Dogs are not immune to feelings. They can also suffer from mood disorders, such as depression, and we, as owners, have to be aware of these changes to determine their causes and act on them as soon as possible. Don't we want to see our sad dog true?
In this article I explain why dogs can be sad, what are the symptoms and what should we do to recover the vivacious and crazy character of our furry.
Why is my dog sad?
Changes in the environment
Often times, sadness comes from a traumatic situation that has happened in your environment, such as the arrival of another dog or a baby. A move can also negatively interfere with the dog's emotions, as well as a sudden change in his routine or the loss of a loved one, such as a family member or another dog that used to spend a lot of time with him. Sudden changes in general can very negatively affect dogs that were used to a specific routine, or a certain way of life.
Loneliness
There is nothing sadder than a lonely dog. If you spend a lot of time at home, you may have turned out to be a lonely, low-energy, sad dog. Loneliness creates a lot of stress and boredom, and this can lead to deep depression.
A fight with another dog
If your dog has been involved in a fight with other dogs, it is likely that he has been scared, or even traumatized, and this has made him a little skittish and fearful.
Bad nutrition
Dogs that eat poorly can develop a sad personality. This is because their diet is not rich enough for their energy and vitality level to be high.
An illness
It is very likely that behind this sadness lies a disease. In this case, other symptoms may occur, such as little desire to eat, blood in the stool, diarrhea or vomiting, among others.
Abuse
Dogs that have been neglected or abused develop sadder personalities due to their suffering and stress. The reason is obvious: pain only generates suffering, and suffering ends up leading to mistrust and depression.
Main signs that your dog is sad:
To know if our dog is having a bad time, it is important to observe their body language and behavior. Sadness generates an immediate change in the dog's character: if your dog is sad, it is impossible for him to behave happily. Dogs don't act. That is why you should pay attention to these signs that I share with you below. All of them are clear indicators that something is not going well, and that we must act on it to recover the character of our dwarf as soon as possible:
- Sad dogs eat less. They often lose their appetite, and they no longer wait for the moment of the meal with so much enthusiasm and joy. This can make you look thinner and undernourished.
- Look if wags his tail and is happy when he sees you again after a few hours. It is very likely that if you do not react or react very little to your arrival, that you are sad for any of the reasons mentioned above.
- He doesn't want to play like he did before. This is because they do not have enough energy to behave in an active way. This is one of the clearest symptoms: If your dog is young and used to play and now, suddenly, he no longer does, it is because something is wrong.
- He is now in bed much longer and sleeps much more than before. Apathy and excessive sleep it is also a clear symptom of depression and sadness.
- Look at his face. The face is also the mirror of the soul for dogs. If you see that his face is downcast, expressionless, and that his eyes no longer have that light and shine that they used to have, something is wrong.
What to do if my dog is sad?
If your dog has one or many of the above symptoms, it means that he is sad. We, as owners who watch over your happiness, must act instantly. In fact, it is not very difficult to encourage them, as long as their symptoms are not related to some serious underlying disease, which would require the help and work of an expert veterinarian. Encourage our dwarves, if their sadness is related to some emotional cause, due to routine changes, for example, it requires connection, empathy and affection. I explain it to you below:
Spend more time with your furry
Our dogs love to be with their masters, especially in contexts in which he can also be the protagonist. For example, go out with him to the field, take him to a lake, the park, the mountains or the beach. And while you are with him, caress him from time to time, pamper him and talk to him in a soft voice so that he knows that he is important to you too.
Create a climax at home
Dogs know very well when there is a pleasant climax and when it is not. Try to spend time at home with him and simply do your best to make the home smell like home: put on relaxing music, dance with him from time to time to let him know that you know he is there with you, cook together , and why not, allow him the luxury of being the quality controller of any recipe you are cooking.
A dog cared for, and that feels part of the family nucleus, will never be sad, that is why it is important that we make it a part of family life, never remove it.
Buy him toys and use them
It is well known that dogs love balls or frisbees. Buy a few and take your dwarf to the park to run and play with them. The bonds that are strengthened when you play together are incredible.
Your dog will not forget that you enjoy spending time with him, and any trace of sadness will disappear after the adrenaline released running from one place to another.
If your dog, even having tried to make him happy, is still sad and down, we must continue trying to find the causes and reasons for his situation. In this case, the help of an expert will be the safest and most effective option. It is likely that we, as inexperienced masters in health and disease issues, are not able to give accurate diagnoses about the problem that affects our furry.
It is likely that the food you are eating does not feel right, or that there is something in your body that is not working properly. Go to the vet, he will know how to proceed in cases in which we, as owners, can not do anything to lift his spirits and alleviate his grief.
It may interest you: Diseases that our dogs can suffer
Never give him drugs or any type of medicine that has not been previously prescribed by a specialist. The professionals in animal health and behavior are the only ones qualified to determine what is better and what is not for the health and well-being of our furry. Is there anything sadder than seeing our sad dog?
Has your dog ever been sad or depressed? How did you act on it?