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Treating Separation Anxiety: Life-Changing and Profitable

Published on 8/24/22

 

 

This article is referenced from a 1-hour CE webinar, Boost the Wellbeing of Pets and Their People with speaker Dr. Jeff Nichol, DVM, IAABC Veterinary Behaviorist, originally broadcast June 15, 2022. Click here to view the recorded webinar. (Passcode: PennVet22?)

 

 

We often believe the most common condition seen in practices is otitis, but separation anxiety in dogs is more common. However, it is frequently misdiagnosed or missed altogether, in part because we as veterinary staff don’t ask whether their dog is experiencing symptoms – we wait for the client to ask us. Meanwhile, clients and pets are frustrated at home by attempting to modify behavior in counterproductive or even unintentionally harmful ways.

When pets cause upheaval in the home, it can damage the owner-pet bond, often to the point of surrender. Behavioral issues are the number one reason dogs are surrendered to shelters.

Most of us are familiar with the obvious symptoms of separation anxiety: vocalizing, destruction, escapism, potty accidents, etc. Other behaviors are less commonly known as separation anxiety symptoms: watchful waiting, shadowing, excessive greeting, pacing, panting, and self-harm (licking one’s paws until they are raw, for example). These lesser-known symptoms can sometimes be misinterpreted. Pet owners may not even know that the dog is suffering these lesser-known symptoms in their absence unless they happen to have in-home surveillance cameras.

 

 

Life-Changing Treatment Can Be Profitable

The treatment of separation anxiety in dogs can be a profitable way to change the lives of pets and their owners, but we need to first make it a conscious addition to our treatment and diagnosis protocol. In a recent webinar, Boost the Wellbeing of Pets and Their People by Veterinary Behaviorist Dr. Jeff Nichol, Dr. Nichol recommended starting by providing clients with a separation anxiety quiz online or printed on a clipboard in-office to start the conversation with every dog owner.

 As we start these conversations with pet owners, it is important to note that some clients may believe their dogs have separation anxiety but actually struggle with unrelated behaviors from inadequate environment enrichments, insufficient exercise, lack of training, and more. This is why it’s so important for us to use our medical expertise and lead the conversation around treatment and diagnose symptoms rather than simply wait for pet owners to inform us.

A conversation about separation anxiety should not be in passing as our client is walking out the door – schedule a one-hour consultation to begin the diagnosis protocol. This process may include the aforementioned quiz, detailed conversations about the dog’s behavior, and even creating a plan to set up cameras to record the pets when owners are out of the house, then bringing the recordings to the next appointment for review.

Dr. Nichol lays out even more specific steps for making separation anxiety a life-changing and profitable part of your hospital in his 1-hour recorded webinar. Click here to watch now. (Passcode: PennVet22!)

 

 

Separation anxiety in dogs is not cured – it is managed. We can improve the lives of anxious pups and their owners as well as increase practice profitability by providing professional managed veterinary care.

 

Click here to see our selection of behavioral health supplements.

 

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