Common Behavior Related to Anxiety in Dogs and Cats Part 2 / Anxiety in Dogs and Cats Part 2

Herbal remedies to help reduce stress, relieve anxiety and to help address anxiety-driven behavioral disorders in dogs and cats.

Animals routinely experience anxiety and irregularities in bodily systems, including the Central and Autonomic Nervous systems, requiring a whole body, nutritional correction to bring the animal body into balance, to help restore emotional balance, to help promote relaxation and to reduce nervousness, to help balance mood, soothe anxiety and to provide feelings of comfort and security. According to the 2013/14 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, one out of five dogs has a behavioral issue. 

Common behaviors related to stress and anxiety include:

Excessive barking

Nervousness

Whining

Trembling

Drooling

Panting

Pacing

Little or no appetite

Licking or chewing of skin

Hyperactivity 

Hyper-excitability

Chewing furniture

Soiling the house

Scratching at windows and doors

Following pet parents from room to room

Hiding when pet parents prepare to leave the house

Abnormally enthusiastic greeting upon return

Meowing, barking or howling once the pet parents have left

Urination or defecation near a door or on the pet's parents belongings

Vomiting when the pet parent isn't present

Excessive grooming or licking (creates bald spots and/or infections)

Even if you can't specifically identify a stress or anxiety trigger, there are helpful things you can do to reduce your pet's stress load.  

1. Make sure your pet gets plenty of exercise.
2. Spend quality time with your pet and shower them with love and praise for good behavior. 
3. Feed a premium, holistic food. (Avoid corn, wheat, and soy, meat by products, chemicals, preservatives, colorants and additives.)
4. Provide clean, filtered water daily.
5. Add immune boosting supplements.
6. Keep your home environment as stress free as possible. Your pet can detect and mimic your mood and the same factors that stress you can also stress your pet.
7. Provide healthy, engaging toys and treats to help pass the time when you're away.
8. Provide a safe haven for your dog and cat to go to when anxious or stressed, such as a box or special bed.
9. If your pet acts out, remain patient and try to determine what triggered the anxiety.

Different types of anxiety: separation anxiety, noise phobias and social anxiety

Separation anxiety is the most common anxiety disorders and typically occurs when pets are left alone and separated from their owners. Destructive behavior such as continuous barking and whining, chewed furniture, scratching of doors or soiled floors may result when you leave your pet alone. 

Noise phobia anxiety occurs when pets are fearful of loud noises such as thunderstorms, firecrackers, gunshots, a vacuum cleaner or a hairdryer. Noise phobias may cause your pet to run for shelter and as a result, may hurt themselves. Extreme examples include jumping through windows, digging at floors or walls, running away; less extreme behaviors may include excessive barking, meowing, drooling, trembling, chewing, urinating and defecating. 

Social anxiety most commonly occurs when pets have not been socialized from a young age or have lived in isolation of other people and pets. Under-socialized pets can become terrified by groups of people and other animals and may feel trapped and respond in fear or aggression. 

Herbal Nutrition - (listed in order of relevance and recommendation by holistic vets - human grade meets/exceeds highest safety criteria for pets)

Herbal remedies can help promote a calm and relaxed state, help soothe stress, fear and nervous anxiety during stressful situations and everyday disturbances, can help address the sudden and immediate symptoms of stress, such as quivering and panting, can help relieve the anxiety and tension related to stress, can help your pet cope with anxiety and nervousness by providing nutritional and natural phyto-chemical support to all body systems to provide systemic whole body balance, allowing your animal to distinguish between a safe vs. fearful situation and to limit destructive behaviors. 

Serenity Zen Dog & Cat - (learn more) is used for its multi-level nutritional and plant botanical support to help soothe, relax, calm, balance and provide pain relief to nerves and muscles as well as all bodily systems (Adrenal, Cardiovascular, Digestive, Excretory, Respiratory, Autonomic and Central Nervous Systems); may be useful for stress, anxiety and behavioral disorders, allergies, digestive colic, storms, fireworks, travel, boarding, vet visits, separation, restlessness, irritability, depression, hyper-excitability, aggression, sadness and fear; to help maintain normal electrical balance in the brain, to reduce neuro inflammation,  and to modulate inflammatory response throughout the animal body. (See Pet Age magazines feature of Serenity Zen.)

Soothed & Serene  – (learn more) is used to relax and calm all bodily systems, to help support all aspects of the central and autonomic nervous systems; to help soothe animals exhibiting all types of  destructive behavior due to anxiety, fear, grief, separation, pain, illness, allergies, aggression, socialization issues, electrical and thunder storms due to its calming, mildly sedative and nervine effects that can bridge nutritional deficiencies and relieve irregularity in bodily systems, to help restore emotional balance, promote comfort, relaxation, balanced mood and feelings of security; and as a stroke preventative.

Yelp for Kelp - (learn more) provides critical vitamins, amino and fatty acids and trace macro and micronutrient support for the endocrine system, to energize the body, for building and toning enzymes, tissues, hormones and bones, for enhancing natural cleansing and detoxification, to help nutritionally support a balanced immune system; to help support healthy skin and coat;  as an osteoporosis preventative, to promote immunity and for metabolic disorders, including the thyroid gland and other glands and tissues that affect the thyroid, for thyroid disorders, to cleanse the lymphatic system, to maintain healthy levels of TSH, T3 and T4, and for metabolic disorders.

Bionic Body – (learn more) is used holistically for its adaptogenic immune boosting and anti-inflammatory support; as an antioxidant and for its free radical scavenging (disease preventing) actions; for its nutritive content which may help to nourish the body and strengthen and revitalize bones, eye, teeth, skin and coat; works to stimulate collagen production, a primary building material of bones; may  help prevent dental disease; for its plant actions to help strengthen bones, cartilage, joints, muscles, connective tissues & blood vessels & helps to reduce joint inflammation, while activating a cartilage-protective biochemical, potentially helping to preserve healthy cartilage in aging joint; for its prebiotic and probiotic content to help support native gut flora and healthy digestion; may help to fight off allergies and infections.

Read part 1 of the Anxiety in Pets series

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