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I’ve heard people talking about stressed pets; is that a real thing or are we just projecting our feelings onto our animals?
Dr Guy Fyvie, veterinary advisor at Hill’s Pet Nutrition South Africa, replies It is real; animals can definitely be stressed. Fight or flight is a natural survival mechanism, which becomes problematic when it can’t be ‘turned off’. Causes of stress vary but usually entail something that can’t be adequately avoided. Common stressors include separation anxiety; lack of stimulation; car travel and loud noises (thunder, fireworks or a vacuum cleaner). Changes to the usual routine – such as a new family member, moving house, holidays, or having guests – can also cause anxiety.
Dogs and cats often manifest stress physically and express it through their behaviour. For example, stressed cats can develop bladder issues and in dogs, stress often goes hand in hand with digestive upsets such as acute diarrhoea.
Other stress signals include excessive grooming, inappropriate toileting, yawning and panting, appetite loss, increased vocalisation (whining, howling or barking/meowing) and changes in behaviour such as becoming withdrawn, aggressive, hyperactive or lethargic. This can also indicate an underlying medical condition; seek veterinary advice.
The most obvious solution is to remove the stressor, but that’s often easier said than done. Your vet may prescribe anti-anxiety medication and recommend an animal behaviourist (ideally, medication should be coupled with behaviour therapy for long-term relief). Pheromones, sprayed or diffused in the animal’s environment, may also help.
There are special foods available to help reduce anxiety. Hill’s Prescription Diet c/d Stress for cats contains L-tryptophan and milk protein hydrolysate and is clinically proven to reduce the recurrence of a common stress condition, Feline Idiopathic Cystitis, by 89%. Hill’s Prescription Diet i/d Stress is the first (and only) food to help calm anxious dogs and settle stress-related digestive upsets. Ask your vet for details.
The Stress-O-Meter is also helpful – just answer a few simple questions to ascertain whether or not your dog or cat is taking strain.
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