When separated for several days or weeks from their holiday guardians, many dogs suffer from separation anxiety.
“According to different studies, this situation occurs between 10% and 30% of dogs, and especially in children under three years of age, but also in mature dogs and older adults. The dog is a routine animal and attached to its guardian, and separating from him can cause anguish, restlessness and fear, “explains Diego Pincheira, veterinarian of Drag Pharma Laboratory.
Among the most common manifestations are destruction of the environment. If the dog remains inside the home, it can break furniture and carpets. On apartment balcony, destroy terrace and plants, and if it remains in the courtyard of the house, objects such as grass, hose or gypsum dwarf.
They can also manifest their anxiety through vocalizations such as constant barking, crying or howling, which reveals their suffering in addition to causing discomfort to neighbors, and even self-biting until they are injured.
Introduce you to the caregiver
Pincheira gives some tips that help lower the feeling of separation anxiety from the dog when its owner or guardian goes on vacation:
• Increase the stimuli in the place where the dog will remain, leaving toys and objects that it explores to make the place where it will be entertaining. This changes their anxiety to a state of fun.
• De-esibilizar it before the separation, that is, that the dog lowers importance to the distance with his guardian family, when giving it difficult that it is a temporary situation.
“We can take the key and go out, leaving the dog alone for a minute and come back. Hours later, repeat with five minutes. Then an hour and four hours, leaving the dog completely alone. When his tutor returns, he will realize that he will always return,” explains Pincheira.
• If a family member or friend will visit the dog, “introduce him” to them before the vacation. That the caregiver goes home and plays with the dog, so that the dog does not see it as a stranger.
• In his daily visit, the caregiver should not only renew the water and food of the dog. It is advisable that you take him for a walk, so that the dog relaxes and lowers his anxiety.
• In some visits, the caregiver can give the dog a snack, to improve its bonding of the dog. They can be bone snacks, dehydrated lamb ribs or dog biscuits, for example. The guardian can also leave the dog’s favorite snacks at the hotel where he will be staying.
• A week before separating from the dog, your guardian may administer natural relaxants, such as Paz Pet. This is a behavior modifier based on passionflower, melissa, valerian and L-Theanine (present in green tea), which helps lower stress and anxiety.
• In cases of more severe anxiety, go to an ethologist veterinarian -specialist in animal behavior-, who can diagnose and prescribe drugs, such as Calmedrag. This is an antidepressant that increases the hormone serotonin available in the body, so it improves the feeling of well-being and lowers anxiety.
The ethologist will also be able to perform a long-term behavioral treatment to lower separation anxiety.
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