How Do I Know If My Pet Is Sad?
In general, a pet is the faithful companion that accompanies us in our emotional ups and downs and brings us joy with its mere presence. However, she can also feel sad and it is important not to miss the signs. An animal in these circumstances needs attention.
Every owner must ensure the well-being of their pet, not only in terms of physical health but also in other aspects of life.
Remember that owning an animal implies being responsible for its quality of life. Hence, many owners feel like ‘parents’, in the best sense of the word.
What makes a pet sad?
Pets can get sad for a number of reasons. And although some of them seem irrelevant to us, in reality, what we have to take into account is that animals do not have the same capacities or tools as human beings to manage themselves, therefore, it is not easy for them to deal with their emotions.
For example, when a pet experiences sudden changes at home, it can become stressed and sad. For her, change is difficult to understand and therefore to accept. In view of this, you have to try to pay attention to her and distract her so that she can divert attention from the ‘problem’ that affects her so much. You have to help him get used to the novelty.
Common causes
- Loss of a loved one.
- Loneliness and inattention (affection, games).
- Stress from changes in your environment.
- Health problems.
- Psychological pregnancy (in females).
Unlike physical injuries, sadness is not always easy to notice, so we must pay attention to our pet’s behavior.
Signs that indicate sadness
- Scary attitude (may hide from their owners or respond to their call with fear).
- Apathy and avoidance of any interaction (both with humans and with other animals).
- Hyperactivity (running, jumping, or moving abruptly and quickly for no reason).
- Destructive tendencies (breaking or chewing on objects, messing things up, removing feed from the plate for no reason, etc.).
- Excessive sleepiness (spending many more hours than normal sleeping or in your resting place).
- Loss of appetite (barely eating or refusing to eat at all).
- In more advanced cases, they can commit suicide.
When a dog is sad, it usually shows all of the aforementioned signs, together; For this reason, depression is usually more evident in dogs than in cats. However, it should be noted that when a cat is sad, its lack of grooming is a clear sign of it.
What can I do to help my pet?
When a pet is sad, the best thing we can do for her is to distract her. Paying attention to her, pampering her, offering her treats and trying to play with her is the main thing.
They are, of course, highly favored for excursions and walks, as exercise and exploration in the great outdoors helps them release tension to a great extent.
And although it seems incredible, a good method to help our pet to get out of sadness is to encourage it to learn a new trick.
In this sense, memory and obedience exercises help her feel useful. Of course, you have to take into account the age of the pet and the methods used in teaching the trick.
Be careful, it is not necessary to overwhelm or press excessively. When a pet is sad, it will cost a little more than normal for it to learn certain tricks (such as paw or play dead), so you have to know how to give them time and not scold them too much for not achieving the task.
It is also very convenient to make small adjustments to your routine. For example, instead of placing the same brand of feed with the same flavor, we can introduce some variation or offer you some other alternative. For example, warm chicken broth tends to be very popular with dogs.
Sadness is something that, with love and a little attention, can be overcome over time. The most important thing is to support our pet and let them know that we are there to help them.
And although it goes without saying, it goes without saying that taking care of the well-being of our pet is always worth it.
