Stress in Pets – Causes and Signs
Due to the ever-increasing competition in today’s dynamic world; it has been found that approximately 85-90% of human population in the world has stress. Its not that humans only face stressful situations, this menace called stress is also found in pets. An unhappy pet is a cause of concern for every pet parent. But the major question is: What are the causes of stress in pets? The answer lies in the fact that pets living in shelters are more prone to stress because of the kind of environment they live in. The major trouble is the fact that the place is so noisy that it becomes very difficult for them to get away. Then there are sensitive pets that face a very difficult time leading a shelter life. For pets that live with their human parents, situations like change of place, new pet, strangers, vet visits and separation can cause anxiety.
Causes of stress in pets
There are three major causes of stress in pets. They are:
- Environmental stress
- Emotional stress
- Physical stress
Let us look at each of these causes in details:
Environmental stress
This stress is caused due to shifting to a new location, alteration in daily routine, holiday season (since the pet sometimes needs to stay alone when the pet parents go for long holidays), death of a family member (this can be any human being from the house or pet), other pets, visit to a vet, and other related environmental issues.
Emotional stress
Emotional stress in pets is caused due to many reasons. Some of them are monotony, being left in solitude, over excitement, expecting something, prolonged activity, fear, competition or jealousy with other pets, shouting at the pet, incoherent training, and lack of exercise amongst others.
Physical stress
Pets are quite sensitive towards climatic changes, low quality diet, shock, recuperation from an operation, and external and internal parasites. The pet’s body reacts to all these situations and may develop minor or chronic diseases in the long run.
Signs of stress in pets
Early detection of stress in pets is very important. If it is not treated quickly, then it can lead to diseases and depression. Hence, it is significant for all pet parents to understand the different signs of stress in pets.
Major signs of stress in pets:
- Detaching themselves from others
- Abrupt alteration in temper
- Trying to runoff from a particular person or pet
- Sudden changes in toilet locations (going in the toilet rather than the place designated for toilet)
- Annihilating furniture / garden
- Depicting tendencies of destruction
- Change in eating habits (eating less or more)
- Over-grooming
If you find any of the above mentioned signs in your pet then rush to a veterinary physician at the earliest. Once the physician confirms that your pet is going through stress, consider taking stress relievers for your pet.
Feline Anxiety relief is specifically for cats. It is a natural homeopathic antidote that can be taken for different kinds of phobias, stress and anxieties. This oral treatment is useful in reducing stress levels caused due to separation, veterinarian visits, traveling, introduction to new pets, urine marking etc.
Travel anxiety is a homeopathic antidote for travel sickness faced by canines. It is an oral treatment which has proven valuable in providing immediate respite to dogs that face stress due to travel phobias (doing journeys in cars, boats, flights and trains), and motion sickness. With the intake of this antidote dogs can be protected from symptoms like quivering, restfulness, drooling, and vomiting.
Stress levels affect the pets in the same way as it affects human beings. Hence, if you as pet-parent find that your pet has stress then do not delay. Give proper treatment to keep your pet safe and protected from stress.
