Can my attached dog get depressed or sick when left with relatives?

I am sorry to hear about Olly! Pets can sometimes become depressed when their owners or friends leave. I wouldn't expect him to become sick though. If he seems severely affected there are some options to help him with his anxiety at being separated from you. I would consider having them get an Adaptil collar or diffuser for the house which is a pheremone products https://www.adaptil.com/us/Adaptil/Adaptil-Collar and a calming supplement such as Composure for dogs https://www.vetriscience.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=900780060 or Zylkene http://www.vetoquinolusa.com/content/zylkene. If he is still having problems despite these products then your vet may need to prescribe prescription medication for him.

Hi there and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is a possibility you may see a little depression in the dogs initially, but in my experience dogs tend to adapt and will probably bounce back quickly. If your parents are noticing depression in Rocky once he moves perhaps they could find a doggy day care where he could interact and play with other dogs occasionally. Best of lucky to Rocky on the move!

Hopefully, it is due to the stress of your absence and not a drug toxicity. Monitor him for lethargy, ataxia (wobbly gait), drooling loss of appetite, dilated pupils or rapid heart rate/breathing. These can all be signs of drug ingestion. Try withholding food for 24 hours. Allow small amounts of water or unflavored electrolyte replacement fluid. Resume feeding a bland diet in small, frequent amounts until the stool is normal before slowly transitioning to his regular diet. A bland diet can be plain white rice mixed with either cottage cheese, boiled boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cooked/drained ground turkey or cooked/drained ground beef. Gradually acclimate him to your absence by leaving for ever increasing periods of time. Prepare to leave several times during the day. Leave sometimes, sometimes just put your stuff away and stay. Do not make a big deal about leaving or arriving. Ignore your dog for 15 minutes or until he calms down upon your return. Use special toys or treats only when you leave. Take them up when you get home. Pheromone products such as the DAP Diffuser or Adaptil collar may decrease his anxiety while you are gone.

Cats generally don't do well either way, but taking them out of their environment is typically more stressful to cats. I would suggest keeping her there in the house and let your friend take care of her needs while you're away. You can also look into a supplement called Zylkene which is a natural way to treat anxiety in pets. It is available online and in some veterinarian clinics. It is a capsule tht can either be given by mouth or potentially sprinkled on your pets food daily. If you are interested in this approach, I would recommend trying it first at home with Bitsy while you are still there to ensure she still stays interested in her food, especially if you decide to sprinkle it on top. A good tip here is to mix it in with the food to hide it well. If you are using dry kibble then adding a small amount of water will help to mix in the contents. Other options for stress management can be discussed with your veterinarian, but most require giving the medication by mouth and I'm not sure how comfortable your friend would be with this approach. I hope that this information proves helpful. Best of luck with your pet Bitsy moving forward. Take care!

Hi, the majority of dogs suffers with different degrees of anxiety when they are separated from their owner. How much stress is he going to suffer with will also depends on the facility. Some dogs cope well with being kennelled whilst other just find the experience very distressing. In general dogs have to get used to be separated from their owners, because there will be circumstances in life where they will just have to. If it is possible a gradual approach would be better, i.e. getting to know the new place and facilities beforehand for a few hours at time and helping making this experience as positive as possible. I have a very friendly submissive medium size dog and I have taken her into a kennel for 3 days. The place was recommended by a client of mine who funnily enough has a lot of greyhounds. My dog found the experience traumatising, she did not pass feaces for 3 days and I got home to a very frightened and constipated dog. Since then I have stopped using kennels. I had to take to leave her for another couple of days because my mum fell ill in hospital and left her with her dog walker who said had always dogs staying at her house with her own dogs. My dog was walked with these dogs beforehand, and when I left her at her house as I was about to leave, she got bitten on her ear by one of the other dogs. That was also a traumatic experience. I kept searching and finally found a home boarding place where they board only a few dogs at times, and they are all around her size .. they have huge gardens to run and can be kept separated in different parts of the house, so she had lots of pampering when I had to visit a sick member of my family abroad. We take her with us all the time when we travel for holidays but sadly there are occasions when she can’t be taken and I have managed to find a suitable alternative to our family company. Hope my experience helps ! All the best.

Poor guy. He will need to see your local vet to get the medication (i.e. Fluoxetine, Clomicalm, etc) he needs to have a hopefully stress free and anxiety free time away from you during your leave. I would recommend scheduling an appt with your vet soon. Anything over the counter (Thundershirt, pheromone diffuser) is likely not going to be strong or effective enough to make a difference, especially if he is as anxious as you say he is. Also, it may be better if he is at home in familiar surroundings, than with you in a foreign place. Having a sitter come to the house is probably the best case scenario for him, unless of course you have tried this before to no avail. Best wishes with Germa and I hope you work things out for her. Take care.

It sounds as though you are quite worried about leaving Precious. Fortunately, dogs do not have the same sense of time that we do, nor the ability to anticipate scary occurrences. She may have some degree of anxiety, but many dogs enjoy their boarding experience and exposure to other people and change of scenery. I'm sure your vet will call if they have any concerns about Precious. Try to relax and enjoy your vacation! :-)