You might already suspect that your pet struggles when you’re gone. Maybe you get home and find that your beloved dog or cat hasn’t eaten at all. Or you hear from your sitter or a family member that your lovey didn’t stop crying all day.
These are symptoms of pet separation anxiety, according to Dr. Vanessa Spano, a veterinarian and veterinary behaviorist at New York City’s Schwarzman Animal Medical Center, and it can take different forms.
If a pet is hyperattached to someone, they will feel distress when they’re apart from that person. In this case, “it doesn’t matter if the pet is with a sitter [or] at day care,” explained Spano. “The pet is simply not able to settle until reunification.” Or your pet may experience isolation stress, in which “being left alone leads to signs of distress, which resolve once the pet is with anyone,” Spano noted.
So what are the clues that your pet is having difficulty with separation anxiety, according to Spano? Once you return home, you may find your pet panting, pacing, hypersalivating, soiling the residence or being destructive. Or, while you’re gone, your pet may be unable to focus on anything other than their anxiety, neglecting to eat meals and treats or play with their toys. Waiting at a door or by a window is another, subtler sign of pet separation anxiety.
As pet parents, we hate seeing our pets in emotional pain — especially since we know that we aren’t leaving forever and will always return home to them. So what can we do to ease our sweet ones’ anguish? Seeking out a nearby veterinary behaviorist, as well as a trainer who only uses positive reinforcement, is a great start, according to Spano. You should also ensure that your pet has ready access to meals, treats, water, comfy bedding and a potty area (which may include a pee pad for dogs) whenever you’re gone. In addition, Spano stressed that your pet should not be confined in a crate during your absence.
Crucially, “the single most important point that pet parents must understand about separation anxiety is that it is not at all helpful or ethical to use ‘crying it out’ as a treatment plan,” emphasized Spano, adding that “many pets with separation anxiety are truly anxious for hours” while a pet parent is away.
And, if your furry loved one is consistently dealing with separation anxiety, “a combination of training and pharmaceutical help (such as antianxiety medications) may be required,” she said.
Read on for more information from Spano, plus some tools she recommends using with the approval of your veterinarian, in addition to potential supportive medication and positive-reinforcement training.
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“There are some tools that can be helpful when used … for pets that do not have separation anxiety, or in combination with medications and training for pets who do have separation anxiety,” suggested Spano. “This can include a pheromone diffuser, which are species-specific: Adaptil for dogs and Feliway for cats.” She also noted that a cloth with your scent can be helpful for your pet.
A diffuser for Adaptil, which provides a calming pheromone analog for dogs, can simply be plugged into an outlet in your home. (Make sure its vents are facing upward.) Your dog should experience its soothing effects, but the product is designed not to impact other pets or humans.
This starter kit, which you can find at online retailers like Amazon and Chewy, includes the plug-in diffuser and a 30-day supply of the pheromone analog.
Similarly, this Feliway pheromone diffuser is designed to ease stress in cats without affecting other household pets or people. By plugging the device into an open outlet, with vents facing upward, it will continuously release a pheromone analog and help create a comforting environment for your kitty.
This starter set, which comes with a diffuser and a 30-day vial, is available at Amazon and Chewy.
“If you would like to consider a calming supplement, speak with your veterinarian first to ensure it is safe for your pet’s unique health picture,” emphasized Spano. “Reputable supplements which have demonstrated efficacy in reducing signs of separation anxiety include L-theanine (or green tea extract), which is found in the products Anxitane and Solliquin.”
If your veterinarian approves their use, you can grab chewable Anxitane tablets for your pet at Amazon; the supplement is available in a version for small dogs and cats and in a style for large dogs. Each kind includes 30 tablets.
Another supplement that includes anxiety-relieving L-theanine is Solliquin. Again, be sure that your veterinarian is OK with you giving the product to your pet.
According to Pennsylvania’s Patton Veterinary Hospital, the L-theanine in Solliquin “stimulates alpha brain waves,” which causes “a state of deep relaxation.”
You can find Solliquin at Amazon or Chewy. The calming supplement is available in two versions, each with 30 chews: one for cats and dogs weighing up to 30 pounds, and one for dogs weighing 31 pounds or more.
One more supplement with “demonstrated efficacy in reducing signs of separation anxiety … [is] alpha-casozepine (or milk protein), which is found in the product Zylkene,” Spano said.
Zylkene “reduces anxiety without causing sedation,” according to Patton Veterinary Hospital, which said that although “it can be used for acute anxiety, Zylkene may work better to reduce anxiety if given over several days or weeks.”
If your veterinarian approves its use, you can find Zylkene at Amazon in various pack sizes and in versions for small dogs and cats, for medium-sized dogs weighing 33 to 65 pounds and for large dogs weighing 33 to 132 pounds.
The supplement is also available at Chewy.
“The definition of separation anxiety implies that the pet parent is not present, which can make it very difficult for the pet parent to observe clinical signs in the moment,” explained Spano.
“One way around this is by installing a home camera system that you can also download and view on your phone through an app, such as Wyze,” she added. “You can see what your pet is doing when you are not with them. If your pet is with a sitter, you can also ask for the sitter’s observations.”
This motion-tracking Wyze camera can rotate 360 degrees so you can see all of your pet’s environment. The device also has color night vision and is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant. You can grab it in white or black.
“It is not uncommon for noise sensitivity to be a comorbidity in patients with separation anxiety, so I often recommend for my clients to utilize noise buffers, such as a white noise machine, a calming playlist on YouTube … or insulating foam around door/window frames, especially in noisy apartment buildings,” noted Spano, recommending Through a Dog’s Ear on YouTube.
Based on her recommendation, we selected this compact Homedics white noise machine, which is exceptionally popular on Amazon with over 57,000 ratings. The device, called a miracle worker by one reviewer, offers six nature-inspired sounds. Reviewers rave about its affordability and how it helps their pets relax when they’re home alone.
Based on Spano’s advice to use insulating foam for dampening noise in loud areas, we chose this popular option from the brand Frost King.
Available in various sizes and packs, Frost King’s adhesive rubber foam is praised by reviewers for its affordability and effectiveness in blocking out noise.
These colorful wall panels, made of high-density materials, are simply “a better looking alternative to the old sound proof foam panels,” in the words of the brand. They will stick easily to any surface with construction glue or strong double-sided tape (sold separately), and are perfect if you’re looking to reduce noise for your fur baby without having to make your home look like a recording studio. Each hexagon-shaped tile measures around 1 foot in width and has an attractive beveled edge, and they come in a wide range of colors.