for dogs include the same pheromone that the mother produces after giving birth and it helps to reassure and calm down puppies, which comes in  the form of the Adaptil diffuser.

For cats, the equivalent product is Feliway. The Feliway pheromone is a synthetic version of the cat’s facial pheromone which it uses to mark territory. The option for dogs can be used via a collar, through a spray or a diffuser. The products for cats come in a spray or as the Feliway diffuser. It does not work in all situations but when it is successful it helps to make pets happier and a lot calmer.

One final therapy for dogs is ‘Thundershirt’ which is used to ease anxiety and it does so by applying a gentle pressure to their nervous system to help create a calming effect. It is an effective way of helping the animal without the need for medication.

There are many options available for cat and dog owners and all have the same desired outcome which is to make a pet happier and healthier.

Photo Source:allivet.blogspot.com


1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...

Leave your feedback! We love comments.

Add your comment below, or trackback from your own site. You can also subscribe to these comments via RSS.

Be nice. Keep it clean. Stay on topic. No spam.