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SEPARATION ANXIETY
Soraya V. Juarbe-Diaz, DVM
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
Applied Animal Behaviorist, ABS
WHAT IT IS
Separation anxiety is a syndrome, meaning a combination of
signs, in which dogs will show variable degrees of distress,
anxiety, and panic when there is a separation, real or virtual,
from a safety figure. While it is useful to talk with other
owners who have a dog with separation anxiety, it must be
remembered that each case is different. Separation anxiety
cannot be described equally for all the dogs that suffer from
it: the signs run on a continuous scale from mild to very
severe, and the actual kinds of signs that they show can be put
together in a myriad of combinations. No single case of
separation anxiety is alike to any other, if only because the
variables of each home environment (number of people or other
animals in the house, hours left alone, attachment levels to
each family member) will differ from dog to dog.
Dogs diagnosed with separation anxiety are likely to have a
genetic predisposition for this disorder. Many owners and
veterinarians think that leaving a dog alone for many hours a
day leads to boredom or makes a dog vengeful toward its owner
for leaving it behind. If this were true, a great many more
dogs would present to behavior referral practices than they do
now. Occasionally, separation anxiety may develop as a learned
response after an extremely traumatic event, and that event may
or may not be identified after obtaining a thorough behavioral
history.
Dogs with separation anxiety have an exaggerated dependency on
the safety of the pack structure; they tend to be obedient and
attentive of their owners and may follow their movements
closely through out the day. Unfortunately their dependency on
company is so great that they have difficulty dealing with
solitude of more than a few hours duration. Their need for
pack support is not a disease of itself; it is their expression
of this need that is excessive and abnormal. If the behaviors
are extreme, they actually can sabotage their originally
protective quality. These dogs do not engage in willful
destruction; they suffer the equivalent of a panic attack and
make attempts to rejoin their "pack" members.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF SEPARATION ANXIETY?
Remember dogs read body language better than you or I: they
have to. They can tell the difference between you getting ready
to go check the mail and you getting ready to leave for a few
hours or for work. As they learn what the signals of a "real"
departure are dogs with separation anxiety may display
pre-departure behaviors such as pacing, excessive salivation,
whining, barking, and even growling. The dog may try to block
the owner's departure and may resort to aggression to do so.
Other dogs seem perfectly calm while the owner is home, or may
hide and avoid all contact. Once the owner leaves, the distress
is usually, though not exclusively, most severe in the first 30
to 45 minutes and includes escape behaviors, destructive
behaviors (directed at exit points, directed at personal
objects, or at random), disruption of household furnishings,
vocalization, pacing, house soiling, excessive salivation, and
vomiting. Some dogs bark non-stop, others only immediately
after the owner leaves, then stop for a while and start up
again in response to a noise or some time before their owners
return.
Onset of signs can be gradual or sudden, and the behavior may
be exhibited after every owner departure regardless of day,
time, and duration, or only in specific circumstances, such as
after evening departures. The following are examples of
differing scenarios that can represent separation anxiety:
- anxiety exhibited in the "virtual absence" of the owner, i.e.
the owner is at home but separated physically or visually from
the dog (e.g. owner inside the house and dog outside in the
yard; owner upstairs in the bathroom and dog downstairs
separated by a baby gate)
- anxiety exhibited only when totally alone; so long as there
is another person or animal, the dog shows no distress (dog can
be left in at a dog daycare facility or with another dog)
- anxiety exhibited upon the real or virtual absence of a
specific person, regardless of other company the dog is left
with (dog anxious and destructive when the female owner is
away, even when the rest of the family stays behind)
- dog has had a history of no problems when left alone, but
begins to show signs as it ages
- dog has had a history of no problems when left alone, but
begins to show signs when there is a schedule change (owner
switches from a part-time to a full-time work schedule)
MAKING THE DIAGNOSIS
Diagnosis is based on clinical signs compatible with the
behavior problem and after rule out of medical and other
behavioral problems that can lead to similar signs. Among
these are:
Medical
Seizure activity, epilepsy (suspected in cases where a small
amount of disruption of furnishings is seen, such as upturned
food bowls); intestinal disease that cause diarrhea, such as
internal parasites; hormone-responsive incontinence; dietary
restriction (dog is hungry and looking for food); metabolic
disease; diabetes mellitus; Cushing's disease; kidney disease;
bladder infection; any other cause of increased thirst and
urination.
Behavioral
Incomplete housebreaking; marking; submissive or excitement
urination; exploratory behavior or play (juveniles); response
to external stimuli (blinds destroyed when the dog tries to get
at dogs it sees outside); cognitive dysfunction (an important
rule-out in older dogs); thunderstorm phobia (behaviors are not
seen on sunny, calm days)
It is important that a dog suspected of having separation
anxiety receive a thorough physical examination and some basic
laboratory tests (such as complete blood count, a serum
chemistry profile, thyroid function evaluation if appropriate
due to the dog's age or other presenting clinical signs, and a
urinalysis). You must know what the problem is before you treat
it, and if it turns out that your dog has diabetes, treating
for separation anxiety will be frustrating and dangerous, if
time is wasted and the diabetes gets worse.
TREATMENT
The treatment of separation anxiety is very individualized,
because each dog has different levels of anxiety and different
coping strategies. In addition, each home is made up of people
who have different personalities and schedules. No behavior
modification treatment protocol fits every dog every time.
Nonetheless, some recommendations are appropriate for all cases
of separation anxiety and form the backbone of treatment for
these dogs. Treatment is usually a combination of behavior
modification and anti-anxiety medication, which may be used
temporarily or over an extended period of time, depending upon
the severity of the signs and the dog's response to treatment.
Environmental Modification
- minimize time alone (dog sitter, canine day care) if the dog
is OK so long as it has some sort of company
- confine in crate, exercise pen, or room for safety (unless
the dog panics when confined). Remember that confinement time
must be increased gradually: if the dog feels trapped all of a
sudden and tries to escape and cannot, it may develop a
tremendous fear of being confined and this tool's usefulness is
lost. Also, confinement must also occur when the owner is at
home, or confinement will just become another signal that the
owner is leaving.
Behavior Modification
- do not reward any anxious behavior, such as saying "it's OK"
when the dog whines or paces
- do reward all calm behaviors the dog displays
- decrease the emotionality of greetings and departures; make
them low key and only greet the dog when it is calm
- the dog should be taught relaxation exercises
- practice systematic desensitization to pre-departure cues
that the dog has learned to associate with being left alone (do
the things that you do before leaving, at odd hours during the
day; do not leave the house to begin, but associate these
"rehearsal" with a visible cue such as a toy or other object
that is put away at all other times) This last bit is
important because later this special object becomes a safety
cue. The use of a hollow toy left with food inside is popular
but remember that some dogs are so panicked and upset that they
will not eat, even if you leave them filet mignon.
- practice graduated departures (meaning, start by going to the
door as if leaving, then turn around and go right back to what
you were doing. Here is where people tend to make the mistake
of advancing too fast. Some dogs need tiny baby steps:
touching the doorknob, then opening the door, then stepping
outside, then closing the door behind you, etc., only going to
the next step after trying each level and returning several
times to a calm dog. Just because the dog was OK for 10
minutes do not jump right up to a full hour. The slower you
go, the greater the odds this will work, and if you move to
fast and your dog panics, you typically set yourself way back,
and all the time you've spent so far can be potentially lost.
THE USE OF MEDICATION
There is one "approved" drug for help in the treatment of
separation anxiety, and that is Clomicalm®. A lot of
veterinarians may be unfamiliar with the drug or may have very
little experience wit it's use. It is not t heir fault, as few
veterinary schools offer a course in veterinary behavioral
medicine. Additionally, although the drug was given twice a
day in the experiments that the FDA required for licensing by
the pharmaceutical company that makes the drug, the latter put
once a day instructions on the label. For most dogs, once a
day dosing is not enough. Also, doses as high as three times
the labeled dose where needed for some dogs in the experiments
sponsored by the pharmaceutical company. A few dogs did not
respond at all.
Clomicalm® is not the only drug that has been used for the
treatment of separation anxiety, but few veterinarians have the
experience to prescribe these unless they have consulted with a
specialist or have an interest in veterinary behavior and so
have taken it upon themselves to know more. Combinations of
drugs must be used with care and are best left in the hands of
very experienced individuals, such as veterinary behaviorists,
veterinarians with extensive experience with behavior cases, or
veterinarians working in consultation with a veterinary
behaviorist. Some drugs can lead to severe side effects and
potential for harm if used together.
Sedatives and tranquilizers, such as acepromazine, do not treat
the anxiety, are not great long term, and may only help in but
the mildest cases. Phenobarbital, normally used to treat
seizures, is not a good choice because it's effect is dependent
on sedation rather than on treatment of anxiety.
If your dog has separation anxiety, start treatment with the
environmental and behavioral modifications mentioned above. If
he doesn't improve, if he gets worse, or if the signs are very
bad from the very beginning (the dog is doing severe damage to
himself or its environment), talk to your veterinarian about
treatment options. Remember that your veterinarian may not
have the training or expertise necessary to help you fully and
may need to consult with or refer you to a specialist in order
to offer the best treatment possible.
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