Has it ever happened to you that your dog, for whatever reason, has spent a long time without being able to coincide with what seems to be his best canine friend and has been different? How off? Perhaps you have had more than two furry ones at home at the same time and one of them has died, leaving the other without wanting anything and barely eating. Well, this intuition that your dog is sad because he misses you is true. Animals have a very important emotional part that we do not always remember.
Understanding how dogs express their emotions is very useful when living with them and educating them. And it is that they have particular ways of communicating and not knowing how to identify the signals can lead to the dog that does not feel understood and cause trouble at home or away.
Like humans, dogs feel emotions such as fear, hope, joy, sadness or anger. Emotions that are reflected in facial gestures. However, some animals are more expressive than others. In addition to the fact that each animal has its own personality and will tend to react in one way or another, depending on the situation.
How to know if my dog is sad?
If you think your dog is sad, it is essential that you pay close attention to their reactions, their behavior changes and their body language. According to the experts at Happets, your dog may be sad if he has the following symptoms:
Apathy and flight attitude. Increased hours of sleep. Decrease in your usual activity. Lack of appetite. Decrease in response to external stimuli. Aggressive or compulsive reactions. Increased howls and moans.
To find out the cause of this change in behavior, the first thing is take your dog to the vet because sadness in dogs is not only caused by emotional or psychological problems. Viral diseases, a parasitic infection or any disease that causes pain can cause your dog to be more listless than normal.
Why can my dog be sad?
Once physiological problems have been ruled out, you should review the following causes of sadness in dogs to know how to fix it:
A dog that has been separated from his family may suffer from sadness and depression for a while until he manages to adapt to this new situation. In the same way it happens with a change of home, a death in the family nucleus or the arrival of a new member to the household. Any of these circumstances can cause your dog to be sad, insecure and disoriented for a while.
Any stressful and negative experience can affect your dog’s emotional balance, so your dog may be sad if he has had a fight with another dog, had an accident or suffered a serious injury. In addition, dogs are social animals and need company, attention and should not be alone for many hours at a time. Lack of affection and physical and mental stimulation are causes that can generate a state of sadness and depression in your furry.
What do I do if my dog is sad?
As veterinarian Raúl Mérida points out, “the most important thing is that this process does not become chronic and that it is only temporary.” To do this, he adds, “the best thing is to be as aware as possible of him and, of course, dedicate as much time as possible to him.” This ranges from him being entertained by going for a walk more often and through new areas with different stimuli and smells, to offering him toys and the food he likes the most. In short, pampering and affection. Although, if it does not improve, you have to take it to the vet so that it can be properly assessed.
Photos | unsplash