MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

Abstract: Imagine Buster, a lovable basset hound puppy, has finally been adopted from the shelter by a wonderful family. Buster was abused by his previous owner and has trust issues; therefore, when his family leaves for the day, he is fearful that they will never return to him. Many dogs suffer from anxiety of various types and concerned pet parents do not know how to help. I start my guide with a segment on identifying symptoms of anxiety. I address separation anxiety, like what poor Buster is experiencing, anxiety from thunderstorms and general anxiety from a stressful household. I delve deeper into treatment options for how to help dogs like Buster deal with their anxiety. I discuss pharmaceutical options and 2 different drugs that are clinically proven to reduce anxiety. I also address a newly innovated thunderstorm t-shirt that supplies pressure to the dogs and produces calming effects. There are also behavioral methods that can be taken by the parents to encourage their dogs to naturally reduce their anxiety. In addition to reviewed papers, I include a trainer’s blog post about at-home techniques to train an anxious dog to correct anxious behaviors. I provide a helpful and sympathetic guide to frantic pet parents. Through good advice and a warm tone, I strive to help both parent and puppy reduce their anxiety levels. My guide uses natural language and easy to read in text citations.

Reader’s Profile: A pet parent whose dog has anxiety. This parent has already tried everything in this guide to reduce their dog’s anxiety and nothing seems to work. The parent is skeptical of my advice.

Reader’s Response: Dear Dr. Veterinarian, I have tried every technique and treatment in your guide and my dog is still as anxious as ever. My dog suffers from separation anxiety and howls for hours when I leave for work. I have tried medicine and I have tried therapy, but nothing works. Your guide might work for some dogs, but it is in no way complete or comprehensive. I am incredibly frustrated and I don’t know what to do. I was so excited when I saw you post your guide, but I was disappointed to find that it is unhelpful.

H -- have you seen any literature on this problem? Two causes: are some dogs not treatable? What do we do then? Rehome? Euthanize? (Ouch on that one) but what about the resistant pet parent? You may want to make a note for yourself (not put in this guide) what the profession advises about difficult pet parents.

I suppose you could refer people to some selected systems? Hire a consultant?

(You do not have create world peace, though)