Central Coast Home & Lifestyle Autumn 2023

Pets on the Coast

How to Treat Separation Anxiety in Dogs

See Your Vet - A visit with a veterinarian or veterinary behaviourist is a good starting point to help develop a treatment plan based on your dog’s individual needs and level of anxiety. For dogs with severe anxiety or those that are at risk of injuring themselves, prescription medication may be a good starting point to help 'take the edge off' while implementing long term management strategies such as training. Training - Training is an important and effective treatment and aims to desensitise pets from owners leaving the returning to the house. A professional behavioural trainer can introduce training strategies that help correct the dog's individual behavioural issues. Training Tips to help with Separation Anxiety: 1. Avoid making a fuss when leaving or coming home. When you get excited with your dog when you first return, this reinforces you coming home as a significant event. Ignore them in the few minutes prior to your departure. Lots of attention before leaving can cause greater stress, especially if they can feel you are anxious or guilty about leaving them. 2. Don't let your dogdevelopnegative associations to your morning rituals. If putting on your shoes or picking up keys is a trigger for your dog, try doing these actions without leaving the house. Teach them that these actions will not result in you leaving the house every time. 3. Give them alone time in small doses. Trial short periods of time away from your dog with you in a different room to them in the house. Provide something fun or yummy such as a chewy treat or interactive toy to help distract them. You can gradually increase the amount of time spent away from your dog. When you return from your absence, try not to promote excitable behaviour; wait until they are calm before giving them attention. 4.The Magic of Pheromones - Try

using Adaptil to help keep your dog calm and content while you are away. For indoor dogs plug in a diffuser in their favourite room, for outdoor dogs an Adaptil collar is a good option. Adaptil is an odourless, man-made version of the pheromones that dogs naturally release when they feel content. The correct use of these products in and around the home can promote feelings of calm and combat undesirable behaviours caused by anxiety. 5. Distract them with a toy or treat. Distracting your dog with an occupying toy or long-lasting treat when you leave can help keep them occupied and teach them to associate the process with positive feelings. Calming Diets - There are a range of therapeutic diets available, designed to minimise stress and anxiety in dogs. Royal Canin Calm contains milk-derived alpha-casozepine and adapted L-tryptophan, to help relieve stress and create a calming effect. Royal Canin Relax Care contains fish hydrolysate, a natural supplement derived from fish protein which has demonstrated proven results for managing stress in dogs. Natural Anxiety Supplements - There are a range of natural supplements that can be added to your pet's daily regime to help minimise feelings of stress and anxiety. Products such as Paw Blackmores Complete Calm, Thunder Wunder Calming Chews, and Vetalogica Tranquil Formula contain L-Tryptophan, a compound that has been demonstrated to help pets that suffer from behavioural issues such as aggression and general anxiety. Zylkene is a non-medicated supplement for dogs that is derived from casein, a protein found in milk, and specially formulated to aid in the management of anxiety and stress. Zylkene is widely recommended by veterinarians, as it is highly palatable and comes in an easy to give capsule that can also be opened and sprinkled on food. Ask your vet for recommendations.

Why do pets eat grass?

Consuming considered completely normal behaviour in dogs and cats, with almost 80% of pets eating grass on a regular basis. Studies have shown that most instances of grass eating are unrelated to illness and this behaviour is an instinct inherited from wild ancestors. grass is

More research is needed but one theory is that the grass eating in canine and feline ancestors served a biological purpose to help purge parasites. Despite modern day parasite prevention modern dogs and cats still adopt this instinctual behaviour. Other reasons that pets may eat grass include nutritional deficiencies, to aid digestion, behavioural issue like stress or boredom, and help curb nausea during the times that they do feel unwell.

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21 Home & Lifestyle Magazine | Autumn 2023