Behavioural Solutions for Anxiety and Stress in our Pets
Our Pets can experience stress and anxiety just like all of us. The best indicator is their behaviour. Pets can tell us a lot if we just watched their body language and facial expressions. Yes i said, facial expressions. A dog who is stressed or anxious could lick their lips frequently, yawn, cower away and avoid a situation or object. They could become vocal, aggressive and or even bite. A cat on the other hand can be a bit harder to read but some telling signs are ears back, hissing, hiding and vocalization. These are just a few that both cats and dogs can display. Although there are situations that we can avoid to reduce the impact of stress on our pets. Unfortunately there are some that we cant avoid and just need to be managed using knowledge and some tools to help keep our pets happy and healthy.
We have compiled a list of products which help combat specific stressful situations such as Storms, Travel as well as catering for general anxiety and stress for both cats and dogs.
The Thunder shirt is a safe and effective solution for dogs with anxiety. The Thundershirt's patented design applies a gentle and consistent amount of pressure to the dogs torso. This pressure has an amazing calming effect on the dog. The pressure feels like a hug, which for many years now has reduce anxiety in both animals and humans. When you hug the brain releases a hormone called dopamine, this is sometimes referred to has the pleasure hormone. This hormone promotes happy feelings. Some examples of this can be swaddling infants and using pressure to relieve anxiety in people with autism.
The ThunderShirts Design has a reflective strip which is great for night walks. The material is soft, breathable and washable.
Great for ...
Fireworks
Thunder storms
Separation anxiety
Car & air travel
Leash Pulling
Barking
Use for symptoms including:
-panting -whining
-hiding -shaking
-licking -scratching
-bolting -drooling
-barking
The Thundershirt is also available for cats.
If you have heard of Blackmores, this is their pet range PAW.
PAW Complete Calm Chews have been made to help support and maintain a normal healthy nervous system. This chew has key ingredients to help reduce anxiety and stress in dogs as well as multivitamins for healthy immune support. The key ingredient is Tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid which helps make proteins and certain chemicals that interact with the brain. The body breaks it down into serotonin which helps stabilize your mood and sleep. This helps your body regulate your mood naturally.
Dogs who have stress related behaviours such as vocalizations, marking, changes in appetite, general anxiety changes (separation anxiety, travel) and anxiety induced aggression have had significant benefits from taking Tryptophan supplements.
Paws Complete Calm is easy to dose. It comes in the form of a tasty roo chew with 180mg tryptophan per chew, with B group vitamins and a blend of multivitamins to support every day health.
Mother dogs communicate with their puppies through pheromones. The pheromones are called appeasing pheromones. These send a message that only dogs can understand. All dogs have different types of smells that come from glands all over their body that produce these pheromones but most of the time these pheromones can smell the strongest from, you guessed it, the butt. Hence why dogs like to smell each others bottoms. Imagine its like reading a biography but with smells.
ADAPTIL has recreated these pheromones which the mother produces, providing comfort and security to dogs of all ages. This helps dogs and puppies to feel reassured and relaxed in stressful situations.
- Using ADAPTIL helps puppies to feel as comfortable and with their new family and surroundings, just like they did with their mother.Its also helps promote better socialization and confident building creating well-adjusted adult dogs.
- ADAPTIL can also be used for adult dogs, the dog appeasing pheromones help reassure and create a safe feeling when they are stressed or anxious.
ADAPTIL comes in multiple options to cater for all situations:
- ADAPTIL Diffuser- Can be used in an area 50 to 70 sq.m. and lasts up to 4 weeks. You can purchase the diffuser refill separately when needed.
- ADAPTIL on the go Collar-This comes in two sizes small and very small (neck size 37.5cm) and Medium to large dogs (neck size 62.5cm.
- ADAPTIL Travel Spray- You can spray this in the car, crate or on bedding. It lasts 1.5- 2 hours.
FELIWAY (cat)
Similar to dogs cat also have pheromones which help them communicate with other cats as well as helping to relax and reduce stress. When cats are happy, comfortable or want to mark their territory they rub their faces up against corners of furniture, people other animals. This releases those pheromones and helps keep their scent around and aids in times of stress and keeps them calm.
Cats are very territorial, they like to control their space. Some cats scratch furniture or mark (urine) to signal to other cats where their boundaries are. This can lead to furniture being destroyed and bad odors, especially from male cats.
FELIWAY has created a copy of the facial pheromone. This pheromone cats leave naturally around the home on furniture and you when they feel safe in their environment. FELIWAY helps to reduce signs of stress and reduce scratching, marking and or hiding.
This product can be used for both cats and kittens and come in both a diffuser set and spray.
- FELIWAY Diffuser set
- FELIWAY Spray
Anxiety and stress can be managed using one or more of these products, as well as being a patient pet parent and knowing the signs of stress. Most of the time our pets just need some time to settle in to their new home or surroundings. Being introduce to their new fur brother or sister correctly or when young between the age of 3-16 weeks being introduce to new things such as sounds, people and places as this can play a major role in bringing up a healthy well- adjusted pet.
Some pets who don't experience these thing during this period have a harder time accepting them in the future. While these products were selected to help with general stressed and anxious pets, if your pet has a significant issue please contact you local pet trainer or vet for more information and guidance.
Pets unleashed - Just for pets
Jessica