Dogs & Cats With Depression

Ever been depressed? Lost a sibling to illness? Gotten sick yourself? Been alone in a new place? Pets go through the same experiences that we do, and are just as likely to run the gamet of emotions, including depression.

How would a depressed dog or cat look?
Depressed dogs & cats may:
• lose their appetite and lose weight
• decline treats
• stop interacting with their toys
• stop vocal communication
• wander as though searching for something
• sleep excessively.

Ways to help depressed dogs & cats
• provide pheromones, such as Feliway for cats and Adaptil (Oxytocin) for dogs.
• stimulate with walks down different paths, different toys, new music
• crunch great treats on top of their food for delicious variety
• offer acupuncture, which in research has been shown effective with depression when given 30 min twice a week for several weeks.
• increase socialization at dog parks or by bring another dog into the family.
• go for rides and let your pet put its head out the window or look through a mesh window on a pet stroller
• take a vacation with your pet. So many pets come back happy from vacations.
• be happy yourself.

The research on depression & acupuncture
Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2012 Nov;18(4):216-20. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.06.003. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs as treatments for depression: An Australian pilot study. Lyons Z, van der Watt G, Shen Z, Janca A. School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Univ of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia.

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