Emotional wellbeing for your pet
Get to know your pet better – understanding their emotional wellbeing
We all want our pets to be as happy and healthy as possible, and often the two go hand in hand. Here we are going to take a deeper look at your pet’s emotional wellbeing which is key for both their health and happiness!
Emotional wellbeing describes a positive mental state that lets your pet enjoy life to the max. It allows them to focus their mental energy on the things which keep them happy and fulfilled, enabling you both to share more enjoyable moments together – which is what life is about!
To understand how this links in with your pet’s health and welfare we need to take a broader look at the essential elements of pet care. All pets have a set of basic requirements, which can be split into five key ‘areas’, that need to be met in order to accomplish optimal welfare and quality of life. One of the five key areas is ‘mental state’, which is affected by the other four.
As emotional wellbeing relies on a positive mental state, it can only be reached when all five factors are accounted for.
Emotional wellbeing is essential for your pet to fully embrace and enjoy life.
When your pet’s emotional wellbeing is compromised, it has wide-reaching consequences. It can prevent them from engaging normally with everyday activities which can detract from your time together. Signs of emotional distress like excessive vocalisation or destructive behaviour can be distressing for you and them, and threaten your special bond. We have more on the signs of emotional distress and what to look out for here.
If a pet’s emotional wellbeing remains compromised it can lead to behavioural or physical problems1 – something we all want to avoid for our pets!
Life presents challenges to all of us every day, and the same is true for your pet. Just like us, each pet is an individual, so their reactions to emotionally challenging situations can vary in severity. These challenging situations are common, can be short or long-term in nature and are often unavoidable, potentially leading to emotional distress. Here’s some common challenging situations:
Sometimes, your pet may need a bit of extra support in these situations, so you can both continue enjoying special moments together, uninterrupted. Without this support, there is a risk of further behavioural and/or physical problems developing1.
Did you know?
65% of dogs and 55% of cats show frequent signs of emtional distress2
As poor emotional wellbeing can affect both you and your pet’s quality of life, quick identification and management is important. There are some steps you can take to help get your pet’s emotional wellbeing back on track:
Once you know what to look for and the situations that cause the signs, you can put steps in place to manage it.
Your vet will be able to help you put a plan together for managing your pet’s ability to cope. This will likely include some behavioural training techniques and/or changes at home.
This can help your pet relax and can be used alongside techniques or medications from your veterinarian.
Tried and trusted formulation
Recommended by vets
Non-drowsy
Contains natural milk protein (alpha-casozepine)
Well-tolerated
Easy to give
– giving you options for short-term and long-term challenging situations:
Zylkene® contains alpha-casozepine, a natural milk protein that is proven to help dogs and cats better manage emotionally challenging situations.
Zylkene® Plus is dual action with the addition of white fish muscle for long-term or reoccurring challenging situations.
References:
- G Landsberg, W Hunthausen, L Ackerman. Behavioural Problems of the Dog and Cat. 2013 Third Edition.
- WAMIZ: https://wamiz.com/actu/164398/l-anxiete-chez-le-chien-et-le-chat
