Category: Anxiety & Nervousness

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Anxiety & Nervousness Arthritis & Hip Dysplasia Old Age

Medical Marijuana for Dogs?

Medical Marijuana for Dogs

by Cate Burnettet, RVT

Please Note: This article is not an endorsement for medical marijuana use in pets, and is only intended to provide pet owners with information on a possible new veterinary therapy.

With 20 states enacting laws that allow humans to consume medical marijuana with a doctor’s prescription, the veterinary community is looking into the possible use of the plant in the treatment of various illnesses for pets.

Dr. Douglas Kramer, a small animal veterinarian in California, admits to using marijuana to help his cancer-stricken Siberian Husky. “Nikita was wasting away, and she’d stopped eating,” he recalls in the article. “I’d exhausted every available pharmaceutical pain option, even steroids. At that point, it was a quality of life issue, and I felt like I’d try anything to ease her suffering.”

Dr. Kramer started feeding Nikita a small amount of marijuana daily and he reports that her appetite returned and she seemed to be much less painful during her final months.

Because of his own experience, and the tales from a number of his clinic clients, Dr. Kramer is pushing to bring veterinary medicine into the debate regarding the use of medical marijuana. He believes the evidence is clear that marijuana can be successfully used as an alternative or adjunctive treatment for pain and palliative care in animals. “The veterinary community needs to address the issue, but we don’t want to talk about it, even though it’s clear our clients are giving marijuana to their pets, with good and bad effects,” he says in the JAVMA article.

A recent article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association provides anecdotal evidence that marijuana may be proving to be effective as an analgesic (pain relieving drug), an appetite stimulant and an anti-nausea medication in dogs with cancer and osteoarthritis.

According to the article, a senior Labrador Retriever-type dog named Miles was diagnosed with advanced splenic cancer and given 2 months to live. His veterinarian prescribed Tramadol to relieve his pain. But, Denise, Miles’ owner, did not like the residual effects of the Tramadol on her dog.

“Every time we gave it to him, he would just sleep; he wouldn’t even move. He’d just lay there like he was dead,” said Denise, who asked that her real name not be used in the article.

When a friend suggested that she give Miles a tincture of marijuana sold as a pet medicine in legal marijuana dispensaries throughout southern California, Denise tried it, thinking it could not be any worse than the drugs he was already taking.

Within an hour of ingesting the medical marijuana, Miles’ appetite was back, he was no longer vomiting and within a couple of wees he was running at the beach and back to his old self. “It couldn’t have been a coincidence,” Denise says in the article.

In the same article, other pet owners have reported similar results when giving their pets medical marijuana for chronic pain. Ernest Misko, who noticed the palliative effects marijuana had for his own back pain, used the same tincture as Denise on his 24-year-old arthritic cat, Borzo. Within a few days, Borzo was walking better and appeared to be pain-free, reports Misko.

Becky Flowers’ 20-year-old Paso Fino horse Phoenix was diagnosed with a degenerative ligament disease that was so painful she eventually could no longer walk and had stopped eating and drinking. None of the conventional veterinary pain medications helped for very long. In desperation, Flowers gave her horse a small amount of marijuana to eat, and, according to Flowers, within an hour Phoenix was up walking, eating and drinking. She continues to feed Phoenix a marijuana-laced butter once a day and says the horse is “doing incredible.”

At this point, however, the AVMA has not come out in support – or rejection – of the medical benefits of marijuana in animals citing a lack of statistical research. Dr. Dawn Boothe, director of the Clinical Pharmacology Laboratory at Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology notes that veterinarians shouldn’t discount marijuana’s potential therapeutic effects simply because it is a plant or a controlled substance. Morphine is both, and its effect on humans and animals has been thoroughly studied. Dr. Boothe says that has not happened as yet for marijuana, and owners who give the drug to their pets may be unintentionally putting their animals at risk.

In Colorado, where recreational marijuana use is now legal, veterinarians are seeing a definite increase in the number of pets being brought in to clinics and emergency hospitals suffering from marijuana poisoning after ingesting pot-laced edibles.

An ABC News Report quotes Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald of the VCA Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver as saying that since 2010, the number of poisoning cases seen at the hospital have grown from “roughly two cases a month to one every other day.”

Dilated eyes, drooling, and appearing drunk are all symptoms that your pet might show with an overdose of marijuana. Eaten in high levels, it can lead to seizures. In even higher levels, death has been known to occur.

“There’s no antidote for marijuana,” says Fitzgerald in the report. “The only way we treat is just be supportive, we watch for seizure and measure body temp and then put them on fluids to try and expel it quicker.”

After noticing that some of her animal patients were overdosing on their owners’ attempts to use medical marijuana for pain and nausea, Seattle veterinarian Sarah Brandon has spent the last five years developing a hemp-based product that has many of the same beneficial compounds as pot, but without the THC that causes the problems. Called “Canna-Pet” and sold at $1 a pill, the compounds feature all the natural components of marijuana, without the high.

According to Brandon, the results have been dramatic. “We’ve had a 100 percent positive reaction. We’re seeing cats and dogs experiencing discomfort walking or even moving around significantly improve.”

For dog ownerswho don’t live in areas where medical marijuana is legal, or who are averse to giving pets an unfamiliar drug, you can try an all-natural herbal tonic developed to relax and calm anxious, nervous dogs. With just a few drops of tonic in your dog’s mouth daily, the compound begins to work in about 20 minutes. Used in conjunction with veterinary analgesics, you can help your painful dog unwind enough to allow pain meds to work quickly and more effectively.

For dogs experiencing painful arthritis, hip dysplasia and luxating patellas, you might try an all natural herbal tonic also containing collagen. This mixture can help patients in as little as a couple of weeks.

What do you think? Should veterinarians be allowed to provide medical marijuana to their patients or is it too risky?

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Anxiety & Nervousness

Help For Nervous Dogs During Holiday Craziness

Your nervous or anxious dog may exhibit some behaviors around the busy holiday seasons that are atypical during her normal daily routine. Loud noises, screaming babies, and the bustle of people coming in and out of your home may cause her to retreat and try to find a place to hide. She may become unexpectedly aggressive around strangers (and visiting dogs) who are moving in on “her” family and territory.  She may become over-excited and jump and nip at young children or adults who are trying to play with her. If you’re leaving for a holiday away from her, she may become anxious as you pack and prepare to leave, craving constant contact or proximity to you.

Veterinary behaviorists say that the first step to overcoming these problems is by totally avoiding the situations causing your dog’s anxiety. Asking your youngest family members to stay away from your get-togethers or your guests to whisper is probably not going to win you points as a favorite party host, so you may want to consider either crating your pooch in a quiet part of your home or boarding her for a day or two if she’s used to being boarded elsewhere.

The next step to solving the problem of a nervous dog is called “desensitization.” Desensitization is a way to socialize your pup to unknown people and unknown situations by showing her that what she fears won’t hurt her. For example: if new people and new dogs are her anxiety trigger, you can ask a friend with a passive, compliant dog to come over for a visit. Make sure your dog knows the visitors are there, but place them far enough away from her so that she isn’t yet showing her fear response. Slowly decrease the distance between the visitors and your dog, stopping each time she moves behind you or tries to move away. Don’t move any closer until your dog is showing she’s relaxed. Ideally, your pooch will eventually make the move closer on her own without feeling trapped or anxious and will begin to feel comfortable in the presence of strangers.

While you’re exposing your pup to the things that bother her the most, you can try adding treats into the mix as a positive reward when she behaves correctly. This type of training is called “counterconditioning” and involves the pairing of a stimulus that causes a negative response from your dog with a positive reward until she makes a pleasant association between the two. Consider the desensitization training described earlier; each time your dog doesn’t hide or show fear of the approaching visitors, give her a treat and praise her lavishly. When she moves to the visitors on her own, have your friend present her with a treat and praise her. Your end goal is to ensure that your dog has a positive experience.

Some veterinarians recommend placing dogs with anxiety issues on medication to help them cope during times of stress. Drugs classified as benzodiazepines (canine Valium®) can be used on an as-needed, short-term basis, while dogs with more generalized fears may be given a maintenance medication such as clomipramine (Clomicalm®) to be used daily. Veterinarians typically prescribe anti-depressants such as Trazadone® to dogs that become anxious or fearful around certain events – thunderstorms, fireworks, or family visits.

If you’re one of those pet parents who prefer holistic, natural remedies, you can try a liquid, organic compound designed to calm, not sedate, your dog. Formulated with herbs known to reduce restlessness, treat anxiety, and aid in physical relaxation, these tonics can safely be given twice a day by mouth and will help to calm your dog in approximately 20 minutes.

Another holistic solution includes applying essential oil of lavender (known to be a soothing agent) to your dog’s bedding or a bandana to decrease anxiety; this can be especially useful for anxiety during car rides. Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP), a derivative of a hormone produced by nursing canine mothers, is now being used in diffusers and sprays as a way of promoting calm and secure behavior in fearful dogs.

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Anxiety & Nervousness

Hypertension & Your Dog- What Is It? How To Treat It?

Like we humans, our canine companions can suffer from high blood pressure, or hypertension. High blood pressure refers to the abnormal elevation of the pressure exerted by blood — specifically blood in the arteries — against the walls of the blood vessels and the organs those vessels supply. Untreated hypertension can negatively affect many of your dog’s organ systems, including the kidneys, heart, eyes, and nervous system.

There are two types of hypertension found in dogs. Primary hypertension occurs without a clear, underlying cause and is quite rare in veterinary medicine. Secondary hypertension is seen more frequently, often as a consequence of another primary disease. Chronic kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus, cardiomyopathy (hardening of the walls of the heart muscle), and Cushing’s disease or hyperadrenalcorticism (excessive production of the cortisone hormone) are the main causes of high blood pressure in dogs.

What are some symptoms of hypertension in dogs?

Just as in humans, most dogs won’t show any signs of high blood pressure until it reaches the point of being a medical emergency…or your veterinarian detects it during a routine examination. Once it reaches the critical stage, your pet may show some of the following signs:

  • Circling
  • Seizures
  • Blindness, retinal detachment, eye hemorrhage, dilated pupils
  • Bleeding from the nose
  • Blood in the urine
  • Weakness in the legs on either, or both, sides of the body
  • Disorientation

Since all of these symptoms are also signs of numerous underlying diseases, you should ask your veterinarian to check your dog’s blood pressure as a matter of protocol during necessary exams.

How does my vet measure my dog’s blood pressure?

As in human medicine, an inflatable cuff will be placed on your dog’s paw or at the base of his tail closest to a discernable pulse. Standard blood pressure measuring instruments — in vet medicine, this is usually a Doppler flow meter that measures sound waves — record the differences in sound of blood moving in, and out, of the arteries.

Generally, 5 to 7 measurements are taken with the average reading shown as your pet’s blood pressure. Standard norms for canine blood pressure range from 150/95 to 159/95, with anything above those figures requiring veterinary treatment. Your dog will need to remain calm and quiet during this part of the exam in order not to skew the results of the testing.

What treatments are available?

The first step toward managing hypertension in most dogs is to treat the underlying illness. That may mean adjusting your dog’s diet to reduce sodium intake for both kidney disease and cardiac problems, medicating with diuretics to get rid of unwanted fluids, and going on anti-seizure medications if that has been an issue. Depending on the disease causing the high blood pressure, your vet will probably suggest helping your dog lose weight by exercising more frequently and going on a calorie-restricted diet.

Special medications for reducing the effects of hypertension may also be recommended. These may include beta-blockers such as propanolol or atenolol to reduce the heart rate, calcium channel blockers (diltiazem and captopril) to reduce the force of heart muscle contractions, ACE-inhibitors (enalapril, benazepril) to reduce blood volume, and vasodilators (amlodipine) to increase the diameter of blood vessels.

If your hypertensive dog is one that stresses easily or needs to remain calm, there are several ways you can take care of this problem at home. For example:

  • Crate your dog or place him in a dark, quiet room in your home when you know you’re having company or someone is coming over that will excite him.
  • Try obedience training using positive reinforcement to keep him from barking and jumping at the doorbell or the mailman.
  • Nervous, overactive, and anxious dogs can benefit from an herbal-based liquid remedy full of natural ingredients known to be safe and effective in helping calm your dog. Flower essences, such as aspen, cerato, and wild oat help to reduce general anxiety and fear, sharpen your pet’s ability to focus, alleviate depression, and stop nervous habits such as chewing and destructive behaviors. Herbal extracts, including vervain, passion flower, and valerian reduce restlessness and nervousness, and aid in physical relaxation.

Your dog with hypertension can live a long, happy, and productive life if you pay attention to his medication, food, and exercise, make sure he gets regular veterinary check-ups, and he stays calm and anxiety-free.

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Anxiety & Nervousness Food

Is Your Dog’s Dinner Making Him Cranky?

by Audrey Harvey

Aggression in dogs comes in many forms – food aggression, fear aggression and dominance type aggression towards people and other dogs. If you own a dog that shows this type of behavior, life can be challenging. You must always be on guard to make sure he isn’t put in a position where he becomes a danger to others.

There are several ways of managing aggression in dogs, most of which involve medication and retraining. This isn’t a job for the faint of heart; you really need support and guidance from an expert in dog behavior. However, there are some things you can do at home that can make him less grumpy and easier to live with.

Meals and Mood Swings

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and one of them, namely tryptophan, is involved in the production of serotonin in your dog’s brain. Serotonin is a feel good chemical that will make him feel happier and more relaxed.

It would make sense to assume that more protein in his diet would mean he’d absorb more tryptophan and make him feel less aggressive. However that hasn’t been proven to be true. If your dog eats a lot of protein in his diet, then it has to fight with all the other amino acids for the ability to move into his brain and affect his mood.

A study was performed in 2000 which involved feeding dogs a low protein diet, then adding a tryptophan supplement to it. The expectation was that less amino acids and more tryptophan would result in more serotonin production in his brain and therefore less aggression.

There have been few studies that have shown any real reduction in aggressive behavior in dogs fed a low protein diet. Some reports suggest that a high protein diet works better. The only thing you can do is give both a try. Change your dog’s diet for several weeks to either a low protein or a high protein diet and just see if it makes any difference.

Sleepytime Tonic for Aggression

Sleepytime Tonic is an all natural remedy for aggression that can be used in conjunction with a training program to manage your dog’s behavior. It has no side effects, and because it contains honey as a sweetener, your dog will love it. All it takes is a few drops on his tongue and you’ll see him become noticeably calmer after 20 minutes. You can even use it regularly to help him to become more balanced, and less likely to become grumpy.

When you read the list of ingredients, you’ll understand why it works so well. The herbs Skullcap, Passion Flower and Valerian reduce anxiety and stress, and will help your dog to relax. Add to this a selection of Bach Flower Remedies that have been carefully chosen for their positive effects on fear and aggression, and you have the ideal treatment to improve his behavior.

Aggression in dogs is a challenging condition to manage. With the right diet, professional support and a bottle of Sleepytime Tonic, your dog has the best opportunity to learn new behaviors and become a happier and more relaxed member of your family.

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Anxiety & Nervousness

What would you do if your dog had an emergency?

Handy First Aid Supplies for Your Dog

Did you know that April is Pet First Aid Awareness Month? So, we are here to make you aware! As a dog owner, you may be faced with the frightening situation of having to provide first aid for your dog after an accident or injury. Whether your dog has had an altercation with another dog, been hit by a car, or is suffering from heat stroke, you need to know how to help him, and have the necessary equipment handy.

It’s a great idea to take a pet first aid course so you know what to do in an emergency. You can also put together a first aid kit for your dog which contains medication and supplies that you need should you have to use your first aid training.

Here is a list of useful items for your dog first aid kit:

Sleepytime Tonic. After an injury, you can expect your dog to be very frightened and anxious. Sleepytime Tonic contains natural herbal ingredients that will relax him and reduce his anxiety within 20 minutes. Give it to your dog straight after an accident, and it will quickly help him to calm down. It also won’t interfere with any treatment that your veterinarian may prescribe.

Muzzle. Even the most gentle dog may snap when he is in pain. It’s a good idea to keep a soft muzzle handy to avoid yourself becoming a casualty too.

Gauze swabs. These are ideal for covering abrasions, or for putting pressure on bleeding wounds. If they become soaked with blood, don’t remove them. Just add more swabs on top and continue to apply pressure. If you remove the gauze, you may dislodge the newly forming clot and cause more bleeding.

Gauze conforming bandage. Use this stretchy soft bandage to keep pressure on swabs. Fix it in place with first aid tape or by applying a Vet Wrap bandage over the top. This can also be used to gently muzzle your dog if you don’t have a proper muzzle handy.

Vet Wrap bandage. This is a tough bandage that can be applied over a swab and gauze bandage to keep your dressing in place. It adheres to itself so you don’t need tape to prevent it unravelling.

Saline ampoules. These can be used to wash wounds or to clean eyes. You can pour the saline over the affected area. Alternatively, use a syringe to flush saline over a wound, to remove dirt and gravel.

Benadryl. This is particularly useful for bee stings or allergic reactions. Have a chat to your veterinarian before you need to use this, to make sure you know the dose rate for your dog.

Betadine solution. Iodine is a very effective antibacterial solution, and is a great choice for washing wounds or grazes to prevent them becoming infected. Make sure you don’t use the alcohol based product because this will really sting when you apply it to broken skin.

Antibacterial ointment. This is usually all you need for a minor graze, but you will need to rub it in for about five minutes to stop your dog from licking it off. If his wounds are more extensive, or if you’re not sure if they need sutures, have him examined by your veterinarian before using antibacterial ointment on his skin.

3% Hydrogen Peroxide. This can be given to your dog by mouth to make him vomit. This will be useful if he has eaten something toxic. Always phone your vet before you make your dog throw up because in the case of some poisonings, making him vomit can worsen his symptoms. You’ll need to use a syringe, and gently squirt the liquid into the side of his mouth so he can swallow it.

Blunt scissors and forceps. Scissors are necessary for cutting bandages, and forceps will come in handy for removing splinters.

Hopefully you won’t ever need to use either your first aid training or your first aid kit. However, it will give you peace of mind if you have the right equipment at hand, and you know what to do with it.

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Anxiety & Nervousness Grooming

Does Nail Trimming Really Hurt My Dog?

If you have a dog, chances are you’ve had  his nails trimmed at some point. If he sits happily for this, consider yourself very lucky! Most dogs do not enjoy this procedure, so if it was a more painful experience for you than him, you are definitely not alone!

Most dogs that exercise on hard ground tend to wear down their nails naturally, and don’t require nail trimmings very often. If your dog typically exercises on grass or sand, however, then this may not be the case, and you may have to trim his nails for him.

Why Do Dogs Hate Having Their Nails Trimmed?

Previous bad experiences with nail trimming: Your dog’s claw is equivalent to your fingernail – if you’ve ever had an injured nail that has torn very short, you’ll remember how painful it felt. This is because it exposed the “quick” – the sensitive tissue below the nail that contains blood vessels and nerves. So if you accidentally clip your dog’s nail quick, it tends to bleed and is quite sensitive. If this has happened to your dog even once in the past, he will remember it, and will then associate the experience with any attempt to touch his feet.

A dislike for having their feet touched: Some dogs just dislike having their feet touched, even if they have never had a painful experience with nail trimming. Typically these tend to be dogs that were never accustomed to this as puppies.

Six Tips To Make Nail Trimming Less Traumatic

1 Play with your puppy’s feet every day: This way he will become accustomed to having his feet handled, and when his nails need to be trimmed, the experience won’t be so traumatic.

2 Desensitize and counter-condition anxious dogs: If your dog hates having his nails trimmed, you can try to desensitize him in various ways. Start touching his feet regularly when he is lying down, and progress to gently squeezing his nails – in time, he may realize that nothing bad happens every time someone touches his feet. Ultimately you may be able to trim even a single nail without him reacting. Reward him with a treat – this will help him to associate something positive with the experience.

3 Don’t over-trim: Lighter colored nails are easier to cut than black ones, because you can see the pink quick through the nail. If you can see the quick, trim so that you leave at least 2mm of nail below it. With dark nails where the quick is invisible, trim only the tips – make a couple of short cuts on these nails to lessen the chance of clipping the quick.

4 Use appropriate tools: Buy clippers that are suitable for your particular dog’s size, and keep them sharp and clean. Using clippers that are blunt, or too small for your dog’s nails, can just make your life more difficult. There are many different types of nail clippers available for dogs – ask your groomer or veterinarian to help you choose some that suit not only your dog’s size, but also your preferences. We like these nail clippers.

5 Help your dog relax: About 20 minutes before you are going to clip your dog’s nails, give her an all natural remedy to help her relax. We like to use a calming tonic for dogs prior to nail trimming. This herbal elixir will help calm your dog in just a few minutes an, there are no side effects and it’s not toxic in anyway.

6 Keep styptic powder – just in case! If you decide to trim your dog’s nails at home, buy some styptic powder to keep at hand – just in case you accidentally clip the nail quick.

If you have never trimmed a dog’s nails before, ask your veterinarian or groomer for a tutorial. They will be able to demonstrate the procedure and give you some guidance before you try it yourself at home.

Despite all good efforts, however, some dogs just never tolerate having their nails trimmed. If this sounds like your dog, then it may be wise to save your sanity and leave it to the professionals. Whenever your dog pays a visit to his veterinarian or groomer, this is the perfect opportunity to ask them to trim his nails if necessary. They do this every day for anxious dogs, and have a team of assistants to help make this a quick and painless procedure for your dog. Nail trimming should never be a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears for your dog – and certainly not for you!

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Anxiety & Nervousness

Thunder And Frightening

by Nicola Parry, DVM

Just as people can react with fear to certain situations, so too can dogs. Noise phobia is a common example of this, and thunder in particular can produce an irrational fear response in many affected dogs. Does your dog seem to react fearfully every time a storm hits? Although there are many signs that a frightened dog can exhibit, there are certainly some that are more common than others:

5 Signs Of Thunder Phobia In Dogs

  • Trembling
  • Refusing to leave your side
  • Inappropriate urinating or defecating
  • Excessive vocalization
  • Destroying things

Before The Storm

If your dog is extremely anxious during thunderstorms, there are a couple of ways that you can help try to modify his behavior. These things take time though, so look upon them as a work in progress:

  1. Counter-condition him: Teach him that thunderstorms aren’t all negative. When the thunder begins, bring out some tasty treats so he gets to associate something positive with the storm.
  1. Desensitize him: Introduce a recording of a noisy storm. Start off at a low volume for a few minutes, and gradually increase the volume and duration of noise when he manages to get through a session without fear. During each session, avoid soothing him if he seems scared – instead, distract him with toys or commands, and only praise him if he responds favorably to an instruction. This way he will only be rewarded for positive behavior.

During The Storm

Once the storm hits, you can help him in a couple of ways.

1. Reduce The Noise Level:

Although you can’t physically turn down the storm’s volume, you can help drown it out:

  • Relocate him: Take him to a room where the noise level may be reduced, such as in a basement.
  • Add background noise: Music or a TV provide easy ways to distract him from the noise.
  • Close all windows: A simple, yet effective, way to reduce the noise intensity.

2. Sedation:

Various homeopathic remedies are  available if you prefer a chemical-free approach to therapy. The HappyTails SleepyTime Tonic contains a blend of natural ingredients that will help to relax and calm an anxious dog. It comes with a plastic dropper that makes it easy to pop a few drops of the solution into his mouth when he starts to seem anxious. It works quickly too, with many dogs becoming calmer within about 20 minutes.

Some dogs remain a little edgy despite all efforts to reduce their anxiety. If your dog falls into this category, he may respond well to sedative medications from your veterinarian. For best effects, these usually need to be given in advance of the fear-inducing event. While this is unlikely to be possible for all storms, you may at least be able to take the edge off his anxiety by administering them as soon as you hear a storm brewing in the distance.

Frightened dogs can be dangerous, not only to themselves, but to other pets and people, so it is important to manage their fears. While it’s often impossible to cure this type of phobia, you can definitely take steps to reduce his stress levels in stormy situations.

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Activities & Fun Anxiety & Nervousness

Is My Dog Happy?

by EcoWellDog . Natural Leaders in Grooming & Wellness

Do you ever find yourself wondering how your four-legged friend is feeling? Although we often associate canine happiness with playfulness and tail wagging, happiness is more than just this. Like us, dogs need lots of care and attention, and if their needs are not met, they too can suffer from emotional stress. Although there are many signs of a happy dog, here are some cues to help you recognize that your dog is emotionally well:

Five Signs Of A Happy Dog

  • He doesn’t cling to your side at home
  • He is not destructive when left alone
  • He is not food aggressive
  • He is not aggressive to pets or people
  • He is not overly submissive

Why Are These Signs Important?

If your dog clings to you at home, and destroys things in your absence, these may indicate separation anxiety . Affected dogs need to be retrained to be happy without you. Although difficult, begin by paying less attention to him when he demands it. You can also try an herbal supplement that will help with separation anxiety. Some other helpful tips include:

  • Avoid scolding him if he has been destructive.
  • Avoid the guilty farewell or the celebratory return.
  • Ignore him when you arrive home – let him settle for 20 minutes, and then call him over for attention.
  • Ignore him for 20 minutes before you leave the house.
  • When you are home, desensitize him to triggers that distress him: put on your coat occasionally and sit watching TV, or pick up your keys and carry them around with you during the day. Gradually he will stop associating these things simply with your absence.
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Activities & Fun Anxiety & Nervousness

How to introduce your jealous dog to your new baby

by Nicola Parry, DVM

Dealing With A Jealous Dog

Preparing for the arrival of a new baby can be hectic enough for the parents-to-be, but it can also be a time of great anxiety for your dog. It is important to remember that he was your first “baby”, so he may need help adjusting to any new arrival. This transition can be especially difficult if your dog tends to be jealous, or over-protective of you. Thankfully, however, there are things that you can do to train him for the arrival, and to minimize the rivalry that he will feel when he is no longer the center of your attention.

Ten Ways To Help Your Jealous Dog Adjust To A New Arrival

Before The Birth

  • Neuter him (or her!): Neutering and spaying provides many health benefits for your dog, and additionally the resulting hormonal changes can positively influence behavior, often reducing aggression.
  • Behavior therapy: If your dog’s jealousy tends to lead him to bite or show obvious signs of aggression, behavior therapy or dog training classes may be extremely beneficial. Start these as early as possible in your pregnancy.
  • Let him meet other babies: If you have friends with a baby, see if they will allow you to visit with your dog, or even bring their child to your home. Control your dog’s access to the baby by keeping him on a leash, but even some short meetings can be useful so he can become accustomed to seeing and hearing a child.
  • Expose him to crying: During your pregnancy, play a recording of a crying baby every so often – this can be a homemade recording of a friend’s baby, although there are companies online that sell similar things.
  • Expose him to baby product smells: Rubbing baby powder or baby oil on your hands each day will allow him to become accustomed to these smells even before the baby arrives.
  • Control his access to the baby’s room: By placing a gate at the door, he will be able to see inside. This will accustom him to being outside the room when the baby comes home, but will prevent him from feeling too left out.
  • Encourage him to bond with another family member: If your dog is the center of your world, he will feel especially anxious and jealous when a new baby suddenly takes up all your time and energy. To guard against this, encourage someone else to build their relationship with him gradually throughout your pregnancy.

After The Birth

  • Expose him to the baby’s smell: Before you return home with the baby, your partner can share something with him that has your baby’s smell on it – a blanket, or some clothes, for instance.
  • Greet him when you arrive home: Be sure to pay your dog some attention as soon as you return home, while your partner takes the baby. When your dog is calm again, introduce him to the baby. Keep him on a leash if necessary, and reward his good, calm behavior with a treat. Keep initial interactions short, and gradually increase his exposure to the baby. Always supervise his time with the baby, until you are sure there will be no problematic behavior.
  • Have Baby enter the house first: If your dog is territorial, before you arrive home with the baby, have a friend take your dog out for a walk. When your dog comes back, baby is already in the house rather than baby entering the house where the dogs already are. This really helps in curbing the territorial freak out session.
  • Spend some time with him each day: Although your days will be hectic when your new arrival joins the family home, do your best to set aside just 10 minutes daily for one-to-one time with your dog. This will remind him that he is still important to you, and will help reduce his jealousy.
  • Give your dog some Sleepytime Tonic each morning and evening. This all natural herbal elixir will take the edge off and help you high-strung dog relax. Think of it as Xanax for dogs.

Dogs are creatures of habit, so maintaining his regular routine once the new baby comes home can help him to adjust to the change.

No matter how much you plan ahead though, introducing a new family member to the home may still be difficult for a jealous pet. But by following the tips above, you can certainly ease your pet’s stress and reduce the likelihood of problems, allowing everyone to deal better with the new arrival!

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Anxiety & Nervousness Itchy Skin & Allergies

Why does my dog’s leg move like crazy when I scratch him?

Have you ever tickled “that spot” on your dog’s body, and witnessed his knee-jerk reaction? You know the one I mean – where his back legs start moving like crazy!? And it seems that the faster you rub, the more furiously he’ll move his legs as if he’s scratching at something!

This is simply a scratch reflex, and is nothing to worry about, and it certainly doesn’t hurt your dog when you rub him here – although just like in people, it may irritate him if he is ticklish.

The exact tickle spot can be different for individual dogs, and you may even find that your dog either has multiple spots that cause him to react, or that they change sometimes. Often though, it’s somewhere on the belly that tends to produce this fun response. He reacts by wanting to scratch, simply because your rubbing in that area makes him feel itchy – really for the same reason that we react to being tickled. Like us, dogs have sensory nerves that lie under the skin. If nerves are stimulated when your dog is tickled, he will be left feeling itchy. The itchiness is why he tends to react in that funny way – almost as if he’s riding a bicycle!

Funnily enough, although the more technical veterinary term for this reaction is the “scratch reflex”, I have actually seen a word used to describe it in the Urban Dictionary – there it’s called the “blibula”! Not all dogs have this special spot though, so don’t worry if yours doesn’t seem to react like this, despite your efforts to tickle him!