Nervous Pets

As fun as the Festive Season, Guy Fawkes and Halloween can be for us – it is a major issue when it comes to our fur babies.

We, humans, move through life consumed by routines and established habits – whether it be what you eat, when you sleep or who you talk to.

Suddenly there comes massive changes - exciting holidays, loud celebrations and lost connections brought back to life with people you haven’t seen in years.

Even though these happenings might bring a warm fuzzy feeling to your stomach and a small smile to your face – our fur babies might not be as enthusiastic.

They are put in the back seat and taken somewhere unfamiliar – kennels, a holiday home at the beach or maybe to a close friend. That – or crowds of unfamiliar people make their way into your home, invading your pet’s only known safe haven. Not long after that – things further descend as intoxicated people stumble around your home breaking things, weird bangs and flashes are happening outside and screaming children fill the only silence left in your home.

From this point onwards – a real, overwhelming fear starts building that only gets worse and worse by the second.

This could lead to one of two things – either your pet will become aggressive and lash out at anybody who dare comes near them or your pet will crawl into a ball with such a piercing feeling of fear going through its body that the only way to escape will be by running far far away. The classic ‘flight/fight’ response.

Research has shown that both aggressive dogs and runaway dogs are more present during January/December.

Signs that your dog or cat is becoming nervous include:

• Hiding
• Chewing
• Panting
• Pacing
• Digging
• Trying to jump out of windows or otherwise escape
• Drooling
• Seeking out the owner
• Barking
• Trembling
• Dilated Pupils

Luckily though, according to University of Washington psychologist James Ha, a specialist in animal behaviour, says that there are three ways to manage nervousness in your pet: management, treatment and drugs.

Managing nervousness in your pets

This is where you introduce your pet to things that might overwhelm them: loud noises, crowds of people and flashy displays a.k.a fireworks. Either you could purchase CD’s with loud noises on them or slowly introduce your pet to these things in a controlled environment. You have to make sure that good behaviour is rewarded.

You could also put your pet in a quiet, safe room away from all the noise with the doors and curtains closed to minimise the noise. Wrapping your pet in a pressure wrap might also help.

Natural remedies could help

There are several herbal remedies on the market that could help your pet deal with their anxiety. This would need to be given a few days prior to the event in order for it to work to its full capacity.

If nothing else works, see your vet

If the problem is severe, medication prescribed by the vet might be needed. Speak to your vet in advance so that, when the time comes, you have the medication on hand.