During the pandemic, many people adopted new pets and many long-time pets enjoyed having the extra attention from their owners who were now working from the dining room table. Now, as the Covid-19 vaccine rolls-out, more and more people have started going back to the office and to school – and their pets may not be happy about it. Today, we’re focusing on separation anxiety. We’ve developed a handy infographic to give pet owners tips to recognize separation anxiety along with suggestions for helping your pet cope and that’s what we’ll discuss today. 

Merck Animal Health is committed to the well-being of our communities, our employees, and our customers. In this episode Jane Dukes, Senior Manager with the Merck Animal Health Veterinary Consumer Affairs Team, speaks with Dr. Keri Shaver, professional services veterinarian at Merck Animal Health and Dr. Lisa Lippman, a veterinary general practitioner in New York, about ways to recognize and mitigate separation anxiety in our pets during this transition.

“Some of the warning signs are….destructive behavior, vocalizing, if you have a video camera on them, often you'll see panting and pacing, potentially urinating or defecating, particularly by the door because they're trying to get out to their owners. So really just destructive and anxiety ridden behaviors.” - Dr. Lisa Lippman

Dr. Lippman recommends slowly transitioning a dog to feel more comfortable with independent activity. This includes leaving your pet for very short periods of time and incrementally increasing the length of separation while they are calm with a toy, a high value treat or music. She also emphasizes not to make coming and going a big event that may encourage and reinforce anxious and excited behavior. If behaviors persist she suggests contacting your veterinarian to discuss referrals for training or if severe a veterinary behaviorist for support and solutions. Dr. Shaver adds that creating a behavior modification plan with your veterinarian may help create a gradual plan to condition the animal to tolerate independence. She shares that “it's a lifestyle change” to help teach your pet the coping mechanisms it may need while you are gone.

“At the end of the day, it still comes down to the training, which is so so so important. And so having a good outlined detailed plan is going to really be the mainstay of treatment there.” - Dr. Lisa Lippman

This Week’s Podcast:

• Meet Dr. Keri Shaver, professional services veterinarian at Merck Animal Health and Dr. Lisa Lippman, a veterinary general practitioner in New York
• Explore the symptoms and signs of separation anxiety in our pets
• Discover resources, tips and tricks you can use to encourage your pet to remain calm and relaxed while you are away