Glossary Term: Separation Anxiety

Definition: The term separation anxiety is not exclusive to dogs or even to veterinary medicine. It is a psychological term to describe the stress and anxiousness in an individual brought on by the leaving (perceived or imagined) of another individual. In the case of a pet, it is usually an anxiety brought on by separation from the primary pet caretaker. In the case of humans, anxiety in a child from being separated from a parent.

What classifies as a "separation"? This varies greatly between animals: some must have "their person" within their line of sight, other pets are fine as long as the owner is within a comfortable distance (i.e. somewhere else in the house), and still others are fine until the owner leaves. Even finer distinctions would be animals that are fine for a certain period of time after their owner leaves, but then start to show signs of anxiousness some time later.

Just like the variance in what stresses out each individual, the signs of separation anxiety vary greatly as well. The following signs are some of the more common behaviors seen in dogs and cats suffering from separation anxiety.

Signs specific to cats and dogs:

• inappropriate urination or defecation
• scratching, chewing or other destructive behavior
• vocalizing -- meowing/barking
• excessive grooming or licking
• hyperactive or depressed/lethargic

Signs specific to dogs:

• pacing
• drooling
• whining or howling
• trying to escape, sometimes breaking teeth or toe nails in the attempt

Separation anxiety can be a serious problem. Scolding your pet will only make the anxiety worse. Working with a qualified dog trainer, animal behaviorist and/or veterinarian will help you find the source of your pet's anxiety to address the problem and use behavior modification and possible pheromone or medical therapy to help alleviate your pet's anxiety.

Veterinary Glossary Index

Pronunciation: sep-arh-ay-shun | angz-eye-ih-tee