Do dogs suffer from depression? You bet they do! This is one of those- morning- walk topics of discussions
that arise every so often. People will say "Oh! Ditzy is a bit depressed
today and I don't know why?"
It is not uncommon for pets to get the blues once in a
while. Just as humans get depressed, dogs can be affected by winter blues, same old kibble,
illness, change of atmosphere in the home, moving furniture around, loss of
someone they love. All these things can make a dog feel insecure and
depressed. Don’t worry! Its usually short term. The pouty, mopey, lethargic
behaviour doesn’t go on for very long, so no need to start re-naming your pet
Gloomy.
The classic
symptoms to look out for are tail between its legs, following you
around, off food, not interested treats or in a walk, ( even if you rattle its
lead in front of it), doleful looks to make you worry and feel guilty,
sleeping more than usual and no bounce. Nothing is of interest and they behave like they have given up on living.
*Tip
Talk to your dog in a gentle cheerful voice while stroking it. Then give it a cuddle but
don’t reward the moping. Take five
minutes and have a little game by tickling your dog and lots of laughing. Once you are up
beat, the dog will find this infectious and will think “Oh! OK then, life isn’t
so bad after all.” Put the fun back into its life. Leave the radio on when you
go out then the dog doesn’t feel alone all day. Dogs are pack animals and being
left on its own is like punishment for some dogs. I always organise a 'play date' at my house for any depressed or sad dogs. Just being with other dogs perks them up no end.
Change the routine a little by going on different walks
so that they can get stimulus from new blog sites and pee mails. Change its food for a few days – introduce yummy things like chicken or tinned sardines - we all get bored of
eating the same thing day in and day out. (I know I get bored of eating the same thing every day!)
One drop of Bach Flower Rescue Remedy twice a day for a couple of days, given in the side of its mouth, or in the food, is a miracle worker because this perks up the dog, brings back its confidence and immediately changes its attitude. (By the way dont listen to people who say its not good because it has alcohol in it. You would have to pour 1000 little phials of the stuff into the dog's mouth to cause drunkenness.)
The other good depression-lifter is a product called Zyklene. This is dried mother's milk that is often prescribed by vets because it is a good calming agent for nervous, depressed, aggressive and frightened dogs. You can get it from the vet or on the internet from MedicAnimal.com.
Enjoy your week, here's a cute little video clip to make you chuckle.
Thought for the week
"Anyone who has never tasted shampoo, has obviously never given a dog a bath"
Dawn (")
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