My dog has separation anxiety after a death. How can I help her cope?

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Don't worry- you are not alone in this separation anxiety issue Oren seems to be having. This is very common but can be very frustrating for everyone involved- including Oren! Anxiety can be very energy draining, so I am not surprised to hear about the exhaustion experienced when you get home. A few tips, though, can help with this. Keep the crate area very comfortable and inviting with lots of soft blankets. Spray a bit of Adaptil Spray (pheromone spray) you can purchase at your local pet supplies store around the crate area and blankets 15 mins before you leave. Take a kong toy and stuff it with low fat peanut butter or low fat plain yogurt and freeze it overnight. Take it out 10 mins before you leave and offer it to Oren to keep him entertained and busy while you are in the process of leaving and while you are away. Playing music or the radio can help as well. Claiming chewables with L-theanine in them daily can help lower anxiety levels naturally. SSRIs prescribed to Oren by his veterinarian can help with cases that do not improve even with behavioral modifications if Oren continues to have trouble with separation anxiety. I hope this helps and best of luck!

Poor Madge! I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Dogs can and do mourn much like people do, so it is likely that she is feeling a bit lost and afraid now that her friend is no longer there. There are a few things you can do to help with separation anxiety, including playing a soothing talk radio or TV show while you're gone, leaving a puzzle toy to distract her, going on a long walk to tire her out prior to your leaving, or having a T-shirt or blanket that smells like you or your passed away pup to cuddle with. Pheromone diffusing collars can also help by releasing a calming pheromone to help reduce stress and anxiety. If you can, coming home for breaks during the day to let her out and play with her may help reduce her anxiety. If the problems persist or do not improve, speaking with a trainer or behaviorist in your area may help. They may be able to formulate a training plan to help Madge feel a bit better and get comfortable in her new situation.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Separation anxiety can be difficult to address but with patience and persistence training can help. Rather than starting on anti-anxiety medications right away, I typically recommend trying products such as NaturVet Quiet Moments Calm Chews with Melatonin and an Adaptil collar, which can both be found online or at your local pet store quite easily. I would also recommend using a Thundershirt, which can be found online or at the pet store. It would also help if you began feeding Sienna breakfast and dinner in the kennel so that she becomes used to being inside the cage for positive things. I would move all of her toys to the inside of the kennel and whenever she goes inside the kennel, reward her with her favorite treat. If this does not help, I would recommend speaking with her veterinarian and discuss anti-anxiety medications as these may be beneficial in deterring this separation anxiety she suffers from. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your father. I am sure it is very difficult to be going through this. Dogs are emotional and can become distressed / sad when a loved one passes away. Unfortunately, it just takes time. There are some things you can try to help ease the stress for Sadie. I would recommend the below products and see if these help. I would also take her out more for walks and socialize her and consider taking her to the dog park as well to interact with other dogs. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Adaptil collar 2. NaturVet Quiet Moments Calm Chews with Melatonin 3. Plenty of toys to play with

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I agree with you. This is possibly separation anxiety which is actually way more common than people think. While there are behavioral medications that may help, I still prefer more behavioral modifications such as increasing the frequency of those times that you are separated to get her more used to it but more importantly, start rewarding her for when she behaves well when left alone. You can do this with praise and of course treats. If this does not work, there are medications that can be used for this purpose which your veterinarian may be able to prescribe if deemed useful at that time. Good luck and have a good night!

Hi Lola and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about your problem with Asher Jackson. Behavioral problems are very complex and unfortunately this forum is not adequate for helping you solve the problems. Separation anxiety is one of the toughest problems to take on but with behavior modification and sometimes drug therapy, good progress can be made. Sometimes this involves a certified dog trainer or veterinary behaviorist to aid in the improvement. My best advice is to seek help from your veterinarian. They can evaluate Asher Jackson, take a thorough history and then advise a diagnostic/treatment plan. Diagnostics may include blood tests and other tests to make sure that his overall health is good and to assess internal organ function in case some drug therapy is implemented. Your vet may even refer you to a trainer or behaviorist for more one on one training. Good luck with Asher. I know you can make head way in this case.

Hello. I would start with an over the counter anxiety product like Zylkene. I would also start using a dog appeasing pheromone in the home ( room diffuser ) or it comes as a collar. The pheromone can calm an anxious dog without drugs. Adaptil is the name of this product. If this does not help over the course of a couple of weeks, you will need to talk to your vet about possible behavior modification therapy & the use of prescription medications like Trazodone. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.