Posts - Page 7 of 12 - Australia CAN

Spending time with animals is a research-backed way to lower stress and anxiety. And yet, you don’t need to own a pet to reap the stress-reducing benefits. If pet adoption isn’t an option for you, you can still find comfort in visiting a friend’s pet, visiting the dog park on your lunch break, or taking a trip to a petting zoo over the weekend. There are three reasons why pets can help us cope with stress.

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Desexing cats before four months old is on the increase. New research finds Australia is doing well in the desexing arena. But the age of desexing needs to be brought forward from six months to four months to close a "pregnancy gap" and prevent unwanted litters of kittens.

Read full article at The University of Sydney

The most common signs of separation anxiety include:

digging
chewing
scratching at doors or windows
howling
barking and crying
urination and defecation (even house-trained dogs).

Why do dogs suffer separation anxiety?

The reasons for separation anxiety are not fully known. Some dogs suffer this condition while others do not. It is important to realise that the dog has a behavioural condition and is not punishing the carer for leaving. Destructive behaviour and soiling the house are a response to panic, and many dogs that are brought into shelters suffer this condition.

When does separation anxiety occur?

When a dog is accustomed to constant human contact and companionship, and is suddenly left at home alone for the first time
Following a long interval such as a vacation where the carer and dog were constantly together
After a period spent in a shelter
After a change in the family’s routine or new house/environment
When a new pet or person moves in.

How do I know if my dog has separation anxiety?

The behaviour occurs primarily when the dog is left alone
The dog follows you from room to room whenever you’re at home
They display frantic greeting behaviours
The behaviour always occurs when they are left alone regardless of length of time
The dog reacts with excitement, depression or anxiety to your preparations to leave the house
They dislike spending time outside alone

Training your dog to become independent

When you first bring your dog home it is important to spend time showing them the rules of the house. But it is equally important to teach them that spending time alone is also enjoyable.
- Start with short time periods and give them food, toys, bones or food dispensing toys to chew and play with. Make being alone fun and positive, and before they even realise they were alone you can come back. Start increasing this time period so even when the dog has finished his bone or food, he knows you will always be back.
- Make sure to not come back to the dog if the dog is whining or vocalising; only reward calm behaviour. You can do this while you watch TV or prepare dinner, making sure that at least once or twice a day your dog is separated from you and not constantly shadowing you.
- Provide your dog with a safe space. A space that is just theirs. It could be a kennel, a room, a crate or their dog bed. Place an article of your clothing that smells like you in this space.
- Using food, toys, chews, games and relaxing music you can make certain room or area a place where the dog loves to go because there are always fun, positive things happening there.
- The more you encourage your dog to go there and be alone while you’re at home, the more he’ll go there when you’re away.
When you leave for the day keep departures as low key and boring as possible. You can say goodbye in a calm, quiet tone and leave the house like no big deal. Even if you prepare a food-dispensing toy or scatter treats you can do this without paying him too much attention.
- Make coming home especially low key. No touching, no talking, no eye contact while your dog is excited and running around. When he is calm, and when you’re ready and settled then you can ask for a ‘sit’ and give him attention.
- The more boring our presence, the less horrible being alone may seem to the dog.
The more mentally and physically tired your dog is, the more likely he is to sleep and relax while you’re out. Take your dog for a decent walk in the morning and do some short training interludes. Before leaving, scatter some food and hide a peanut butter stuffed Kong for your dog to work on after you leave. You could consider having other people walk, feed and spend time with your dog if you are away from home for long periods.

Severe cases of separation anxiety

Use a systematic approach and practice leaving and returning:

Begin by leaving as normal (getting car keys, grabbing your bag or coat, etc.) then sit back down. Repeat this step until your dog does not show signs of distress
Next leave the house by stepping outside, leaving the door open, then return
Finally step outside and close the door, then return immediately
Proceed gradually step by step until your dog is not distressed by these steps. If anxiety occurs return to the previous step
When your dog can tolerate you being on the other side of the door for several seconds, begin with short-term absences and return
Make your leaving and returning low key
If your dog shows no sign of distress gradually increase the length of time you are gone

Practice as much as possible and scatter the training throughout the day. Once your dog can handle short absences (30–90 min) they should be able to handle longer intervals.

What not to do

Do not punish your dog. This may lead to an increase in anxiety as they are getting the attention they want
Do not get another pet as a companion. Your dog is anxious because of the separation from you, not because of being alone
Do not lock your dog up. Your dog will still have an anxiety response and may injure itself trying to get out

Let’s face it the cost of living means we often have to sacrifice square meterage for a simple roof. You might have to let go of your three-seater sofa or the dream of a grassy backyard, but there’s one thing you shouldn’t have to sacrifice – your dog.

It’s commonly believed that you can’t keep big dogs in small apartments, but the truth is, when it comes to housing for your big boy (or girl), size doesn’t always matter.

So, what does matter? Sydney Dogs & Cats Home Team Leader Hannah Turner tells us there are a number of other factors you need to consider when deciding on a dog’s living arrangements. These include:

the dog’s temperament
opportunities for exercise
your ability to maintain a routine
the landlord or apartment rules.

Temperament

The specific needs of your dog are often dependent his/her temperament. A puppy full of energy and a belly full of barks isn’t going to fare as well in an apartment as an elderly greyhound who likes to nap. When deciding whether a dog can live in a small apartment, consider:

the dog’s tendency to bark. If the barks for long periods of time, consider whether you can train them to minimise barking. Loud dogs tend to irritate neighbours, and may encourage a complaint.
the dog’s energy levels. Energy levels vary from dog to dog. This can be impacted by the dog’s age, health, breed and more. In an apartment, you ideally need a dog who is happy to rest or nap quietly when you’re not available. Dog’s high in energy may become destructive when left alone or become unfit and/or stressed in small spaces.
the dog’s attitude towards other dogs and people. If you run into a neighbour or another dog in the hall, is your dog going to stay calm? Is it going to be friendly? Your neighbours may have allergies, or may not like interacting with dogs. Similarly, your dog needs to be friendly with other dogs, so everyone in your apartment building feels safe.

Exercise

Even the laziest of dogs needs exercise to stay happy and healthy. The amount of exercise a dog needs will depend on its age, health and individual preference. We recommend talking to your vet to get advice tailored to your dog. Once you have this information, ask yourself – can I commit to providing enough exercise every day?

Exercise doesn’t always mean you need to take your dog on a set number of walks each day. While your dog should walk regularly, there are other ways to exercise them throughout the day. These include:

swimming
playing fetch up and down the stairs
a home-made obstacle course
hide and seek (with treats)
tug of war
toys such as puzzles and kongs
training new skills or tricks such as fetching household objects or tidying up their toys.

If you can’t commit to providing enough exercise, you can consider hiring a dog walker or taking them to a doggie daycare.

Routine

Routine can make life a lot easier for a dog, especially in an apartment. If you’re considering keeping a big dog in a small apartment, think about whether you can set regular times for potty breaks, feeding, walking and playing. If you have an unpredictable lifestyle and like to meet up with friends after work, or go on impromptu dinner dates, keeping a dog in your apartment might not be wise.

There are solutions, however, if you can’t always be available at the same times every day. You could hire a dog walker or take your dog to a doggie day care. If you work full time and can’t take your dog outside for potty breaks, you can get a dog litter box.

Rules

Some landlords and apartment complexes have restrictions on dog sizes or breeds. Before you house a big dog in an apartment, make sure to get approval from your landlord or complex manager.

With all that said, having a big dog can be a very rewarding experiencing. There’s more to cuddle, they often make great running partners, and if you live in a small apartment, they’ll encourage you to venture outside more often.

Australia CAN Members have many large dogs that are often overlooked because of their size. Before you rule them out, we invite you to have a chat to their knowledgeable staff who can help you to find the ideal dog for your living arrangements and lifestyle. It may just be your apartment is better suited to a large, loveable American Staffy rather than a pint-sized Maltese.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only changed the lives of people, but of pets. For dogs especially, social distancing restrictions have meant their owners are home more often, paying them much more attention than usual. The hard part comes next, when we go back to work and school, and our dogs are left confused and upset at suddenly being left alone again. This is known as separation distress, and it’s every dog owner’s job to help their dog through it. We can’t explain to our dogs what is happening, so it’s going to take effort from everyone in the family to make this change as easy as possible for your dog.

To help with the transition, our Animal Care Manager and Veterinarian Dr Renae Jackson has provided five tips for managing separation distress as we return to work.

1. Gradually build up the length of time your dog is left alone

Before returning to work, dog owners can build up the length of time their dog is left alone until they are comfortable being left for prolonged periods. Start with periods as short as one second and build up alone time at your dog’s own pace. If your dog is distressed, take it back a step and progress more slowly. You can even make being alone fun, by pairing ‘alone time’ with your dog’s favourite chews, treat toys and games. Make sure they have access to their favourite safe resting place, and if you’d like, you can film your dog while you’re away to ensure you come back before they become distressed. White noise such as leaving the TV on at a low volume can help maintain a sense of normality.

2. Help them learn to be independent while you are at home

While it is lovely when your dog wants to cuddle and be near you, it’s important for them to learn how to be comfortable on their own. Use enrichment food toys and puzzles to keep them occupied in the lounge room while you are cooking in the kitchen. Encourage them to rest on a super-comfy bed of their own while you watch TV, not sit right on your lap. Creating short, frequent situations where your dog feels comfortable being on their own can really help to build their independence.

3. Keep your daily routine the same

Once your dog is comfortable with being alone, keep your daily routine the same. Leave the house and feed and walk your dog at the same time each day as you would when you go back to work. Dogs are less stressed when their life is predictable; they can rest easy knowing exactly what to expect. Do this before you go back to work so you can identify and work on any issues that may arise.

4. Understand that your dog is not doing ‘naughty’ things on purpose

If your dog starts showing unwanted behaviours such as barking, digging or chewing, it’s important to understand they are doing this because they are distressed, not because they are being intentionally naughty. Support your dog through this difficult time with calm, gentle teaching and never scold or punish them.

5. Seek help

Seek help for any signs of distress or changes in behaviour as soon as they appear. By enlisting the help of a force-free qualified dog behaviourist, you can be sure you are getting the right help to manage any behavioural issues before they get out of control.

For more information, we recommend the following resources:

Max the Magnificent was dead before his time. It was sudden, cruel and so unexpected.

For a while, the family blundered on with our daily burdens, each of us grappling hopelessly with the numbing realisation that a bright and constant light had been snuffed out.

A black cloud rolled in and blanketed our world.

For more than a week, an erratic autumn wind blew ancient tufts of discarded fur out of Max’s kennel and sent them rolling like tumbleweed through our open back door.

The house felt empty and silent; the back yard looked unnecessary and unkept; murky rainwater and grit formed a sludge at the bottom of Max’s food bowel.

My partner and I were surprised to have taken the loss so hard, and we worried about how it would impact on our two young children: “Why did Max die, daddy?’’ …“Are we going to die too, mummy?’’

Eventually, we gave that dark, nasty cloud a name.

We called it ‘Grief’.

Many people experience deep grief after the death of their pet. These people are neither crazy nor overly sentimental. Like you and me, they are everyday types whose response to the loss is absolutely normal.

In a 2012 article for The Washington Post, grieving pet owner Joe Yonan points to a range of international studies about the manifestation and place of grief after pet loss. When considered collectively, these studies expose fundamental truths about the legitimacy and strength of the human-animal bond.

The bond leads many of us to see our pets as family. Therefore, when our pet dies, we may experience feelings akin to those of losing a family member.

While society may not necessarily give us permission to grieve openly after pet loss, there is growing recognition of the need to treat the issue with respect and to provide expert information and support to those suffering a pet bereavement.

For example, the depression and anxiety awareness organisation beyondblue offers advice to pet owners about ways to recognise and deal with their grief after the death of a pet.

Victoria’s Department of Environment and Primary Industries also has a web pageon the subject, where there is information and advice about ‘’pet loss and children’’, pet euthanasia, the grief process and how to cope with grief.

Pet bereavement was a major discussion topic at the Pan Pacific Veterinary Conference in Brisbane last month and, last week, Pets and Positive Ageing Inchosted a seminar on the issue in Canberra.

Organiser Di Johnstone says the Canberra seminar attracted 40 people, including several veterinarians. Its aim was to increase awareness about the need to support older Australians with pets, particularly those who suffer a pet bereavement.

The guest speaker was Dr David Foote, a veterinarian, lecturer and pet-bereavement counsellor. He is also the director of the Intern Mentoring Program in the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney.

Dr Foote, who also spoke at the Brisbane conference, says veterinarians see first-hand the “powerful and difficult’’ struggle of people after their pet has died.

“For many people, their pet is the most important relationship in their life. So it can be a very tough thing to see a person lurching out the door after their pet has been euthanased,’’ he says.

Dr Foote says the main challenge is to change societal attitudes about pet bereavement.

“Pet bereavement is largely disenfranchised by our society,’’ he says.

“There is this problem of people saying they feel they are being told to ‘get over it, it’s only a dog, you can always get another one’.

“However, attitudes are improving, particularly now that there are more counsellors and organisations offering support – but there’s still a long way to go.’’

The Rev Barbara Allen will be providing pet bereavement support as part of her new role as the Spirituality and Creation Project Worker for the Victorian Synod of the Uniting Church of Australia.

Rev Allen, the former chaplain of Lort Smith Veterinary Hospital in Melbourne, says people can feel very isolated after the loss or death of a pet.

“For some, their pets may be their only immediate family,’’ she says.

“We need to make sure they are supported and understand that it’s okay for them to feel the way they do. They just want to be listened to and have their grief validated.’’

Rev Allen estimates that she counselled around 1500 people a year who suffered a pet bereavement when she worked at Lort Smith.

“The main problem is the hiddenness of the issue and the isolation that these people feel,’’ she says.

“As well as the absence of a dear animal companion, physical and mental health may be diminished by the loss of a pet. Someone’s animal companion may have been the reason they exercised, or the reason they got up out of bed each morning, or even the reason they took their prescribed medication. Animal companions love us unconditionally; they don’t ask about our line of work, our salary, comment on what we wear, where we live…they see our heart.”

Rev Allen says grieving for a pet may contain “different layers’’ to grieving for a human but is no less important.

“There are many different types of grief. In the case of our pets, to grieve is normal, and it is an honoring of the human-animal bond,’’ she says.

“Grief is grief, regardless of whether the one we love, who has died, has two legs or four.’’

While learning to manage pet bereavement is not formally assessed in Australia’s veterinary schools, Dr Foote believes they should give the topic “some time in the curriculum’’.

“There should at least be some information there for our trainee vets on how they can support owners going through this type of ordeal,’’ he says.

Some years have passed since we lost Max. My family’s grief has dissipated, just like the black cloud upon which it arrived.

Now a new dog lights up the back yard every day.

Our memories of Max are, in the main, not of how he died but how he lived. We often laugh about his antics, build great legends about his life, and express gratitude for his all-too-brief presence in our family.

Thank you Max. You were magnificent.

– STUART GILLIES

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*For more information about pet bereavement, pet loss and caring for pets in the last stages of their life, click on the highlighted links in this story, or visit these websites:

www.petfriendlyagedcare.com.au

www.petsandpositiveageing.com

www.cherishedpetcare.com.au

www.grief.org.au/resources/internet_links

www.choosingtherapy.com/loss-of-a-pet

… and if you want a taste of academic research about the topic, take a look at this 2012 Presentations Paper from Edith Cowan University in Western Australia.

Trish Ennis is the Digital Communications Officer of Companion Animal Network - Australia CAN.

Fiona Webster, CEO of Lort Smith, reflects on the complex issue of animal hoarding ...

Animals play an important role in our lives, and the current pandemic has made their roles more significant. They have warmed our laps, photo bombed video conferences, joined us on endless walks and have simply sat with us.

While we humans have been staying apart, I have seen more of the people and pets in my neighbourhood out for their daily exercise. This has made me more conscious of all the different animals that happily live in our community. However for some, a love of animals can turn into an unsustainable and overwhelming situation.

Read the full article

The NSW government is amending the code on the welfare of greyhounds. We support greater alignment of the NSW Code with the Victorian Code and ultimately National harmonisation of legislation in this area. Greyhounds deserve better. View our policies.

Companion Animal Network Australia is proud to announce the Sydney Dogs and Cats Home as its newest member.

Sydney Dogs and Cats Home has a long record of responsibly reuniting, rehoming and rehabilitating companion animals in its care whilst providing the highest level of service to the wider community in the Sydney basin.

Our other member organisations share the vision and values of Sydney Dogs and Cats Home and we are looking forward to the many opportunities such an alliance will create.

Sydney Dogs and Cats Home assures us it intends to be a valued member, contributing to the overall success of Australia CAN and shared causes that benefit companion animals and their owners throughout the country.

Its inclusion confirms the value proposition of Australia CAN as a truly national animal welfare group, with a member organisation performing very significant service delivery to vulnerable pets in every state.

WHO WE ARE
Companion Animal Network - Australia CAN is a registered charity representing some of the nation’s largest providers of rescue, shelter, rehoming, impounding, health-care and enrichment services to vulnerable companion animals.

Our members are:

Animal Welfare League of South Australia
Lort Smith in Victoria
Sydney Dogs and Cats Home
Animal Welfare League of Qld
Dogs’ Homes of Tasmania
Saving Animals From Euthanasia in Western Australia

Australia has one of the highest pet ownership rates in the world and, in the past year, our member organisations have cared for more than 50,000 vulnerable animals around the country.

Help us to help these animals. DONATE or ADOPT today!

Too often, people are in a position where they must surrender a much loved pet due to veterinary costs they cannot afford, a change in circumstances that means a pet can no longer be accommodated, or behavioural issues they cannot manage.

At Lort Smith in Melbourne, the staff and volunteers know people make the often heartbreaking decision to surrender a pet for any number of reasons – it is unkind to judge people in this situation.

Lort Smith recently had a four-month-old domestic shorthair kitten admitted to Lort Smith Animal Hospital. The kitten, named Milk, had fallen from a two-storey apartment balcony. The impact caused head trauma, kidney bruising and a leg fracture that required surgery.

Milk’s carer simply could not afford the thousands of dollars required, and made the painful choice to give him up instead. Milk received the medical attention he needed from Lort Smith and is now in a new home – a happy ending from a hard decision.

Milk was surrendered when his carer could not afford the surgery costs from an accident.

Another common reason for surrendering a pet is when people move into aged-care facilities. This can be especially upsetting for people and their pets. People in these situations who are forced to give up a much-loved pet are often devastated, and they go through a grieving process not unlike when a pet passes away.

It is rare for people to give up their pet on a whim or because they simply don’t care. No matter the reason, it is important to accept the task of finding a new home for any animal without judgment.

In tough times, part of being a responsible pet owner is being aware of what is best for your animal’s health and wellbeing – then being willing to make mature and sometimes hard decisions, should the situation arise.

Lort Smith is based at North Melbourne in Victoria. Its veterinary hospital, adoption centre and outreach services exist to improve the health and happiness of animals and the people who care for them. These services have touched the lives of more than 1,000,000 animals and countless people – particularly those who are marginalised, vulnerable or disadvantaged.

To support their work, please visit lortsmith.com/donate