After the periods of mandatory confinement we’ve experienced over the last year, our return to routine can cause anxiety in our pets, whether they’re cats or dogs. There are many behaviours that can indicate that our pet has separation anxiety, the three most common of which are also the easiest to observe at home:
- So- called “accidents” at home, where dogs that were already perfectly adapted to the routine of going outside to go potty return to urinating and defecating in the house, and cats that start urinating and defecating outside their litter trays.
- Self-mutilation, in which animals pull out their fur, scratch and lick themselves excessively.
- Destructive behaviour, in which animals that no longer chew things in the house start doing it again, or animals that haven’t stopped doing it, but now do it more intensely.
It’s also important to listen to your neighbours, as another warning sign could be prolonged crying/barking.
There are various strategies to help our pets deal with separation anxiety:
- Promote the animal’s adaptation to being left alone in the house with moments of absence that increase over time.
- Create a routine: it’s important to leave and return at roughly the same time and to establish times to play and give your pet attention.
- It’s important not to make our return a “big moment” with lots of petting and playing. Our return is something that should be normal and calm. .
- It may be important to leave one or two toys available. The ideal, if possible, is to change the toy from day to day, keeping the “surprise” element between 3 or 4 favourite toys. In the case of dogs, it can be stimulating to have something they can chew on, such as nylon “bones”.
- Last but not least, the use of collars and pheromone or essential oil diffusers can also be an important strategy.
If you have any questions, we are always happy to help.
Vet.Point – Oeiras Veterinary Clinic
Emergency 24h | 927896112 – 211918923 | geral@vetpoint-ivl.com
