It's
not unusual for dogs to get anxious. Anxiety is prevalent in humans in addition to
animals and there is hardly any we can do about this. Some mental health issues
like anxiety or depression hit you out of trouble of nowhere. The trick would be to know what
triggers it. If your dog looks frightened or anxious, observe what made him
react in such a way. Maybe it's a stranger that seems intimidating or even the lack
of presence of the dog's favorite person. Besides, there are numerous reasons
behind what can cause anxiety in dogs, now we're going to talk about some major
causes at length.
It's
essential to assist your dog to get away from such a dark and tormenting place in
a corner of his mind. Thus, let us take phone reasons and types of
situation that causes anxiety in dogs.
- Shelter/Past Anxiety
Most
dogs which are adopted from a shelter or rescue center have had a really rough
past. Getting abandoned and surviving on fewer resources can have a major
impact on the dog's mental health. It's the stray dogs who are suffering a lot;
engaging in an accident, malnutrition and living from food scraps in the
trash can. It's definitely not an easy life. That's why, even when they get
adopted into a loving home, they do not entirely forget the incidents of the
past.
- Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety is very common in dogs. If you have recently brought a dog home, he might not understand why you go out for the most part during the day. Therefore, this can lead to aggressive and destructive behavior inside a dog even if you are from his sight for 5 minutes. Stress and anxiety mainly occurs since the dog has already established being left abandoned in the past. Thus, that memory tricks him into believing that even his new owner will repeat the same, leading to anxious behavior.
- Illness Instigated Anxiety
There
are a few diseases that instigate anxiety in dogs. Anxiousness and depression
are somewhat the bi-products of these diseases. The types of these diseases
are hyperthyroidism, encephalitis and diabetes where if left
untreated, it may cause great mental trauma and debilitate your pooch's health.
Signs and symptoms will be observed in the first onstage of the disease,
causing sudden behavioral changes in dogs. Therefore, if you observe
symptoms that do not add up to the situations, you need to bring your pet towards the
vet so if there's any chance of such disease, the vet will diagnose it and suggest
treatments based on it.
Symptoms of Anxiety
Symptoms
of all types of anxiety are somewhat interlinked and other alike. Below are the
symptoms you need to be on the lookout for if you think your pet has anxiety.
- Destructive
or aggressive behavior like ripping off or shredding furniture and curtains. - Loud
and excessive barking/howling. - Pooping
or peeing in the house. - Restlessness
behavior. - Digging,
scratching, licking or some type of compulsive behavior.
Treatments for Anxiety in Dogs
The
treatment of anxiety mainly depends on the seriousness of it. The most common
symptoms in diabetes and thyroid are depression, anxiety and hormonal
imbalance. The main factor is the fact that these signs appear out of sudden, so it's
simpler to choose the difference within the dog's behavior. The vet will initially
run some fundamental blood tests so any type of underlying disease can be diagnosed. Thereafter,
treatment will be given to balance out the endocrine system and control the condition.
However, if the anxiety relates to past trauma or other non-medical reason, the vet will suggest the treatment according to it. Products like Adaptil Spray and Adaptil collar are fantastic for managing stress and anxiety in dogs.
