Separation Anxiety in Pets

Separation anxiety is when a pet experiences severe distress while they are separated from their owner. The owner can often be completely unaware that their pet is suffering while they are gone as the pet can act completely normal when they are around. It might only be certain bad behaviors by a pet that can tip the owner off to this anxiety.A pet that has separation anxiety can have a variety of symptoms including:

For Dogs

• Inappropriate urination or defecation (going bathroom inside the house but not in a designated area)
• Barking or howling
• Chewing, digging or destructive behavior
• Attempting to escape or escaping your house or yard
• Pacing in a particular spot (often up a down a fence or in front of a window)
• Coprophagia (this is the act of a dog defecating and their eating their feces)

For Cats

• Inappropriate urination or defecation (going bathroom outside of their litter box or on clothing, sheets, towels, etc)
• Excessive meowing
• Excessive grooming
• Eating too fast or not eating when you are away
• If they recognize the signs that you are about to leave the house they could become distressed and vocalize loudly or hide
• When you arrive home they follow you everywhere and demand constant attention

Rule Out Other Causes

It is always important to take your pet to their vet for a full check up to make sure any symptoms they display can’t be explained by another medical condition.

 

Preventing Separation Anxiety

If you have been working or studying from home or you are simply spending more time at home, your pet has likely gotten used to having you around a lot more so it will be quite a shock for them when we all go back to work. To prepare your pet for this return to “normal” and reduce their chance of developing separation anxiety, here are a few things to help them ease into this change.

 

Start to take short trips outside the house, increasing the time as your pet adjusts to your absence. You can start with just a few minutes at a time. Stay close enough to your house so that you can hear if your pet starts to bark, howl or meow.

 

Give Them Lots To Do
Ensure your pet has plenty to keep them entertained while you are gone. Talking your dog for a walk before you leave for work or ensuring they have plenty of interactive toys to entertain themselves with will ensure they won’t spend hours sitting at the door waiting for your return. 

 

More Than Mild Anxiety
For pet’s that suffer from more severe separation anxiety, your vet may recommend a medication for them, or you may find a pet behaviorist useful to help you train your pet.

 

Every Day Is Take Your Dog To Work Day
For those of us that are lucky enough to work in a pet friendly workplace you might be able to take your pet to work with you while you transition back to working from an office. If you don’t have a pet friendly workplace, perhaps a friend or family member can pet sit during the day for you, or you can send your pooch off to doggy day care which will also help them develop great social skills.