A personal message to pet owners.
Science has shown that our pets mirror our stress. From a Swedish study: “Dog owners experiencing long bouts of stress can transfer it to their dogs.” The same can be said for our cats – they mirror our emotions.
“The Swedish researchers focused on 58 people who own border collies or Shetland sheepdogs. They examined hair from the dog owners and their dogs, looking at the concentrations of a hormone called cortisol, a chemical released into the bloodstream and absorbed by hair follicles in response to stress.”
“Roth and her team found that the patterns of cortisol levels in the hair of dog owners closely matched that found in their dogs in both winter and summer months, indicating their stress levels were in sync.”
In these very challenging times, the last thing we need is for our pets to absorb our stress and potentially suffer health consequences from it.
Do the best you can to manage your stress – for your pet’s sake.
- If you have problems getting your regular pet food, a great shelf stable option for pet owners is a dehydrated or freeze dried pet food.
- Take your dog for a daily walk.
- Play with your cat and dog.
As best you can, continue to support your local pet food stores.
We are taking extra precautions here – and hope all of you stay safe and as stress free as possible.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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The 2020 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here to learn more.
Jane Eagle
March 19, 2020 at 2:04 pm
I learned this from True Blue; when I was upset or stressed, he would get blood in his feces. We would rush to the vet, where they determined that it was HIS response to my stress. I had to learn to control it so he would be okay <3
Sara
March 19, 2020 at 2:34 pm
Susan: I hope you, your family and fur babies all stay safe and as stress free as possible 🙂
Ingrid C
March 19, 2020 at 3:06 pm
thanks for the reminder, Susan!
Cyndi Wheeler
March 19, 2020 at 10:15 pm
Susan, Thank for this timely article! I have noticed a change in our dog these last few days, and had the same thoughts. She’s been ‘clingy’, probably sensing a change in my demeanor. This would be a good time to start practicing mindfulness a few times each day, and setting aside time for a couple of play sessions each day as well. Our cat is so easy going, a mellow fellow, and seems to be unaffected by his human’s Coronovirus anxiety. Thanks for all you do to protect the health of our pets!