Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Holiday Stress

Written by Claudia Loomis

Holiday stress is not just for People, our Pets feel it too!
Here are some helpful hints to help reduce our pets Holiday stress……

We all feel extra stress around the holidays, long hours spent shopping and wrapping, decorating, entertaining and party going can be lots of fun but there is added pressure and stress to get it all done on time. This means that we have less time to spend with our four legged companions. Our normal routine changes around the holidays and so does the normal routine of our pets. Pets are truly creatures of habit and when things change it can cause our pets to stress.

It is important to remember to try to spend extra time with your pets, walking playing or just hanging out with them calmly.

If there are holiday decorations set up in their favorite places to lay around in the house or if they will have restricted access to certain rooms to accommodate out of town guests, block their access to these areas up to a week before the decorations go up or the guests arrive to allow your pet time to adapt to the changes.
If you are having house guests or hosting a holiday party be sure to provide your pet with a quiet area to retreat, place a favorite bed or blanket in this area and a few of your pet’s favorite toys to help him feel comfortable.

A good option to calm a pet who is feeling stressed is to use plug in pheromones such as ComfortZone or flower essences such as Bach Rescue Remedy for Pets, Homeopet Anxiety Drops or Richards Organics Pet Happy Tonic. These products are all natural homeopathic remedies that work remarkably well at calming and relaxing pets during times of stress. The effects are not long lasting and there are no adverse side effects when used as directed.

Dogs will drink more when they are experiencing stress so be sure to check the water bowl and provide an ample supply of water.

Chewing is a stress reliever for pets, this may be a great time to get a new bone or chew toy for your pet. This will keep them busy while you are decorating or wrapping presents.

It is important not to share your holiday treats with your pets. It is best to keep them on their normal feeding routine; pets that are stressed are more likely to experience diarrhea or vomiting. If you introduce new and unusual foods to your pet at this time it may be enough to give them a bout of the runs or cause vomiting. That is never pleasant, especially around the holidays! If your dog or cat does come down with a bout of diarrhea it can be quickly treated with Wholistic Pet Digest- All Plus. It is a great idea to keep this in the house because you never know when digestive distress will pop up.
Stress has the same effect on our pet’s immune system as it does on ours. When pets are experiencing stress they become more susceptible to illness. This is even more of a concern when our pets are very young puppies, senior or immune compromised due to chronic illness. To help support immune system function and bolster health during periods of stress Wholistic Pet Colostrum Powder is a great product to use.
The biggest hint to relieving our pets stress is to spend time with them, funny how that turns out to be the best way to relieve our stress too!