Fighting Dog Anxiety
Effective ways to identify and curb your pets’ stress
It was the worst case veterinarian Bonnie Beaver had ever seen. The dog’s teeth and claws were ruined recalls Beaver, executive director of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. Ultimately, they had to put the dog down. It wasn’t a fight with another dog or battle with a mountain lion. It was something even sadder and, perhaps, preventable. The dog, she says, chewed through a brick wall to get into the house during a thunderstorm. Anxiety caused by loud noises is quite common in the arena of pet psychological problems. Equally familiar are separation anxiety, aggression and fear urination. Some owners take the position that the nervousness, anxiety or panic will run its course and don’t intervene -- an attitude that sometimes leads to tragedy. But more and more owners are contacting veterinarians, and in most cases the pets can be helped.
Some owners have somewhat unrealistic expectations. “I think a lot of people are looking for a quick easy fix,” says veterinarian Jacqui Neilson, owner of the Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland, Oregon. “I think people want a magic pill.”
And there are, in fact, some medicines that have emerged that can address the fear and anxiety that some pets experience. The meds don’t work for every animal -- they can’t even be prescribed in some cases because the animal has some condition or issue that preclude it -- and it can be difficult to find the right medication and the proper dosage.
That said, experts say pets need not suffer -- and wind up in life-threatening situations as they slide into panic -- with psychological problems throughout their lives.
Just last year, the FDA approved Reconcile, commonly called puppy Prozac, to treat separation anxiety in dogs. Another anxiety-relieving medication called Clomicalm, or clomipramine, has been used on dogs for nearly a decade.
Pills can help, but most vets say a combination of medications and behavior modification are the most effective method of treating anxiety and other behavioral disorders. Some use this combo on their own pets.
Dr. Mary Klinck, a veterinary behavior resident at the University of Pennsylvania, says she sometimes turns to clomipramine during high-risk times of moves, schedule or work changes that trigger increased separation anxiety in her six-year-old Weimaraner, Meike, who will urinate, bark and sometimes vomit when left alone in the house or a new environment. “(Medical) treatment has not completely eliminated the problem,” says Klinck, so she has changed her lifestyle, added more dog activity and conducted behavior modification with Meike. This sometimes includes a ritualized good bye with food-stuffed toys. Patience and consistency have also helped tremendously. Failure to deal with separation anxiety can have tragic results. “I know of dogs who actually broke out of second story windows,” Neilson says. Other pet anxieties may include fear of the sprinkler system, fear of other animals, fear of people and even fear of sunshine and darkness. Dogs and cats can differ in the way they express their troubles. While dogs may show anxiety by becoming more destructive or chewing through garage doors, cats may avoid the litter box and urinate in unwanted places or become aggressive.
Depression is another matter that vets and behaviorists are treating. When it occurs, a dog may become lethargic and lose weight or interest in play.
“I have seen a German Shepherd lose 20 pounds because of depression,” says Dr. Deena Case-Pall, an animal behavior consultant and licensed psychologist in Camarillo, Calif.
But it’s very tough to diagnose depression in an animal, largely because you can’t talk with a dog -- you can only observe behaviors, Neilson says. If they’re sleeping more and seem to have lost interest in their environment, it could be clinical sign of depression. But it could be a sign of joint pain, or some other medical ailment. Professional intervention is necessary to diagnose psychological matters and also set the right protocol for attempting to alleviate it. Also, experts say, owners sometimes assume natural behaviors are psychological problems.
What might look like a depressed dog, for example, may be a reflection of grief experienced in your own life. Or, Beaver says, your dog may naturally lick itself at night, but you don’t notice it until you put it on your bed and the licking keeps you awake. Suddenly you think the dog is disturbed or anxious or even in pain, as excessive licking can signal of discomfort. Many owners want to jump instantly on the pill train.
And maybe that is the right approach. But it may take some time, with the help of a professional, to figure that out. It’s possible, in fact, that no drugs are warranted. Maybe this is a natural behavior and all you need to do is move the dog or go to bed earlier, falling asleep before the dog starts to groom itself.
When it is a psychological issue, behavior modification -- with help from an expert -- can be effective. A dog might be desensitized to loud noises, for example, by exposing it to softer sounds that increase in intensity over time, Beaver says. Or the human can take steps to eliminate the trigger. For example, if a dog is afraid of thunder but only when it’s outside, you may keep the dog inside when there’s a fair chance of a storm. Any treatment of abnormal psychological behavior in your pet should be done with the guidance of a veterinarian, who may refer you to an animal behavioral specialist.
And don’t wait until a small problem becomes a large and potentially life-threatening condition. Phobias and anxieties tend to increase with time and age, experts say.
Some studies indicate that 10 million dogs are suffering from separation anxiety, says Neilson. Yet only 900,000 are getting treated for it. “Our job as loving pet owners,” says Case-Pill, “is to recognize our pets’ distress and treat it so that they and we have a better quality of life.”
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