Dogs live with us as human companions, pets, friends and family members. They also have emotions and need to pay attention to mental health. If you find that your dog's behavior, eating habits, temper and personality have changed dramatically, you should pay attention to your baby's mental health problems. Next, Dr. E will talk to you about dog depression.
Dog depression?
Depression, also known as depressive disorder, is characterized by significant and persistent low mood, which is the main type of mood disorders.
What are the symptoms of depressed dogs?
1. Mental depression
Dogs with depression are difficult to get excited, become timid, autistic, nervous, lethargic, irritable, listless and lose interest in their favorite foods and toys no matter how much their parents amuse or attract them.
2. Diet reduction
The decrease of water intake is much lower than before, appetite is significantly reduced, food intake is reduced, and weight is also reduced.
3. Don't like sports
Depressed dogs move slowly and become weak when they go out to play.
4. Abnormal hair removal
There is a lot of hair loss when the dog is gently combed daily.
Why do dogs suffer from depression?
1. Lack of socialization and timidity
Dogs are prone to depression because of their lack of socialization and timidity, and they will not socialize normally when they go out, and they will panic when they encounter some noise.
2. Changes in the environment
The dog's living environment suddenly changes greatly, for example, the dog is sent to foster care, or moved to a new home, etc., the dog will not adapt, appear depressed.
3. The influence of family atmosphere
Bad family atmosphere, such as loud noise, frequent quarrels and so on, can also affect dogs. In this tense atmosphere, dogs are also prone to fear and depression.
4. Physical illness
Once the dog is sick, the physical pain will cause some depression in the dog, which is also one of the common causes of depression in the dog.
5. Separation anxiety
The most common cause of depression in dogs is separation from their owners. Dogs feel very uneasy, nervous and even depressed when their owners leave home without taking them out.
6. Keep the cage for a long time.
Dogs are social animals and need a lot of exercise time every day. Once they are caged for a long time, they are bound to cause serious harm to their personality and spirit.
7. There are new members in the family.
When the owner brings back a new pet or gives birth to a baby, he will pay more attention to the new member and make the "original residents" of the family feel left out, which can easily lead to fighting or mental illness.
8. Retired after adoption
In fact, a large percentage of depressed dogs have experienced retirement. Most of the adopted dogs were originally abandoned or abused, and when they were retired, they were abandoned by their owners again, which is a great psychological trauma for dogs. After many psychological traumas and the accumulation of negative emotions, he eventually suffered from depression.
How to treat the dog suffering from depression?
The attitude of pet owners towards dogs is a key factor in treatment, because human behavior and emotions have a greater impact on dogs.
1. For timid dogs, pet owners can pay more attention to the physical and mental health of dogs. For things that dogs are afraid of, they can alleviate the fear of dogs by more comfort and contact, so that dogs can be bold.
2. If you need to change the dog's living environment, the shoveling officer can take the dog to the new environment in advance, and place some items with their own odor (such as old clothes) in the new environment in advance, so that the dog can feel you are here, which can also alleviate the symptoms.
3. Maintain a comfortable and quiet environment as much as possible at home. Don't make too much noise. Noise can make hearing dogs feel afraid and anxious.
4. Shoveling officers should pay more attention to the health of dogs, conduct regular physical examinations, and treat dogs in time once they are found to be sick.
5. Shovel before you leave home, you might as well leave some clothes with your smell, as well as some delicious snacks and toys to kill time, so that your dog can do something when he is alone at home.
6. Use a pet fence instead of a pet cage, which can not only limit the dog's range of activities, but also give the dog some space to move, but after returning home, the shoveling officer should take the dog outdoors to exercise and socialize.
7. If there is a new member in the family, whether it is a new pet or a new baby, the shoveling officer should give the dog enough communication and patiently introduce the new member to the dog. If possible, the dog owner should create opportunities for the dog to contact and get along with the new member alone.
8. Officials who decide to adopt a dog must consider carefully before deciding whether to adopt or not. Once adopted, don't give up easily, because you are always the whole world.
