Holiday time is a common cause of stress for many pets.
Holidays often lead to a huge change in routine for pets - even a stay at the best kennel or cattery can be unsettling. A pet's routine may also be dramatically altered if they stay at home with a house sitter or neighbour providing care. As well as adapting to a new environment (new smells, noises, other animals) and different care givers, change may affect feeding, social interaction, play and exercise patterns e.g. change in a dog's usual walking schedule or restriction of cats to an indoor-only environment. Travel to a kennel/cattery also stresses many pets.
Holiday stress does not just affect pets – many owners worry about their pets while they are away. A recent survey revealed that 32% of dog owners think their dog is stressed by a stay in kennels. In fact, 11% would not leave their dog in a kennel again. 33% of dog owners alter their holiday plans to reduce stress for their pet. Some will even not go away at all if it means leaving their pet.
Many different signs of holiday stress are shown by different pets – some may be obvious to owners when they return e.g. weight change or hoarseness from repeated barking, whereas others may only be appreciated by kennel staff or pet sitters e.g. reduced play or pacing in the run.
Natural Medications
Zylkène is a natural product, clinically proven to help dogs and cats manage stress and facilitate adaptation to change. Many common situations and events can be stressful and many pets find change, however small, difficult to cope with. Zylkène has not been associated with any side effects, including sedation or memory loss and is suitable for most pets.
Pherormones are also naturally occurring substances which have been proved to be very helpful in stressful situations and are very safe to use with no side effects.
D A P is a synthetic copy of dog appeasing pherormone which is naturally produced by brooding bitches and comes as a plug in diffuser, a spray or an impregnated collar.
Feliway is a synthetic copy of feline facial pherormone which cats use when happily rubbing against something or a friendly animal or person and comes as either a diffuser or a spray.
Many dogs and cats have learnt to associate cues such as the appearance of suitcases or pet carriers with these events, and this should be considered when deciding when best to start using specific stress reducing therapy. Any therapy considered is likely to be far more effective if started at least 2 days before any upset might be triggered.
Pets can also become stressed in day to day situations, below are a few ideas to consider for helping in stress relief.
Things you can do for your cat :
Start
- Environmental enrichments (e.g. toys, feeding places) Think in 3D - cats use different levels in the house.
- Change pattern of feeding to mimic hunting:
- Small frequent meals (up to 12 daily).
- Hide small amounts of food. - Engage cat with 'chase-and-pounce' type games or mobiles which move or reflect light.
- Punishment e.g. verbal or physical.
- Forced contacts (with other animals or with owner - cats prefer contact little and often).
Things you can do for your dog:
Start
- Teach a more appropriate behavioural response - e.g. to sit when they see another dog and wait for their reward.
- Improve communication cues - use more hand signals and fewer words to reduce ambiguity.
- Clarify the social position of the dog – an unclear social structure is stressful for dogs:
- Feeding routine (feed after the family has eaten).
- Resting place (somewhere quiet, where dog cannot see entrances).
- Initiation of contact (owner to initiate interactions).
Stop
- Punishment e.g. verbal or physical.
- Inadvertently reinforcing anxious behaviour e.g. petting the dog while it is trembling.
- Giving involuntary warning signs e.g. if you pull on the lead when you see another dog, it alerts your dog.
- Fear transfer - dogs are easily influenced by their owner's emotions. This can be your own fear e.g. of thunder itself, or fear of the anticipated reaction of your dog.
