My dog has isolation anxiety from being abandoned by her original owners. Left with no food and little water (toilet bowl, leaking faucets etc.) for at least a week n a half, she was eventually found by the county in the house once it was seized. She’s 7 yrs old now but it’s been a struggle ever since we first got her. She loves her crate, but unfortunately the crate only makes it worse. she broke out of her crate once, we don’t have the door on it anymore because she broke it, breaking two teeth in the process. We give her trazodone before we leave now and everything is on a set schedule this has all worked wonders, but we prefer to take her with us whenever we can. Having Luna has made me really hate the stigma that is behind medication for anxiety in both dogs and humans. It can be just as necessary as any other medication, anxiety can significantly lower quality of life and can even cause injury furthering the anxiety. Thank you for shedding light on this issue.
Oh, your poor Luna - that's so awful and so very sad. I am so glad that you are caring for her now and that you've implemented some treatments that are working for her. I'm also very grateful that you give her the medication she needs. That's wonderful 😊
I'm sorry that Luna has to go through this!! But it sounds like you're doing a great job in helping her. As you discovered, putting the dog in a crate (even when the dog loves the crate) isn't recommended for most dogs with separation distress. That can make the anxiety and panic even worse.
I appreciate that - thank you! And yes, it is all actual, research based, information! When I'm at work, clients often remark that their pets find my voice relaxing, and I'm grateful for anything that helps my patients feel less stress in the clinic! Maybe I'll have to start up a new niche - ASMR for cats and dogs 😂 if only I had enough time for all of this...
We hear about separation distress most often in dogs, but cats can suffer from this disorder as well. It can be more difficult to "diagnose" in cats because their "symptoms" aren't as noticeable. Dogs can be destructive in the home, they can be very vocal, and have other behavioral indicators of separation distress. Cats don't usually have such noticeable "symptoms". I've not seen any studies that discuss separation distress in cats and how common it is in felines. Are you aware of any, Dr. Em?
As is quite common, you are correct that there are fewer research studies in cats compared to dogs, and in this specific area there are only a handful. This more recent publication has references to the research we have: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7159185/
I believe you can find pheromones (for both dogs in cats) in collars now (which removes the disadvantage of the plug in covering a smaller area). I think you're exactly right about the need for both behavioral interventions and medications for treating separation distress.
For Adaptil you can, I didn't mention them because there isn't a Feliway version, plus I find that people often don't use them correctly on the dog. There are also sprays, but those only last for roughly 2hrs and so aren't appropriate for this application. Absolutely - this is a situation where multi modal treatment plans are absolutely crucial! Thank you so much for your comment 🙌
Do you have any advice on how to navigate grief in dogs? We recently had to put down one of our dogs and our other dog is having a hard time handling it. We got both dogs really close together so he's pretty much always had another dog with him and now he barks when we leave him alone. I dont know if it's separation anxiety because he's always had another dog to keep him company or grief or a combination of both. We're thinking of taking him to our vet to inquire about possibly putting him on meds. He's 11 and we already leave the radio on when we leave and also give him a peanut butter filled bone. Sometimes i wonder which is worse, losing a pet or watching the surviving pet mope around for his buddy. It hurts my heart seeing him sad.
@@VetMedCorner thanks! I thought you had one but couldnt find it for some reason (i was probably just tired) when i was browsing your videos last night. Thanks for the link!
Thank you as always for your great suggestions! We have had good success with the Calming Care probiotics, even though my cat's issues aren't exactly what it's designed for. I hadn't thought it was working so we stopped it, and it was during that time that he had his cystitis issues, so he's back on it now. I've also started just started giving him gabapentin when I'm getting ready for trips, because I think he picks up on my packing/prepping anxiety! (Unfortunately I can't really "run trials" on what actually works for him because I don't want to risk him getting sick again, but fingers crossed it's at least one of those things.) I'm glad you talked about the importance of medication--it really can make a big difference!
@@VetMedCorner Thank you! I know that it’s incredibly painful so we are definitely doing our best to keep a constant eye out for it and provide him with the meds and extra enrichment he needs to help keep him from getting stressed out! (I joked with a friend that clearly he was meant to be my cat because I also have anxiety, so it’s like he “inherited” it from me, poor bud.) Thankfully we are pretty sure we know the triggers and how to manage it, and our vet has been helpful.🤞🏻 that continues to be the case!
Oh, I forgot, I had a question about Feliway! I know the research is really mixed, but I read somewhere that one benefit could be that if nothing else, if the cat is used to being in a home with a Feliway diffuser, then it can help make the spray more “effective” in other locations because even if the pheromones don’t actually do anything, it will make the carrier (or vet’s office or whatever) smell like home. I tried to find research on that but failed. Have you heard of this? It makes sense to me, but also seems like the same effect could be obtained by putting a favorite blanket or a piece of clothing you’d worn in the carrier, etc.
How interesting! I haven't heard of this before, am not aware of any research in that specific area, and agree with all your thoughts. It could be worth trialing Feliway, but if finding it not effective, I would just use a towel or t-shirt or something from home as a way to bring comforting scent with the cat.
My dog had separation anxiety which we worked through when we leave the house, but if we are home and he is in a separate room he will have difficulty. Is it the same training? He does not tolerate guests in my house well, so needs to put elsewhere, but also does not tolerate being excluded. Would love your thought on this.
It's very similar (as you need to make sure to meet your dog's needs etc), however you need to work with a skilled positive reinforcement trainer as there can be components of things like barrier frustration etc that also need addressing. All the best!
Ooooo this is an excellent suggestion! I did cover dilated cardiomyopathy (both the traditional type and the nutritionally caused type) in a previous video... Was that what you were thinking of or is there something else? Please be as specific as possible as there are many different types of heart disease and it would be far too much to try cover all of them in one video!
@@VetMedCorner Maybe show the different kind of respiration which can make us suspect heart disease. When panting what is an abnormal panting (2 min, 30 min) ? How to mesure BPM. Is there an age where we should worry more ? Type of exams ? Different heart diseases. Maybe differences between heart disease and lung disease. So much to say !!!!
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My dog has isolation anxiety from being abandoned by her original owners. Left with no food and little water (toilet bowl, leaking faucets etc.) for at least a week n a half, she was eventually found by the county in the house once it was seized. She’s 7 yrs old now but it’s been a struggle ever since we first got her. She loves her crate, but unfortunately the crate only makes it worse. she broke out of her crate once, we don’t have the door on it anymore because she broke it, breaking two teeth in the process. We give her trazodone before we leave now and everything is on a set schedule this has all worked wonders, but we prefer to take her with us whenever we can. Having Luna has made me really hate the stigma that is behind medication for anxiety in both dogs and humans. It can be just as necessary as any other medication, anxiety can significantly lower quality of life and can even cause injury furthering the anxiety. Thank you for shedding light on this issue.
Oh, your poor Luna - that's so awful and so very sad. I am so glad that you are caring for her now and that you've implemented some treatments that are working for her. I'm also very grateful that you give her the medication she needs. That's wonderful 😊
I'm sorry that Luna has to go through this!! But it sounds like you're doing a great job in helping her. As you discovered, putting the dog in a crate (even when the dog loves the crate) isn't recommended for most dogs with separation distress. That can make the anxiety and panic even worse.
I'm confused. Is this actual information? Or is this an ASMR channel for pet owners? You have the most soothing voice ever!
I appreciate that - thank you! And yes, it is all actual, research based, information!
When I'm at work, clients often remark that their pets find my voice relaxing, and I'm grateful for anything that helps my patients feel less stress in the clinic!
Maybe I'll have to start up a new niche - ASMR for cats and dogs 😂 if only I had enough time for all of this...
I agree lol. I often replay videos while I play with my cat or as calming background sound 😄
Awesome! I'm so glad, and thank you 😊
We hear about separation distress most often in dogs, but cats can suffer from this disorder as well. It can be more difficult to "diagnose" in cats because their "symptoms" aren't as noticeable. Dogs can be destructive in the home, they can be very vocal, and have other behavioral indicators of separation distress. Cats don't usually have such noticeable "symptoms". I've not seen any studies that discuss separation distress in cats and how common it is in felines. Are you aware of any, Dr. Em?
As is quite common, you are correct that there are fewer research studies in cats compared to dogs, and in this specific area there are only a handful.
This more recent publication has references to the research we have:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7159185/
@@VetMedCorner Thanks!
I believe you can find pheromones (for both dogs in cats) in collars now (which removes the disadvantage of the plug in covering a smaller area). I think you're exactly right about the need for both behavioral interventions and medications for treating separation distress.
For Adaptil you can, I didn't mention them because there isn't a Feliway version, plus I find that people often don't use them correctly on the dog. There are also sprays, but those only last for roughly 2hrs and so aren't appropriate for this application.
Absolutely - this is a situation where multi modal treatment plans are absolutely crucial! Thank you so much for your comment 🙌
@@VetMedCorner Thanks for the information on the collar! I wasn't aware of that.
Do you have any advice on how to navigate grief in dogs?
We recently had to put down one of our dogs and our other dog is having a hard time handling it. We got both dogs really close together so he's pretty much always had another dog with him and now he barks when we leave him alone. I dont know if it's separation anxiety because he's always had another dog to keep him company or grief or a combination of both. We're thinking of taking him to our vet to inquire about possibly putting him on meds. He's 11 and we already leave the radio on when we leave and also give him a peanut butter filled bone.
Sometimes i wonder which is worse, losing a pet or watching the surviving pet mope around for his buddy. It hurts my heart seeing him sad.
I'm so very sorry to hear about your immense loss 💔
I have a video discussing canine grief:
th-cam.com/video/syi4Cx6v4UE/w-d-xo.html
.
@@VetMedCorner thanks! I thought you had one but couldnt find it for some reason (i was probably just tired) when i was browsing your videos last night. Thanks for the link!
Thank you as always for your great suggestions! We have had good success with the Calming Care probiotics, even though my cat's issues aren't exactly what it's designed for. I hadn't thought it was working so we stopped it, and it was during that time that he had his cystitis issues, so he's back on it now. I've also started just started giving him gabapentin when I'm getting ready for trips, because I think he picks up on my packing/prepping anxiety! (Unfortunately I can't really "run trials" on what actually works for him because I don't want to risk him getting sick again, but fingers crossed it's at least one of those things.) I'm glad you talked about the importance of medication--it really can make a big difference!
I'm so glad you found the video helpful ☺️💜 I hope that your cat's cystitis remains well managed!
@@VetMedCorner Thank you! I know that it’s incredibly painful so we are definitely doing our best to keep a constant eye out for it and provide him with the meds and extra enrichment he needs to help keep him from getting stressed out! (I joked with a friend that clearly he was meant to be my cat because I also have anxiety, so it’s like he “inherited” it from me, poor bud.) Thankfully we are pretty sure we know the triggers and how to manage it, and our vet has been helpful.🤞🏻 that continues to be the case!
Oh, I forgot, I had a question about Feliway! I know the research is really mixed, but I read somewhere that one benefit could be that if nothing else, if the cat is used to being in a home with a Feliway diffuser, then it can help make the spray more “effective” in other locations because even if the pheromones don’t actually do anything, it will make the carrier (or vet’s office or whatever) smell like home. I tried to find research on that but failed. Have you heard of this? It makes sense to me, but also seems like the same effect could be obtained by putting a favorite blanket or a piece of clothing you’d worn in the carrier, etc.
How interesting! I haven't heard of this before, am not aware of any research in that specific area, and agree with all your thoughts. It could be worth trialing Feliway, but if finding it not effective, I would just use a towel or t-shirt or something from home as a way to bring comforting scent with the cat.
My dog had separation anxiety which we worked through when we leave the house, but if we are home and he is in a separate room he will have difficulty. Is it the same training? He does not tolerate guests in my house well, so needs to put elsewhere, but also does not tolerate being excluded. Would love your thought on this.
It's very similar (as you need to make sure to meet your dog's needs etc), however you need to work with a skilled positive reinforcement trainer as there can be components of things like barrier frustration etc that also need addressing.
All the best!
Lots of people took pets during the lockdowns. As a result, there is now a big number of pets who suffer from separation anxiety. :/
Many people forget that they need to diligently work on meeting their animals' needs and that they also need to teach independence.
Could you do videos on heart disease ?
Ooooo this is an excellent suggestion! I did cover dilated cardiomyopathy (both the traditional type and the nutritionally caused type) in a previous video... Was that what you were thinking of or is there something else? Please be as specific as possible as there are many different types of heart disease and it would be far too much to try cover all of them in one video!
@@VetMedCorner Maybe show the different kind of respiration which can make us suspect heart disease. When panting what is an abnormal panting (2 min, 30 min) ? How to mesure BPM. Is there an age where we should worry more ? Type of exams ? Different heart diseases. Maybe differences between heart disease and lung disease. So much to say !!!!
Gotcha - thank you so much for further explaining what information you would find most helpful! I will add this to my list for future video topics 👍