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Separation Anxiety
Panting, destructive chewing, urinating and defaecating when alone are signs of separation anxiety.
Overview
Anxiety or stress can be extremely debilitating and render a pet susceptible to emotional and health problems.
Separation anxiety is a behavioural condition that occurs in both cats and dogs when separated from their owner. Typical signs include destructive behaviours that occur when left alone. Although the causes of separation anxiety are not fully understood, it is apparent that genetics and environmental factors play a role.
The goal of treatment is to teach the dog to tolerate being alone. The management involves environmental and behaviour modification with or without medication.
Signs
Common signs of separation anxiety:
- Panting
- Whimpering
- Chewing excessively
- Barking
- Salivating
- Urinating
- Defaecating
- Destructive behaviour
Causes
Common causes of separation anxiety:
- Change of ownership
- Being left alone longer than usual
- New house
- Sudden absence of household member
Common triggers for separation anxiety:
- Left alone
- Left with a non-primary carer such as a pet sitter
- Denied access to a carer such as in another room or outside
- Sudden change in routine
- Exposure to a scary event such as a thunderstorm
- Old age
Management
If your pet is showing these signs, book them in for a full veterinary examination to rule out medical conditions first. If your pet is considered healthy, your veterinarian will consider environmental and behaviour modifying techniques and in severe cases, prescribe medication.
| Environmental modification | Providing your pet with a relaxation mat The use of relaxation scents such as lavender or Adaptil spray  |
| Behavioural modification | Training your pet to relax on a mat Giving praise and treats when relaxed Slowly leaving your pet in a relaxed condition for seconds initially and slowly extending this to minutes and hours Finding the triggers for its anxiety such as picking up the car keys or grabbing a jacket and performing this a number of times a day without leaving and rewarding your pet for relaxed behaviour. Never punish your pet for anxious behaviour |
| Medication | Medication may be prescribed, particularly in severe cases and has been shown to improve behaviours four times faster when combined with behavioural modification. Bloodwork is often required prior to commencing medications Medications can be prolonged (up to 8-12 months) or lifelong |
Tips
Tips to help manage a pet with separation anxiety:
- Play calming pet music (YouTube or Spotify) or keep the TV on when the pet is at home alone
- Provide chew toys for when pet is at home alone
- Avoid making a big fuss when you leave or return - wait at least 10 minutes to allow them to get into a calm state before giving attention
- Do not give attention to bad behaviours such as jumping up, pawing at you, or whining
- Leave pet-approved pet toys such as the KONG
- Freeze food overnight in KONG toys
- Hire a professional pet walker
- Doggy day care
- Take your pet to spend a day with a friend's pet (supervised)
- Create a pet play area in the backyard
- Hide small amounts of treats in the yard
- Exercise the pet first thing in the morning or straight after work
If your pet has separation anxiety problems, seek veterinary attention. Your vet will be able to put a management program together which includes modifying the environment, behaviour with or without the use of medication.