THIS TIME NEXT WEEK WITH A
PARTLY CLOUDY SKY AMBER.
YEAH, LOOKS LIKE A NICE WARM
WEEKEND.
ALL RIGHT, STEPHANIE, THANK
YOU.
HEY, WORKING FROM HOME HAS
MEANT SPENDING A LOT MORE TIME
WITH OUR PETS, RIGHT?
BUT AS WE RETURN TO WORK THAT
CAN CREATE A BIT OF SEPARATION
ANXIETY FOR THEM.
SO JOINING US TODAY TO HELP IS
DR. KRISTA COPPELIA, A
NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ANIMAL
BEHAVIOR.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING.
GOOD >> MORNING.
OK, LET'S TALK SEPARATION
ANXIETY IN PETS.
TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT IS AND
THEN HOW WE CAN IDENTIFY.
HOW DO WE KNOW?
OK.
THAT'S >> WHAT THEY'RE
SUFFERING WITH, OK.
SO SEPARATION ANXIETY IS A
CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS.
AND THAT'S WHEN A PET IS
STRUGGLING TO COPE WITH BEING
LEFT ALONE.
SO THEY'RE GOING THROUGH A
STATE OF DISTRESS.
IT CAN LOOK DIFFERENT FOR
DIFFERENT ANIMALS BUT FOR OUR
DOGS WHAT WE MOSTLY SEE ARE
GOING TO BE BARKING, HOWLING
AND WHINING WHEN THEY'RE LEFT
ALONE.
WE MIGHT ALSO SEE SOME
HOUSETRAINED SOME ACCIDENTS IN
THE HOUSE WHEN ORDINARILY THEY
DON'T HAVE ACCIDENTS, SOME
DESTRUCTION AT EXIT POINTS IN
AN ATTEMPT TO REUNITE WITH THE
OWNER.
SOME OTHER BEHAVIORS THAT
AREN'T QUITE AS OBVIOUS BECAUSE
THEY HAPPEN OUTSIDE OF OUR OUR
OBSERVABLE VIEW ARE GOING TO BE
DEPRESSION, LISTLESSNESS,
HYPERACTIVITY OR HYPER
SALIVATION AND THESE ARE ALL
BEHAVIORS THAT THEY MIGHT BE
EXPERIENCING WHEN YOU'RE NOT
THERE.
SO THAT'S WHAT SEPARATION
ANXIETY IS >> OF COURSE MAKES
OUR HEARTS AS PET OWNERS SO SAD
.
SO IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO
TO HELP PREPARE THEM POSSIBLY
BEFORE WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO
WORK TO GET THEM READY >>?
YES.
AMBER THE BEST THING TO HELP
PREPARE THEM IS TO REALLY
UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS THAT
THEY'RE GOING THROUGH.
UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S AN
EMOTIONAL RESPONSE.
AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS
COMBAT THAT ANXIETY.
SO WE WANT TO EASE THEM BACK
INTO THIS NEW NORMAL OF US
LEAVING THE HOUSE.
SO WE WANT SOME GRADUAL
ABSENCES OF MAYBE GOING TO GRAB
SOME COFFEE, GO TO THE GROCERY
STORE OR EVEN GO FOR A WALK
AROUND THE BLOCK.
I HEARD YOUR WEATHER.
SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO
HAVE SOME FANTASTIC WEATHER.
>> SO >> DAY TAKE A WALK
WITHOUT YOUR DOG AND LET THEM
SPEND SOME TIME ALONE WITHOUT
YOU IN THE HOUSE AND THAT'S
GOING TO BE THE BEST THING TO
HELP EAT INTO GOING BACK TO
WORK WITHOUT YOU BEING AT HOME
WITH THEM.
>> I HAVE SOMETHING I HAVE A
QUESTION AFTER SEEING THAT
VIDEO I SAW DOGS AND CATS.
WE OFTEN THINK OF SEPARATION
ANXIETY WITH DOGS.
BUT DO CATS EXPERIENCE THAT AS
WELL?
THEY DO.
EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T THINK OUR
HANDS ARE VERY MUCH WHEN WE
LEAVE US, SOME CATS ACTUALLY
WILL KNOW WE'RE NOT GOING TO
SEE THE SAME THINGS LIKE
DESTRUCTION AT EXTRA POINTS OR
ASKING OBVIOUSLY.
BUT YOU MIGHT HAVE SOME
EXCESSIVE VOCALIZATION MEOWING
.
AND WHAT WE'RE REALLY GOING TO
SEE ARE MORE OF OUR PASSIVE
BEHAVIORS LIKE THE IN APP TENTS
OR THE DEPRESSION OR THE
LISTLESSNESS.
AND I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU THE
BEST WAY TO KNOW IF YOUR CAT IS
EXPERIENCE ANXIETY AND
SEPARATION IS THE WATCH THEM
THROUGH THE CAMERA WHEN YOU'RE
NOT THERE BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY
THE ONLY WAY THAT YOU'RE GOING
TO SEE THOSE BEHAVIORS.
>> OK.
LET'S TALK VERY QUICKLY ANY
PRODUCTS OR SERVICES TO HELP
OUR PETS COPE WITH THIS KIND OF
THING.
WELL, I WAS JUST MENTIONING THE
CAMERA TOO.
SO I DO WANT TO I DO WANT TO
SHOW YOU THAT WE'VE GOT A WISE
CAMERA THAT PETSMART OFFERS.
THIS IS A GREAT CAMERA TO WATCH
YOUR PETS FROM AN APP ON YOUR
PHONE SO THAT YOU CAN SEE IF
THEY ARE GOING THROUGH THAT
STATE OF DISTRESS.
SOME OTHER REALLY FANTASTIC
ENRICHMENT ITEMS ARE A BOREDOM
BLUSTEROUS MATT AND OTHER
PUZZLE TOYS FOR OUR DOGS BUT
NOT NECESSARILY FOR CATS ARE
GOING TO BE SOME OF THE
SERVICES THAT PETSMART OFFERS
WHICH IS LIKE THE DONKEY
DAYCARE WHICH IS A GREAT WAY TO
PHYSICALLY MENTALLY ENRICH
THEM.
AND THEN A NEW CLASS OF WHICH
IS CALLED BRAIN GAMES TO HELP
MENTALLY ENRICH THE PET AND
THEN ALSO TO HELP STRENGTHEN
THAT HUMAN ANIMAL >> BOND.
THAT'S >> PRETTY DOG TOO.
WE'VE GOT TO WRAP THIS UP.
ANY PARTICULAR THING DON'T DO
THIS ANY NO NO'S VERY QUICKLY
>>.
QUICKLY.
NO, NO, NO.
NO PUNISHMENT.
KEEP IT ALL FUN AND HAPPY AND
STRESS FREE.
SO NO PUNISHMENT.
>> NO PUNISHMENT.
GOOD TO KNOW.
THIS HAS BEEN SUCH AN
INSIGHTFUL INTERVIEW.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I APPRECIATE YOUR HELP.
I KNOW A LOT OF DOGS OUT THERE
IN CATS AS YOU SAID, HAVE
DIFFICULTIES WITH THIS.
SO WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOUR
TIME >>.
YOU'RE WELCOME.
ALL RIGHT >>.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, RANDI.
THIS IS I SAW THE DOGS OF
COURSE AND THE CATS.
BUT I OFTEN WONDERED IS THAT
SOMETHING WITH CATS AS WELL?
I JUST DON'T THINK WE RECOGNIZE