Too Many People Own Dogs
If you love dogs, maybe don’t get one.
TL;DR
- Marcia Munt sought veterinary help and medication for her anxious dog, Maisie, highlighting the challenges and costs of treating pet anxiety.
- Veterinarians report an increase in stressed animals, with a significant percentage of general practitioners prescribing anti-anxiety medication for dogs.
- Google searches for dog anxiety have tripled, and veterinary behaviorists are booked months in advance, indicating a surge in demand for pet mental health care.
- Potential reasons for increased dog anxiety include adoption of traumatized pets, changes in living conditions (more indoor time, less socialization), and owners treating pets as children.
- Another theory suggests that the destigmatization of human mental health issues allows owners to better recognize and address anxiety in their pets, or possibly project their own anxieties onto them.
- The article questions whether the rise in diagnosed dog anxiety is a genuine crisis or a reflection of human expectations and anxieties being projected onto normal dog behaviors.
- The author reflects on her own past dog ownership, wondering if she missed signs of anxiety and if medication would have been appropriate.