2023 Pet Anxiety Awareness Month is Sponsored By:
Does Your Dog or Cat Suffer from Fear, Anxiety, or Stress?
It’s Time to Call In the Experts
Dear Pet Parent,
Do you feel like you’ve tried everything to help ease your dog or cat’s anxiety? Are you heartbroken watching your pet suffer with symptoms of anxiety like whining, hiding, panting, drooling, and becoming downright terrified when something triggers them?
In 2017, I founded the first Pet Anxiety Awareness Month to help pet parents just like you.
According to a 2022 survey, about 57% of American dogs and nearly 60% of American cats experience signs of anxiety on a regular basis.
Why is this a big deal? Because according to Veterinary Behaviorist, Dr. Lisa Radosta, “pets who have anxiety can experience what is akin to a human panic attack.” That is, they’re truly suffering!
Let’s do better by our pets.
Please use this and the following pages as your guide to understanding pet anxiety so you can help your dog or cat regain their peace and live their best life.
Buck, the dog who inspired Pet Anxiety Awareness Month.
Special Thanks to Our 2023 Sponsor, SILEO®
What is SILEO?
SILEO® is a medication prescribed by your veterinarian to help calm your dog when frightened by loud noises (noise aversion). Common noise aversion triggers include fireworks, thunder, indoor and outdoor construction, traffic or street noise, vacuum cleaners, smoke detectors, doorbells, alarms, ringtones, lawnmowers, and even loud celebrations or gatherings with family and friends that don’t include fireworks.
SILEO, unlike some other treatments, is FDA-approved for the treatment of noise aversion in dogs. It’s clinically proven to be safe and effective without other treatments or training and it calms, without sedating, through an easy-to-administer, at-home treatment. See Important Safety Information below.1
Common Triggers Include These Noise Monsters:
Does Your Dog Have Anxiety Due to Noise?
Noise monsters can spook your dog, even if those noises seem ordinary to you.
Take the quiz to see if your dog could be suffering from noise aversion.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: Do not use SILEO in dogs with severe cardiovascular disease, respiratory, liver or kidney diseases, or in conditions of shock, severe debilitation, or stress due to extreme heat, cold or fatigue or in dogs hypersensitive to dexmedetomidine or to any of the excipients. SILEO should not be administered in the presence of preexisting hypotension, hypoxia, or bradycardia. Do not use in dogs sedated from previous dosing. SILEO has not been evaluated in dogs younger than 16 weeks of age or in dogs with dental or gingival disease that could have an effect on the absorption of SILEO. SILEO has not been evaluated for use in breeding, pregnant, or lactating dogs or for aversion behaviors to thunderstorms. Transient pale mucous membranes at the site of application may occur with SILEO use. Other uncommon adverse reactions included emesis, drowsiness or sedation. Handlers should avoid direct exposure of SILEO to their skin, eyes or mouth. Failure to lock the ring-stop on the syringe before dosing SILEO could potentially lead to an accidental overdose. Always review INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE before dispensing and dosing. See full Prescribing Information.
SILEO® is a trademark owned by Orion Corporation Orion Pharma Animal Health. It is manufactured by Orion Corporation and distributed by Zoetis under license from Orion Corporation Orion Pharma Animal Health.
Kristen Levine has a consulting relationship with Zoetis.
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Meet the Experts
Dr. Lisa Radosta, DVM, DACVB
Dr. Radosta is the owner of Florida Veterinary Behavior Service. She is one of only 90 board certified veterinary behaviorists in the United States, and currently serves on the Fear Free Advisory Board and the AAHA Behavior Management Task Force.
Kristen Levine
As a pet living expert, whether I’m reviewing a great new product, or telling an inspirational “tail” – I know pet parents seek content and connections with people who love pets as much as they do.
Dr. Valarie Tynes, DVM
Dr. Tynes has been a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists since 2003 and is Board Certified in Animal Welfare. She has been actively involved in the Fear Free initiative since its inception and serves on the Fear Free Speakers Bureau.
Dr. Marty Becker
Dr. Marty Becker, “America’s Veterinarian,” has spent his life working toward better health for pets. He is the founder of Fear Free™, an initiative to take the fear out of vet visits.
Sharon L. Campbell, DVM, MS, DACVIM
Dr. Campbell is became Fear Free Certified in 2016 and is on the Fear Free Advisory Board and Board of Directors for IVAPM.
Mikkel Becker, Certified Dog Trainer
Mikkel Becker is a certified professional dog trainer, dog behavior counselor, and behavior consultant for canines. As the lead trainer at Fear Free, she helps create calm spaces for pets at home and beyond.
FELIWAY is Vet Recommended and the #1 selling solution for feline stress and anxiety. The pheromone diffuser mimics natural calming messages known as pheromones and helps reduce signs of stress in cats such as scratching, urine spraying, hiding and home changes.
ThunderShirt is the original natural calming solution that helps reduce the signs of separation, noise, travel, and vet anxiety in dogs in a drug-free way for up to 80% of dogs. The patented design applies gentle, constant pressure to calm most types of anxiety, fear, and stress in dogs.
DOGTV is the only technology created specifically for dogs to help relax and entertain them when home alone or in anxious situations. Over 1 million happy dogs love and trust DOGTV every day. To get 30 days of DOGTV for free, go to dogtv.com and enter the code: PETLIVING.