Separation anxiety needs modern treatment for success

A recently published study established what veterinary behaviorists have long understood about separation anxiety: physical discomfort is often a major factor. Inflammation of the stomach/intestines and joint pain can lurk beneath the surface. Eating nonfood items, licking surfaces or the air or even lip licking are symptoms of chronic nausea. Infected teeth and gums, smoldering ear infections, and itching skin frequently contribute to freak-outs when a dog is home alone. If we want the best results, we can’t afford to miss anything.

Your boy isn’t just lonesome for companionship; his anxiety skyrockets when he’s separated from you. Adding another pet might ignite a strong friendship but would be very unlikely to prevent your little guy from losing his mind when you’re away, unless the new dog looks just like you, but hairy all over and walking on all fours. I’m not seeing it.

There are alternative treatments. The Calmer Canine delivers microcurrents of targeted pulsed electromagnetic field signals to the brain’s fear center. It’s helped some of my cases but it works best when used alongside the right meds.

How about CBD? For dogs with arthritic pain it’s been added to medications like carprofen with some benefit.

People with day-to-day anxiety have felt better with CBD but pets don’t appear to get as much relief. If you’d like to try it for your dog, I recommend the Elle Vet brand. It’s supported by robust research and it’s safe with antianxiety prescription medications.

Supplements like valerian (Rescue Remedy), l-tryptophan, alpha casozepine (Zylkene), l-theanine (Anxitane), and CBD (Elle Vet) have only made the difference for dogs with separation anxiety that’s so mild that, without video monitoring, it would never have been recognized. Carefully chosen medications, along with research-based behavior modification, will be the only path to success.

Separation anxiety is never cured; even with resounding improvement, the wheels can fall off at any point. Sadly, some pets have been relinquished to shelters, their people believing they’d be better off in a different home. Please don’t take that path; your Shih Tzu’s best shot is with you. He’s strongly bonded. Losing you would inflict serious damage. Go to my website, drjeffnichol.com. Click the Videos tab and type separation anxiety into the search bar.

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