Dogs Depressed
Treating Anxiety in Dogs
Anxiety often leads to depression. If your dogs depressed it may be due to anxiety. Dogs become anxious for many reasons – separation anxiety, changes in routine or a new person in the family.
Massage therapy has been used successfully to relieve anxiety in dogs and help when your dogs depressed. Here is the latest scientific evidence on using massage therapy to relieve anxiety in dogs.
In 2002, Michael Hennessy, PhD, a psychology professor at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, demonstrated that pet massage reduced anxiety levels in a test group of 40 shelter dogs.
After eight weeks, blood tests assessing cortisol levels showed that dogs receiving regular touch and massage – 20 minutes of stroking, massaging, and behavoir training five days per week- had significantly lower stress levels than others who did not get massaged.
Hennessy says the process is basically deep massage, along with very soothing talk. He stresses the deep massage is not the same as petting. You try to differentiate this from other petting.
Pet massage also reduced high stress levels in a 2001 study by Merel Ritskes-Hoitinga, DVM PhD, of the Radboud University Niijmegen Medical Center in the Netherlands.
Researchers, concerned that high variation of sodium levels in urine samples taken from laboratory Beagles could potentially disrupt results of research on blood pressure regulation, believed that the unstable sodium levels were related to stress. Results indicated that sodium level variation decreased among the dogs who received massages.
Michael Fox, DVM, a verterinarian and author of The Healing Touch for Dogs, has used biotelemetry – the monitoring, recording, and measuring of basic physiological functions – to measure heart rates of dogs receiving massages and gentle petting. Both can increase the presence of feel-good neurochemicals in the blood.
So if your dogs depressed it may due to anxiety about something that is going on in his/her life or your family, consider trying deep massage and talking to him/her in a soothing tone of voice. You might also consider supplementing the massage with a natural anxiety reducing product. PetAlive PetCalm for Stressed, Anxious and Highly Strung Pets from Native Remedies is designed specifically to reduce anxiety and help dogs depressed.
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For a simple home remedy for dogs depressed and anxious see our post Natural Anxiety Treatment for Your Pet
Pet Behavior Problems and the Holidays
Pet Safety and Entertaining at Home
During the holidays it is more likely you will be having people visit your home. As much fun as this is for you, it can be upsetting for your pet. Dogs and cats are creatures of routines (as are some of us humans) and when your home gets topsy turvy, they tend to get stressed out. Here are few suggestions from experts on how to prepare your pet for the holidays:
Prepare your guests - Before you have guests in your home, tell them you have a pet. Ask them if they have any issues with your pet. Some people have allergies and some people are afraid of animals. For example, my daughter used to be terrified of large dogs.
Have an obedience review – Making sure your pet responds to commands such as “stay”, “down” and “drop it” will prevent your dog from rushing at visitors, jumping on guests and eating harmful foods.
Clean for allergies - Clean and vacuum your entire home. If you have a guest with allergies make sure their room is aired out and don’t let your pet in that room after you clean it.
Rearrange furniture a few days before event - If you are going to move the furniture around do it a few days early so your pet can get used to it. Pets do not like changes and yours will need some time to get acclimated to the new setting.
Maintain normal walking and feeding schedules – Take your dog for a walk before guests arrive. Try to keep the regular routine of exercise and eating as normal as possible.
Tell small children how to treat your pet - Children who have no pets at home need to be shown how your dog or cat likes to be petted and what is good behavior around pets. Make an adult is always with a child when he or she is interacting with your pet.
Have a safe retreat for your pet – Pets may need to chill out in a quiet place. Have one available for your pet.
Monitor treats – Don’t let your guests give your pets any food other than dog treats. Many people do not understand that many everyday foods are toxic to dogs and cats so just give them some dog or cat treats to feed your pet.
Door policy – Tell guests how to keep your pet from making a break for it when the door opens. It may be helpful to make a sign saying “Keep dog/cat inside” and post it on the door. Also, make sure your pet is wearing a collar.
Stay relaxed - Good advice at all times but during the holidays you may tend to be more tense. Your pet picks up on your emotions so you need to stay calm.
Want to know more about Pet Safety for the Holidays read our post on Top Holiday Dangers for Pets
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Natural Anxiety Treatment For Your Pet
Natural Anxiety Medication
Aromatherapists use orange blossom (neroli) oil to treat patients suffering from anxiety and insomnia because of its sedative properties. You can use orange blossom water (Neroli Hydrosol) to calm your pet. I just read about someone who uses it to calm her cat when it needed a trip to the vet and a groomer who uses it calm nervous animals before bathing and grooming them. You might also consider it for separation anxiety.
You can buy orange blossom water in the grocery store usually in the foreign food section or at Indian or Middle Eastern specialty grocery stores. Put the orange blossom water in a spray bottle and give your pet a gentle spritz when it needs calming.
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