It's no wonder that pet ownership has increased dramatically since 2020. Their unconditional love and joy brings us peace during turbulent times but what happens when their lives get turned upside down? Our pet's mental health is often not considered.

Being in lockdown has certainly turned all our lives upside down.

For our pets, this has meant changes in their routines too.

Walking times may have changed or increased in volume, they may have more time with you while you home school or less time due to being an essential worker doing longer hours at the office.

These changes may seem insignificant to us, but these sudden and dramatic adjustments can cause stress and confusion.

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Often we see these worries manifest as behavioural issues, especially if your pet is already a "nervous nelly".

The signs your pet may be stressed or not coping with any changes can include them being more reserved or quieter than normal.

They may even be the opposite of that and be more excited or hyped up when they are usually quiet calm.

It may also be that your pet seems snappy when they used to be gentle and even tempered. Eating, toileting, playing... any unusual changes in your pet's behaviour could be a sign that their mental health is suffering.

So what can you do? First of all, you need to be sure that these changes in your pets behaviour are not due to any other medical condition and that is of course done with a visit to the vet.

Trying to maintain our pet's routine during and after lockdown will help to prevent problems.

There are also dietary supplements as well as synthetic pheromones that can be used to reduce stress.

Failing that, your veterinarian can prescribe medications that can assist with chemical imbalances in the brain as well as offering advice to help resolve your pets illness.

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