Causes of depression in dogs

Dog depression

There have been no studies that have been able to prove the actual existence of dog depression, but many are convinced that animals have real emotions.

It is easy to see that a dog is happy when their master comes home after work, and it is also easy to see that they are upset when they are being scolded. Dogs appear to suffer from both physical and emotional pain.

A recent study conducted found that pet owners have observed many types of complex emotions in their pets, such as pride, embarrassment, shame and even jealousy.

This was not confirmed in dogs only, but also in cats, pigs, horses, rabbits, rats, and hamsters.

Depression can definitely be a real possible for dogs, since they obvious have a lot of real emotions that they experience and show.

Mammals all seem to have emotions that are somewhat comparable, therefore, it is not out of the question that a dog can be depressed, just like a person can.

The difficult thing is to do is to actually diagnose the dog’s depression, because the symptoms can be the same as symptom that point to many different problems.

Symptoms such as weight loss, lack of interest in food, drink and interaction, lethargy and over-sleeping can be signs of many problems in the dog’s health.

Medical examinations will be needed to see if there are any other medical problems present. The veterinarian must even check if there is any chemical imbalance or even a thyroid-related dysfunction.

Causes of dog depression

Some people who have studies dog depression say that change is most often what spur the depression. Perhaps the sudden death of a companion pet or an owner could cause a dog to become depresses.

Sometimes a move that results in an undesired change of scenery can also cause canine depression. In some instances, a new addition to the family, like a baby or another dog, can also cause a dog to become depressed.

Treatments

The best thing to do is to try to keep the dog focused on its regular schedule. Walk the dog and play with it on a regular basis and keep a lot of its old toys around. It is important to slowly introduce new people and new places to a dog. And it is also very important to allow the dog to sniff around and do a lot of exploration on its own so that it can become familiar with new things that have been introduced into its life.

The good news is that depression in dogs tends to be fleeting and they tend to be able to get used to new things and let go of old ways much more easily than humans.