Your pet follows you loyally around the house, never far from you and always keeping you within eyesight. However, when you try to leave the house their loyalty quickly turns into panic. As a pet owner how can you tell when your pet is being loyal or if they’ve crossed over into anxiety territory at the thought of being separated from you? If you are planning to hire a pet sitting service like Queen City Pet Sitting it’s a good idea to become aware of separation anxiety symptoms and what you can do to abate fear of separation in your pet.

Pet anxiety can appear in many forms. Some symptoms are mild and fairly common such as excess drooling, whining, panting, clinginess, barking, and a general sense from your pet of feeling lost and confused. Other symptoms can cause a pet to be destructive to your property or even themselves. Symptoms like chewing, scratching, biting, leaving droppings around the house, and escaping can also be signs of separation anxiety. These symptoms can appear before and after you leave.

If your pet has exhibited any of these signs on a regular basis as you are preparing to leave the house, or once you are gone, it is a good idea to get a diagnosis from your veterinarian. There are ways to ease separation anxiety in pets, but not every treatment will work for every pet. Owners may need to try a few different treatments before finding one that works for them.

For pets with severe anxiety medication could be the answer, but if you’re looking for a less invasive treatment there are behavioral techniques you can try first. One technique to try is to leave your pet alone for a few minutes at a time. Once they’ve gotten used to being along for a few minutes try adding a little more time, and gradually build it up to your normal amount of absence. Although it can take a while, this method helps ease a pet into being left alone. In addition, try to keep all comings and goings as quiet as possible. By avoiding extreme excitement you can help keep your pet calm and lessen the chances of anxiety.

Many pets suffer from anxiety when they are left alone, but there are techniques to help cure them and make separation easier for pets and their owners. A healthy pet misses their owner when they are gone, but can remain calms and happy until they return.

At Queen City Pet Sitting, we make it our business to provide quality care for pets and peace of mind for their people. To learn more about how a pet sitter can make your life—and your pet’s—better, contact us today.