It is often thought that a dog to be happy all it needs is love and a home to live in, but the truth is that it needs more than company. To have a full life, the human who takes care of him must play with him daily, several times, and has to take him out for a walk so that, in this way, he can discover new smells, new people and / or new animals.
Failure to do so will most likely end up with depression. We tell you how to know if my dog has depression.
Causes of depression in dogs
There are several reasons why our friend may have depression, among which we highlight:
- Inactivity: the animal spends a lot of time bored, doing nothing.
- He's tied to a chain all day: no matter how long it may be, the dog will not be happy like this.
- Live abroad, without human contact: the dog is a social animal that is used to living in social groups, in families. If you are alone in the garden, you can feel very sad.
Canine depression symptoms
Symptoms of depression in dogs are:
- Changes in your sleep hours: a healthy adult dog should sleep between 12 and 14 hours. If you sleep more or less, you may have depression.
- Increase your water intake: a healthy dog that is fed with dry feed, has to drink about 60ml of water per kg. In the event that you drink more, it can be a depressive symptom.
- Cries frequently: This is done solely for the human to pay attention to it.
- Walk slower: if until now it had been an energetic dog, if it starts to walk more slowly it is because its mood is not what it should be.
What to do?
The most advisable thing is, first, take him to the vet to rule out that you are suffering from any disease. If we do not have any, then we will have to make changes in our routine, that is, we have to spend more time with him, play daily with our friend enjoying his company.
Also, it is important that we take him out for a walk with dog treats, which we will give him from time to time so that the dog feels encouraged.
If his mood does not improve, it is advisable to ask a canine ethologist for help.