The Dog Days of Anxiety
It’s summer! This means it’s time for summer evening thunderstorms, fireworks, family and friend reunions, and traveling! Although we enjoy what summer has to offer, our furry friends may not be as enthusiastic. They may even be fearful of these events and become anxious.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is the anticipation of danger but can occur without an obvious cause or threat. Anxiety can be mild or so severe that the animal may injure themselves trying to move away from the stimulus. Clinical signs of anxiety include: pacing, hiding or avoiding people or places, vocalizing, drooling, shaking, or hypervigilance. Some animals may become destructive. Depending on where the stimulus is located causing anxiety, some animals may refuse to move. Their body posture can be lowered with a tucked tail and ears against the head.
Common Dog phobias include (but not limited to):
- Loud noises (thunderstorms, gunshots, explosions, fireworks)
- Confinement (crate)
- Separation anxiety
- Car rides
Common Cat Phobias Include (but not limited to):
- Unfamiliar people and pets
- Environmental changes
- Multi-cat household
- Loud noises
Fortunately, there are a wide variety of things that can be done to help with your pet’s anxiety. We recommend seeing one of our veterinarians to address your pet’s anxiety. Treatment is usually multimodal and can include medication, training, and/or supplements.
Solliquin contains L-theanine, which is a protein found naturally in green tea. This protein activates the production of brain waves that facilitate relaxation, wakefulness, and mental awareness. It also contains Magnolia/Phellodendron.
This is available for both cats and dogs.
For more information: https://www.solliquin.com/
Pheromones are a type of an odorless, species specific, chemical that are produced for communication. They are processed by the pet’s vomeronasal organ, which is located between the nose and the mouth. Some pheromones that are produced can be calming or appeasing which can help relieve stressed pets. There are products that mimic these pheromones for both dogs and cats (and are specific to them)!
Adaptil products are intended for our canine companions. The product mimics “Dog Appeasing Pheromones” that are produced by mother dogs to communicate with their puppies. Products in this line include sprays, diffusers, and collars.
For more information: https://www.adaptil.com/us
Feliway products are for cats. There a few different Feliway products on the market that help with a variety of behaviors seen in cats. For anxiety, there are Feliway plug-in diffusers and sprays. Diffusers can be helpful for periods of time where the cat is stressed out (moving, guests in the house, fireworks). Sprays can be helpful for traveling and short-term periods of stress.
For more information: https://www.feliway.com/us
There are other medications our doctors may recommend for long term treatment of anxiety. Again, medication should be paired with behavioral modification.
Take advantage of this months specials —
- 10% anxiety medication for pets
- 10% off of Sileo (Works great for 4th of July Fireworks!)