These expert-approved tips will help calm your anxious pet this holiday season
Veterinarian Dr. Lisa Lippman is sharing all her tips and tricks for calming anxious pets this holiday season, whether you're traveling with them, boarding them or having people over.
Video Transcript
LISA LIPPMAN: Many things can make pets anxious, especially when they're put into unfamiliar situations. Let's talk about how to keep your pets calm during this holiday season.
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There's many signs that your pet might be anxious, but some telltale ones include panting, pacing, excessive vocalizing or barking. And a lesser-known sign is actually what we call a stress yawn.
If you're planning on traveling with your pet, here's some tips to keep them comfortable. First, make sure to take shorter trips before you take a longer one so that they can get used to the motion of the car or the plane and all the hustle and bustle of traveling.
Make sure that you don't feed them a huge meal right before you go. Being nauseous it's definitely a surefire way to make them anxious and uncomfortable. And lastly, make sure that they have a safe space to travel in. If they're traveling in a carrier, it's important that they have room to stand up, sit down, lay down, turn around, and be comfortable.
If you can't travel with your pet, and you're planning on leaving them at a boarding site or with a friend, make sure not to make a big deal out of saying goodbye, as this can often make them more anxious. Make sure to also bring their own food that they're used to, and bring any items from home that might make them more comfortable.
If you're planning on having a holiday party or having people over, one thing I would recommend is making sure that your pet has a safe space, whether that be a crate or a different bedroom, somewhere that they can escape to in case that they're uncomfortable. Another thing would be making sure that they have distractions like puzzle toys or toys filled with treats. It was also found in a study that classical and reggae music were calming for dogs, as well as white noise.
Lastly, you can employ the use of pheromones. There are dog and cat pheromones which come in collar or plug-in form. Pheromones are scents that their mothers used to give off when they were young that are clinically proven to be calming for them. I hope you and your pets have a happy holiday.
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