Pets have souls or personalities and possess emotions and concerns just like we do. I have seen my pets undergo a process of grieving after bereavement resulting from death of a master or fellow pet. These are times of stress and the pet seems to have unanswered questions and might even go slow on food. I have also seen dogs being stressed by the prescence of many visitors in the compound who they are not used to. Because of their cautious nature, they expect the worst in such circumstances and seem to search their masters' faces for clues of reassurance. What is the best strategy to ameliorate pet stress?
This stress on pets is our problem during the New Year's eve. The custom in Metro Manila is the use of firecrackers and fireworks to welcome the new year. Even a few days before January 1, the sound of firecrackers is already getting common.
Firecrackers are anathema to dogs who suffer undue stress when exposed to explosions. If not remedied, the dog may die. Our youngest dog, the 3-year old Barbie the pekingese, urinates involuntarily when the firecrackers are excessive and there are times she poops without warning, evidently out of stress. So what we do is to corral them inside the bedroom and turn on the tv with a loud volume (or a blaring radio) otherwise our 3 dogs might get sick.
There are a few signs that dogs often display when they're distressed such as shaking, quick glances, furrowed brows and even when the whites in their eyes can be seen and when they also sometimes turn pink or red. Clio would be really scared whenever I bring her to the vet and she would be reluctant to be put on top of the examining table, most of the time clinging to my forearm. This is why every visit, I would also buy her a few pieces of dog biscuits available at the clinic to help her ease the tension she's feeling. When strangers arrive, I take her inside my room where I play with her for awhile until the guest leaves. My room is also her safe space where she can feel safe from strangers and loud noises that can startle her.
I don't know how it goes with other pets but I have read somewhere that dogs are accustomed to living within a certain pattern, a structured or an organized schedule, if I must say. Everything for them is routine. They eat, play, and sleep at a specific time and they do almost the same things everyday. Now, if anything different happens outside of that routine, that's when they get stressed. They get quite confused not knowing what to follow and what to do. So, I guess, let's reduce changes when it comes to our dogs so that they won't get stressed.
