Ease the Holiday Stress

Learn tips on how to aid your dog's Holiday Stress & Anxiety!

Holidays can be stressful for all of us, but how about for our pets? Many of us are having parties and inviting guests over. It’s a whirlwind of decorations, rich food and an air of excitement. Sometimes we get so caught up in it all that we don’t notice the effect the season has on our pets.

Our pets can sense when we are anxious, but unfortunately they don’t understand why. We have all these new things around that they aren’t used to. People they have never met before are coming and going.

Some may be indifferent to all of the goings-on during the holiday season, but it can cause stress and anxiety for many of our four-legged family members. As luck would have it there are some options out there that can help. Just taking a little time to relax and cuddle up with a pet can ease some of the tension, and may be all that is needed for some.

My friend's older dog, on the other hand, is fairly neurotic and just stepping out to check the mailbox drives him up the wall. For those of you out there who know what I mean, there are a few products on the market that can help. In most pet stores, you can find items that release pheromones which can have a calming effect on those overly anxious pets.

These products have been around for a while now; the first to hit the market worked like a plug in air freshener and was relatively expensive. Recently, though, a couple economical alternatives have come out. One that works is a calming collar - it’s like a flea collar, lasting for a few months. Another option is a simple charm to clip onto a collar that can be removed when not needed. With both of these retailing for under $15 we can keep the holidays merry without breaking the bank. There are even new healthy treats that have a calming agent to ease the holiday pet stress and they only cost a few dollars.

While your Pets Best policy does not cover the cost of any of these supplemental items, many pet owners say they have had great results with them when it comes to avoiding the effects of pet anxiety and stress during the holiday seasons.