A Closer Look at Pet Anxiety & How to Treat It Holistically!

As pet parents, we are all vaguely aware that we should minimize the stress our pet kids experience. As a holistic pet consultant, I think it is important that we also comprehend the health risks of prolonged anxiety, too. The fact is, living in a fearful or anxious state for long periods of time can take a dramatic toll on the health of a companion animal.

Any time your pet feels endangered, whether the threat is real or imagined, the body prepares to defend itself by unleashing a torrent of stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, that have far-reaching effects on the whole body. These hormones release energy, increasing respiration while inhibiting digestion, the immune system, growth, reproduction and even pain perception. These hormones also decrease blood flow to areas of the body that are necessary for movement. This is appropriate for survival in a real crisis, but when fear, anxiety or stress continues chronically, negative health effects are a real possibility. These effects could include fatigue, hypertension, gastrointestinal problems, skin disease, as well as metabolic and immune problems. You might be surprised to know that pets can manifest many of the same conditions that we do!

Chronic anxiety and stress can even cause permanent damage to the brain. We know that animals staying in shelter facilities are at increased susceptibility to infectious diseases, including upper respiratory tract infections, litterbox problems, hair loss, and bladder inflammation. And that’s nothing compared to the extreme duress of prolonged fear experienced by dogs in puppy mills! We can see the effects of stress on dogs when they exhibit signs of stress colitis, an inflammatory GI condition that causes diarrhea - often seen after boarding, veterinary visits, or grooming. Stressed dogs suffering from separation anxiety can also be destructive, chewing carpet, baseboards, or scratching up doors. Dogs that are chronically stressed can lick themselves raw, creating skin conditions like lick granulomas.

Apart from the mental and physical distress, stress hormones also imprint any fearful situation firmly in your pet’s memory as something that was scary and life-threatening. These feelings can be recalled from something as seemingly innocuous as pinpricks from a vaccine needle, a person wearing a lab coat or the sight of nail clippers. Any memory of frightening situations can prove to be a powerful fear stimulus. When your companion animal encounters a similar sort of situation, the stress hormones are released and the fear cycle resumes all over again.

The effects of fear and anxiety can be profound and highly distressing. We need to recognize fear in our pets, do more to decrease their fear when possible, and prevent fear by associating potentially fearful situations with positive stimuli. As you can see, dogs and cats who demonstrate pathologic levels of fear or anxiety need our help, not only for their emotional well-being but their physical well-being, too!

Ask us about using 100% pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils formulated specifically for animals in our Animal Scents collection. Log onto:

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and search Product Categories for "Pets" to see our line of essential oils and essential oil- infused pet products. 

Animal Scents Care Collection (sold individually)

Individual Oils from the Animal Scents Care Collection

How to Best Handle Pet Anxiety

Scaredy Cats & Distracted Dogs . . . .  

Thunderstorm Phobia

With the storm season rolling in, veterinarians and animal behavioral specialists expect to see a surge in business as pets, especially dogs, exhibit symptoms of profound storm phobia. While some animals may display minor signs of anxiety, such as clinginess, trembling or whining, those with severe phobias may bark, cry or experience destructive or frantic behavior, according to an animal behavioral specialist. Dogs are typically referred to a specialist if a primary veterinarian is unable to help with the anxiety. A specialist would then take a look at the “big picture” and develop a cocktail of sources for treatment, which can include medication and behavior modification. Cats tend to not need treatment for anxiety, but if necessary, a specialist will typically treat them as well.  However, we find that not all pet parents want to go the route of expensive vet visits, testing and subsequent medication, therefore we recommend looking into holistic therapies first, which will save you time, money and possibly negative side-effects from further stressing out your already stressed pet.

In general, dogs tend to exhibit signs of anxiety differently and in a way that demands our attention, as compared to cats, who tend to hide when anxious.  For most dogs, the signs of anxiety happen before the first clap of thunder, since they can sense when storms or other environmental activity is approaching. Animals are much more sensitive and aware than most humans, therefore they sense the change in barometric pressure or are warned by the gray skies and will detect thunderstorms before they actually hit, so their anxiety is not solely the result of loud sounds.

Fearful Cat

Storm phobia can also be a safety risk for animals as they can seriously injure themselves or perhaps do damage to your home. Separation anxiety is often paired with storm phobias, and when the two instances collide, an animal’s behavior can become a “worst case scenario”.

While each animal is considered an individual, anxiety occurs from a chemical reaction in the brain, and we believe that in addition to how animals are trained, there is a genetic component to an animal’s anxiety. When we became the pet parents of a senior Chihuahua who had come from a difficult past, we worked on decreasing his fear aggression and separation anxiety with gentle training, a calm, soothing and patient environment, recognizing his "triggers", slowly increasing the length of time we him alone, and adding in holistic therapies, such as Animal Reiki and calming therapeutic-grade Essential Oils. Although our vet wanted to prescribe medication, we did not wish to go that route.  Once we had Homer settled in, we enrolled him in doggy day care for little dogs, where he flourished under the careful eye of the owner, who happened to specialize in his breed, as well as socialization of fearful dogs.

As far as other products, we find that ThunderShirts or anxiety wraps ~ things that are available online or over the counter ~ are generally for mildly anxious animals. ThunderShirts are designed to give a constant gentle pressure, or hugged feeling, that relaxes animals. Pheromone sprays can also be used for mild cases.  We like ThunderShirts because it’s not medication you have to force on your pet, but a gentler physical piece of clothing that may help.

ThunderShirt

Looking at the behavior modification component of separation anxiety and storm phobias, it is much better to redirect animals rather than reward their anxious behavior, and to decrease the disparity between when owners are home with their pet and when they are away from home.  One of the common mistakes pet parents make is giving their pets constant attention to reward them for calm, independent behavior. Providing adequate daily exercise can also be a great help so your pet does not experience feeling pent-up or bored. When pet parents leave the house, it is important to decrease interaction with you pet at least 15-20 minutes before departure, and to make the departure, as well as returning, as calm and uneventful as possible.

It is uncertain what causes separation anxiety, but we believe that some anxiety occurs when animals are rehomed . . . . especially those that have been rehomed more than once. Animals experience high levels of anxiety while at shelters, according to a public relations coordinator for the Humane Society. He said it’s hard to tell if animals are more anxious during thunderstorms while at the shelter because the animals have a difficult time “coming out of their shell” to begin with, since a shelter environment may leave them alone, scared and confused.  He also stated that these are animals who deserve to be in homes, therefore it is best to try and get them into a foster home as soon as possible, so that they can feel more comfortable.

What we always suggest is giving your pets, especially those who have been adopted and / or come from difficult or unknown circumstances, a secure, quiet, comfortable area in your home that belongs to them and makes them feel safe . . . . especially during high-stress situations. Because animals may also try to flee or will run away when scared, it is imperative that pet parents purchase a breakaway collar with proper identification, as well as have your pets microchipped, since collars can fall off or become entangled in bushes, fences or other objects.  The last thing you want is your pet being choked by his own collar.  If lost animals are picked up by animal control or the Humane Society, and are not wearing proper identification, they are immediately scanned for microchips.


For more information on holistic therapies for your pets (and for you!), please contact us with specific questions or issues, and be sure to visit our blog, Healing Oils For Animals at:

www.HealingOilsForAnimals.com

and our EO website at:

www.GiftedGuidanceEssentialOils.com