Care Corner: Easing Your Pet’s Separation Anxiety

The world is starting to get back to a “new normal.” Many people have resumed working outside of their homes and are starting to go out and socialize more. This transition, while a welcome change for many, can be hard for pets who most likely have gotten used to (and loved!) having their people around more. The new separation may cause some anxiety in pets, but there are ways to help lessen the impact.

Why It’s Important

When a pet gets anxious this can lead to some poor behavior and potentially a decline in health, too. For example, dogs might start chewing, licking, panting, or pacing to excess, having accidents inside the house, or excessively barking, and cats might have accidents outside their litter box or start meowing  incessantly.

And, anxiety and stress in pets can even contribute to bouts with overeating, diarrhea, vomiting, and other health issues – for example, bladder stones or crystals and heart disease.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to help your pet be more comfortable – and hopefully stay healthy – when your routine changes. Here are some simple things to try for keeping pet behavior and health in check:
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• Talk with your vet to ensure that there are no other medical issues behind any strange behavior(s) your pet is exhibiting.
• Gradually introduce your pet to the idea of you being away. For instance, start with short trips out of the house and work up to going out for longer durations.
• Consider installing indoor cameras so you can monitor your pet when you’re not there to make sure they aren’t pacing by the door in distress or otherwise engaging in odd behavior that may be due to separation anxiety.
• ​​Make sure to give them attention and cuddles when you are home and engage with them in enrichment activities using toys and games.  Stress-busting planning can go a long way to ensuring that your pets don’t get anxious when you head out the door.

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Check Out These Resources

Visit our Care Corner web page for more information on how to help ease your pet’s anxiety.

What You Can Do To Help

Phinney’s believes in keeping people and their beloved pets together. We do this by extending a helping hand to pet parents in need when these emergency vet visits become too costly for some to afford. Ways you can help include donating to Phinney’s or volunteering.  And, anyone in need of help in caring for their pets can visit our Get Help page for more information.