DEPRESSION IN PETS

There is a growing awareness of mental health among humans, and we are beginning to understand more and more that our mental health impacts our physical health, and vice-versa. It’s important to note that our furry and feathered companions can struggle with many of the same mental health challenges as we do.

Symptoms of depression in dogs and cats may include a change in behaviour, and a lack of interest in activities that they previously enjoyed. You may also notice a change in body language and a loss of appetite. Sometimes pets will sleep more or sleep less, and show repetitive behaviours like pacing. Often depression follows chronic anxiety, so if your pet is very nervous, or struggles with separation, this may lead to depression. This is because the anxiety becomes too much to deal with, and the pet simply shuts down. Birds can show a change in behaviour and become less vocal, and pluck out their feathers. Animals that have experienced severe neglect or cruelty are more likely to become depressed. If your pet has lost a companion, this may also trigger them into a state of depression. Diagnosing depression in pets is extremely challenging because they cannot simply tell us how they are feeling. What makes diagnosis even more difficult is that many other illnesses (including life-threatening illnesses) and pain can cause the same symptoms. Thus, it is essential that any pet showing a behavioural change, change in appetite or energy levels, be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. The vet will take a full history, do a full clinical examination, and in many cases run blood tests to ensure that there are no underlying health concerns that we need to address.

If underlying diseases and pain have been ruled out, then a diagnosis of depression can be made. Often there is anxiety that we need to manage. In severe cases or very longstanding cases, we will usually prescribe antidepressants or drugs to help with anxiety. This is to help restore the balance of the brain’s neurotransmitters and allow the pet to learn new behaviours. We will oftentimes refer you to an animal behaviourist at this point to do an in-home assessment, and they will teach you ways to help improve your pet’s mental health.

Animals are hard-wired to behave in a certain way and to have particular social interactions. By doing the things they were designed to do, they will experience joy. If they are unable to do those things, they can become depressed. For example, Border Collies have been bred over many generations to become excellent herders. If they cannot act out that behaviour in some form or another, they may become depressed. Whilst most Border Collie owners don’t have a herd of sheep available, you can think of other ingenious ways to allow them to express that behaviour, e.g. give them a ‘herd’ of soccer balls to round up, or play games with them to encourage that behaviour. Other breeds will need different outlets for their natural behaviours, for example Retrievers need to be given the opportunity to retrieve objects and will have endless energy available to fetch and return a ball, whilst Bassets will need frequent walks to ‘smell out’ their environment, and Jack

Russells need ample time to dig up prey and hunt.

Cats are built to spend their waking hours searching for, and hunting, food. We can simulate that by playing hunting games with them or hiding their food so that they need to move around to find it. Birds tend to be social animals, although we tend to house them alone, and this can cause stress.

Treating depression will always involve behaviour modification to some extent, and this includes providing adequate social interaction with the pet, providing an outlet for their normal behaviours, providing regular exercise, showering them with love and affection and ensuring that their husbandry is appropriate for their breed. And in some cases, they will need medication and more intense behaviour modification with the help of a behaviourist. If you suspect your pet is suffering from depression, get them to a vet. This is the first step in ensuring that they are on the path to recovery.

Diagnosing depression in pets is extremely challenging because they cannot simply tell us how they are feeling.