Question: I have a 2-year-old cocker spaniel named Rusty who has terrible separation anxiety. He is OK when he is left alone as part of the everyday routine, however when we have to run a quick errand or we leave outside of our normal 8-5 jobs, he panics. He begins to shake and tremble. When we get home, his paws and ears and muzzle are dripping with saliva. We put him on Clomicalm and that seemed to help at first, but now it seems like he is getting worse. Please give us some tips on what we can do to help our dog. — Ibiza
Answer: Separation anxiety occurs in about 25 percent of dogs in the United States. It is a disease of hyperattachment. Some dogs react like yours — only when the schedule changes from the norm — while some dogs react to every departure.
Separation anxiety, like most behavioral disorders, has to be treated with behavior modification and medication. Medication alone will not solve your dog’s behavior disorder. What generally happens if an appropriate behavior modification schedule is not implemented is that the behavior improves for the three months and then the dog relapses. This course generally continues through dosage increases and multiple drug trials.
The best course of action is to speak to your veterinarian about behavior modification and environmental changes to help your dog in addition to the medication. If your veterinarian doesn’t feel comfortable treating your dog’s case in that way, ask for a referral to a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. You can find one in your area at www.dacvb.org.
In the meantime, be sure to leave him with something delicious to eat when you depart, regardless of how long you will be gone. This will help him associate your departure with really good things. Be sure to keep your departures and returns low key by ignoring him for about five minutes prior to departure and until he is calm when you come home. Do this for each departure.
There are lots of treatments for separation anxiety. Good luck!
Dr. Radosta
Lisa Radosta DVM, Diplomate ACVB
Florida Veterinary Behavior Service
PO Box 210636
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33421-0636
561-795-9398
www.flvetbehavior.com
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