Pet Stress Awareness: Identifying Signs and Treatment

Your pet’s happiness plays a vital role in their overall health. On National Stress Awareness Day we wanted to take a moment to highlight the impact stress can have on our pet’s overall well-being. It’s important to identify the unique signs and triggers of stress within our dogs and cats in order to proactively work to either eliminate or address these triggers to keep them safe and happy.

Our pets interpret various environmental and situational factors differently, and these interpretations can bring a range of reactions and emotions. The first step is learning how to identify signs stress, and then the next step is associating these signs with certain situations.

Common Stress Triggers:

• new environments
• other cats or dogs in their territory
• presence of strangers 
• separation anxiety
• fireworks/loud noises

Common Stress Signs and Behavior:

• Keep an eye on their body language:
  • tucked tail
  • non-wagging tail
  • raised hair
  • lowered ears
  • shaking
  • panting

• Changes in behavior: 
  • vomiting
  • constant urination
  • diarrhea
  • aggression
  • shyness and hiding
  • not eating
  • constant pacing

Treatment:

It’s important to discuss any of these signs and behaviors with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian can help provide specific guidance and ensure these signs and behaviors aren’t due to other physical causes. They might be able to provide you with prescriptions to ease stress from certain situations. In addition, there are other steps you can take to help your pet: 

• Identify the triggers and your pet’s reaction
• If possible, avoid the situations and environments that trigger stress
• If it’s an unavoidable situation make sure you have the right resources and time to address their behavior to keep them safe
• In addition to prescription medicine, there are herbal supplements (such as lavender) and body wrapping (such as Thunder Shirts) that have proven to help ease stress and anxiety
• Work with a professional trainer to teach them how to cope with certain triggers

PetFirst Pet Insurance is here to make sure your pet remains happy and healthy. PetFirst can help cover the costs of exams and treatments associated with stress symptoms and behaviors. Get your quote today!