Carl, a blond cocker spaniel-mini poodle, overcame his behavioural problems through exercise and more attention from his owners.
Carl was diagnosed with epilepsy and severe separation anxiety when he was a teenager. Thanks to a lot more walking, running, and playing, he’s come a long way. His seizures have all but stopped and he’s a lot less anxious. Carl has even taken up swimming, something that terrified him before. He’s really enjoying his middle age.
Oh yes, Carl is a blond cocker spaniel-mini poodle. Yes, a dog.
Separation anxiety is an example of a mental health problem – typically called a behavioural problem by veterinarians – that exists in dogs and cats.
Emily Black, the veterinarian at Centretown Veterinary Hospital, says that many of the behavioural problems she diagnoses among pets relate to a lack of mental stimulation and physical exercise. Among Centretown’s animal population, anxious dogs and under-stimulated cats are near the top of the list.
Many pet owners leave their dogs and cats in the house while they’re at work, explains Black. But if there’s nothing for the animals to do, “they get bored and they start acting out.”
Along with anxiety, Black says that chewing up toys or furniture, obsessively licking fur or peeing outside the litter box can also be a sign that an animal is mentally unhappy.
Behavioural problems can be caused by one or a combination of genetics, temperament (what we call “personality” in humans), and physical health, explains Tara Davis, a dog behaviourist at the Ottawa Humane Society.
Ailments like separation anxiety can develop when an animal can’t manifest an innate genetic trait – like chasing prey or running long distances – because it lives in a house instead of in the wild.
Gary Landsberg, an expert veterinary behaviourist in Toronto, adds that stressful experiences or traumatic events can also lead to mental health problems. For example, the death of a family member may cause depression-type symptoms in the pet, he says.
Most problems are manageable and with training, some can even be made to go away entirely, Landsberg says. Sometimes, medication is also prescribed.
But it’s important not to mistake a physical health problem with a behavioural one, Landsberg says.
Pet owners should rule out any underlying medical conditions with their veterinarian before seeing a behaviour expert.
Black says that more exercise, like taking your dog to an off-leash park, can help mitigate behavioural problems.
Carl does this with a professional dog walker while his owners are at the office.
“His anxiety is a lot lower,” says his owner, Denise Wozny. The added benefit is that the exercise has helped Carl’s epilepsy: his seizures have nearly stopped.
Black says that for cats, changing the way they’re fed can help stimulate their minds.
She often suggests that owners spread the cat’s food throughout the house so that it has to go hunting for it.
Carl’s owners know firsthand that managing a behavioural disorder in pets requires effort.
“We have changed our lifestyle somewhat,” Wozny says. But she and her husband Bruce Wozny say it was not a burden. Even going on holiday with Carl has helped them discover new – and dog-friendly – vacation spots.
“He’s a bit high maintenance,” Bruce Wozny says with a laugh. “But he’s worth paying the extra attention because you get so much from this dog.”