The Anxious and Neurotic Pet
How to Cope

In these years of increased access to veterinary care, and tolerance of clients to treat pets for seemingly intolerable illnesses, we are noting the emergence of a higher number of pets requiring help with what are seemingly mental illnesses—illnesses that are related to imbalances of chemicals within the brain. Just as humans are now receiving more help with such problems as anxiety, compulsive disorders, bipolar disease, etc, our pet friends are now able to get help, too.

What causes such disorders? Environment? Genetics? We think there are definitely some environmental influences that can bring out disorders or make them worse, but in general, genetics do seem to be playing the most prominent role in these disorders. Therefore, of course, breeding of a pet with such a disorder is not recommended. We are definitely seeing more neuroses in certain breeds of dogs, which does promote the genetic theory; however, upon changing environment, the pet sometimes improves, indicating that environment is also a factor.

What is a neurotic pet? A pet that is compulsive may lick constantly at things or just into the air, he may pace a certain area over and over to the point of exhaustion, or he may play with toys or other items in unusual ritualistic ways. Anxiety, on the other hand, may be much more destructive and harmful to the pet. He may have separation anxiety when an owner leaves the house, destroying his surroundings and defecating all over, or he may howl or bark without stopping. In some cases, a pet has been known to break out of the house. Extreme anxiety may be seen with noise, such as fire crackers, or thunder storms. These instances can be managed, but the pet may experience anxiety whenever it clouds up outside, which turns into an every other day occurrence.

Anxiety and neurosis do have treatments. Veterinarians can now help with medications, and can also refer clients to behavioralists specializing in such problems. Working together with them, you can get your family pet back.

The take-home message is this: these conditions are treatable, and most treatable EARLY on in the process. Without treatment, the undesirable behaviors will escalate as the pet gets older; and will almost never get better on their own. However, I have seen some young pets become almost normal with intense behavior training alone. While these pets will always have the tendencies to have difficulty, especially when stressed, the disorder can be almost unnoticed once treated. My advice to you is to seek medical help early, and treat a minor problem before it gets too out of control.

Dr. Linda Dugger; Rocky Mountain Mobile Veterinary Clinic; 303.257.0202