BY SANDRA GUY
A Facebook post showing a dog standing on top of the kitchen cabinets, refusing to be walked for a seventh time in one day, reveals a less-visible side to the coronavirus stay-at-home mandate.
What if your pet rebels against your constant presence, rather than luxuriating in it? After all, don’t dogs and cats want to cuddle in your lap 24/7, don’t they?
Not for some.
A Chicago-based public relations expert who asked to remain anonymous said her cat started peeing outside his litter box after she and her husband hunkered down in the house.
She researched the problem and decided the brown tabby – a PAWS rescue — might be anxious. The cat had shown anxiety issues before by overeating.
The owner took the cat to the vet, and, as many people with sick or injured pets are now finding, she was forced to wait three hours outside the vets’ office, sitting in the car with the cat, because of veterarians’ social-distancing and office-hour restrictions.
A prescription has helped ease the cat’s anxiety – and he’s on a diet.
Others with newly anxiety-ridden pets are turning to vets who specialize in alternative therapies, including herbs, massage, acupuncture and dietary supplements. A directory is at https://www.ahvma.org/find-a-holistic-veterinarian/.
Vets who provide holistic services may prescribe herbal remedies for pets. These include Melatonin; Chamomile in powder or capsule form; Bach flower extract remedies, or CBD, an active marijuana ingredient that can have a calming effect.
A West Hollywood, Calif., vet who does conventional and complementary treatments says it’s important to be cognizant of your behavior as a pet parent.
“Maybe mommy and daddy are home-schooling their children and are openly stressed out about their careers and being unemployed,” said Patrick Mahaney, owner of California Pet Acupuncture and Wellness. “When you are more stressed, that could project onto your pet.”
Watch for signs such as your pet losing appetite or sleeping more or less than usual, Mahaney said.
Take care, too, about taking the dog on those frequent walks.
“There’s a higher potential for injuries,” he said, “and since it’s springtime, the play area may have just gotten a new spreading of mulch or pesticide or herbicide.”