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Your sad dog could be suffering from depression

As a society, we realize that our pets can get a lot of the same diseases as us. Our dogs can be diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, colitis, heart problems or any other number of problems. Yet somehow it seems silly to think that our dogs can become depressed just like a person can. But just because you don’t see your dog lounging around in his bathrobe, staring off into space doesn’t mean that he or she isn’t going through some sort of emotional instability. You may notice that your dog is depressed if he’s exhibiting some of the following behaviors:

• Seems mopey or lethargic

• Not eating or drinking

Dog depression can often take the form of some sort of anxiety. This includes separation anxiety, when your dog seems extraordinarily upset at being apart from you or being left by him/herself. Symptoms can often include:

• Pacing

• Yawning

• Drooling

• Destructive chewing

• Urinating or defecating in areas that they aren’t supposed to

• Excessive barking or whining

In addition, dogs that might be suffering from a serotonin imbalance (the chemical in your brain that regulates moods), might also exhibit signs of aggression. Some of the symptoms of an overly aggressive dog include:

• Excessive barking

• Attacks on other animals

• Overprotection of food and possessions(including snapping or growling)

• Snapping when being petted, lifted or groomed

• Fearfulness of new situations or strangers

• Overprotection of possessions

• Repeated escapes from home

While there can be many reasons that your dog is exhibiting these behaviors including grief, a change in environment, chemical imbalances and weather changes, often the behavior changes aren’t recognized by owners as a symptom of a larger problem, and they just try and correct the behavior itself.

If you notice that your dog is acting strange or seems overly aggressive, explain your concerns to your vet. They may put you on a monitoring program to watch for other symptoms and they might have suggestions on how to combat the problem. Since we have become more aware of the fact that depression can affect dogs, there have been developments with the methods of treating it.

Treating your Dog’s Depression

There are three ways that you can help lift your dog out of their mood: Training, Medication, Naturopathic Remedies, and of course any combination of the three.

Training

Often engaging your dog in some sort of new activity can help stimulate them and improve their thinking. Try joining a class that will teach your dog some behavioral basics and the benefits of this will be two-fold; they will learn which behaviors are unacceptable, thus getting a better-behaved dog and they will also be grateful for the mental stimulation. Dogs like to learn things and they also like to spend time with their owners, so taking training classes will please your dog.

Medication

As explained earlier, dogs can have serotonin imbalances which could explain their depression. Like a human, this is a medical condition that sometimes needs medication in order for the afflicted to feel better. In the past couple of years, the equivalent of Prozac has become available for dogs. This drug can have a calming influence on your dog, and you may notice a big change in the demeanor of your dog after they’ve been on the medication for awhile.

Naturopathic Remedies

If you take a more holistic approach to treating diseases, you might be more interested in improving your dog’s mood by a naturopathic method. Treatments like Sleepytime Tonic help to calm a nervous or anxious dog.

Although your dog’s behavior may seem frustrating at times, try and remember that sometimes the way they behave is not because they are a bad dog but instead may be a symptom indicative of a larger problem.

Your best friend may not be switching to white shoes and moving to Florida any time soon but as he approaches retirement age there are a few things you should consider. Not only are we living longer but are pets are too. Approximately 40% of the nations dogs are seniors; 18 million dogs over the age of 7.

The 18- to 20-year-old dog or cat will be a relatively common occurrence in the next 10 years," says Greg Troy, an internist at Virginia Tech’s College of veterinary medicine.

And whether it is human or canine, an aging population has special needs.

You are what you eat
The first thing to consider is diet, as dogs age, their nutritional needs change. As their energy level subsides so should their caloric intake. We all know what happens if it doesn’t. Obesity is a common health problem in older dogs. It can lead to joint problems, which decreases activity, which only exacerbates the problem. There are many really healthy foods out there one of our favorites is Verve from Honest Kitchen it’s a great all natural food specifically designed for older and less active dogs.

As your dog ages it’s important to exercise him regularly, any muscle, whether human or animal will atrophy if not used so it’s essential for your dog’s continued health to get off the couch and move.

You look marvelous
Another common development in older dogs is the graying and thinning of the hair. This is often accompanied by a dry coat and itchy skin. One way to mitigate these effects is to give your dog fatty acid supplements like Omega 3 and 6 ; they help provide essential nutrients that may otherwise be missing from his diet. Another great way to help is regular treatment with a high quality deep conditioner like Fur Butter or fur worse . The all-natural colloidal oatmeal will help relieve the dryness while shea butter and calendula improves the texture and softness of the coat.

It’s also very common for older dogs to develop calluses; they’re less active, spend more time laying down and therefore place a greater stress on the skin of the elbows and legs. If you don’t already have one, this is the perfect time to buy your little guy a bed, it will not only make him more comfortable bit will help prevent this problem. We suggest Jax and Bones or Eloise and of course it’s always smart to have a container of Bow wow butter Balm handy to help heal dry cracked paws, calluses and rough skin.

A little hope for arthritis
And no discussion of aging would be complete without a few words about arthritis and hip dysplasia. Both conditions are common in older dogs, especially the larger breeds that carry weight on their joints and breeds like Dachshunds and Bassets who are particularly prone to intervertebral (IV) disc disease. Of course Glucosamine is an excellent supplement for this problem but new research is pointing to collagen as a great way to help rejuvenate joints. A new product Joint Resolution has a particularly effective blend of BioCell Collagen II, chondroitin and organic herbs. It’s specially formulated for dogs.

And finally, there has been much discussion about the pro’s and cons of pet insurance. Obviously as your dog ages he will probably need to see the vet more often, need to take more medication and may even require expensive surgery. We have health insurance for the dogs at happytails and have found it a cost effective way to keep them healthy. I spoke to Lorna Paxton about the topic and she had this insight: "I was inspired to check out insurance after one $600 trip to the vet."
I found these two sites that really helped me pick the right plan"

www.petinsurance.com
www.aspcapetinsurance.com

Live long and prosper

The oldest dog on record lived to be 29, but with advances in veterinary science the era of 30, 40 and 50 year old dogs may not be far away. But as the saying goes "it’s not the years in your life that count it’s the life in your years ". With care and understanding your best friend can live not only a long life but also a healthy and enjoyable one.

References
www.peteducation.com

www.usaweekend.com