Dog Hospital

Separation anxiety can be very traumatic for a dog due to being left on its own for periods of time

One of the most common, and frustrating, behaviour disorders commonly noted in dogs is separation anxiety. Most dogs will naturally experience some stress or anxiety when we leave them alone. After all, as pack animals, being left alone all day is not something that is naturally appealing to a dog. Despite this fact, most dogs are able to adapt to our routine, and when owners are gone, they generally spend a good deal of their day sleeping, and then are overjoyed when their people return home.

A dog with separation anxiety will exhibit signs of fear during the time their owner is preparing to leave the house, while they gather up keys, jacket and bag, for example. A dog with separation issues may pace, drool, whine, or closely follow their owner all over the house. Once the human is gone, the dog may be destructive (possibly trying to escape the area in which they are confined). These dogs may also urinate or defecate in the house, bark or howl excessively or a combination of these behaviours.

Chewing the windowsill or pooping in the dining room are noticeable behaviours, that usually result in dogs being brought to the vet’s for a diagnosis. Complaints from neighbours will often alert the owner of a dog’s barking problem. However, some dogs with separation anxiety are quiet. They may lie perfectly still, with ears down, and drool, vomit, or are simply unable to eat or drink until their owners return and their fear is alleviated.

Dogs with separation anxiety often greet their owners with overly intense enthusiasm upon their return, and it may take a long time for them to calm down again. If you believe your dog suffers from separation issues, one of the things you can do to help is to ignore them when you return home until they settle down.

A veterinarian is able to take a detailed history to diagnose separation anxiety. A dog that does not show any concern during your departure but has eaten the sofa in your absence may just be doing normal “young dog chewing” and not have separation anxiety. Likewise, a dog that pees in the same room every day may have a urinary tract infection, or simply wanting to mark territory, or may never have been completely housebroken.

In order to make a certain diagnosis of this disorder, a combination of the following must be present:
Signs of anxiety during preparation for departure
Destruction, vocalization or inappropriate elimination during owner’s absence – these behaviours usually begin fairly soon after the humans have left
An excessively long and overwrought greeting when people return home.

It will help your vet a great deal if you are able to test and observe these behaviours before visiting the clinic. Test the dog by performing the normal departure routine, go outside, start the car, and even drive down the road if you want. Then, however, return quietly to the house and remain outside and listen to what is going on with the dog in the house.

Even if the signs are classic for separation anxiety, there could be an underlying medical problem that is causing your dog’s stress level to rise. This is especially true in older dogs, who may be showing signs of separation anxiety for the first time in their lives. Some dogs may also have other phobias that can be mistaken for separation anxiety.

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