According to a new study, more than half of all dogs suffer from anxiety*. That’s over 50 million dogs in the United States alone! Separation anxiety, fear of thunderstorms or fireworks, travel anxiety, or fear of other dogs or people are among the top reasons why dogs have anxiety. Anxious dogs are truly suffering, and the resulting behavior can be challenging for pet parents to manage. If your dog has anxiety, you may have to change travel plans to accommodate an anxious pup, or perhaps rearrange your life to avoid your pup’s fear triggers.
You might think there isn’t anything you can do to help your anxious furry friend, but that isn’t the case. Thankfully, there are many treatment options available to alleviate your pup’s anxiety and help you both live happy, healthy lives! One solution is to give your furry friend a calming supplement containing passionflower for dogs.
11 Signs Your Dog Has Anxiety
Before we can help our pups, we have to figure out if they truly have anxiety, but that isn’t always easy. While there are some more obvious signs of anxiety in dogs, not all pups show them. Some dogs show their fearful feelings in more subtle ways.
The more noticeable signs include:
- Whining
- Barking excessively
- Cowering or tucking their tail
- Hiding
- Shaking or trembling
- Urinating or defecating
- Drooling and licking their lips
- Shedding
- Panting
- Refusing to eat
- Becoming clingy
Obviously, just because your pup pants or barks doesn’t mean they’re anxious. However, if you notice your normally quiet pup barking every time there’s a thunderstorm, they might have noise anxiety.If you’ve spoken to your veterinarian to eliminate any medical reasons for your dog’s symptoms, you can start treating your pup’s anxiety. Knowing what causes your dog’s anxiety is important since a pup suffering from separation anxiety would need different training methods than one who is terrified of fireworks.
For all anxious pups, however, calming supplements can be a powerful tool in the anxiety-fighting arsenal. One popular ingredient in many natural calming supplements is passionflower. But what is passionflower, and is it safe for dogs?
Is Passionflower Safe for Dogs?
Yes. Passionflower (scientifically known as passiflora incarnata) is safe for dogs.
While it looks like it should be “passion flower,” this beautiful and beneficial botanical is actually written as one word: “passionflower.”
Passionflower comes from the southeastern United States as well as Central and South America. Native peoples used it as a sedative and pain reliever, and the Spanish brought it back to Europe in the 1500s where it has since been used for centuries as a calming herb.
Passionflower can also help our pups. It promotes an overall calming effect in dogs and stimulates mood improvement while helping them relax. In scientific terms, it promotes the calming neurotransmitter, GABA, which lowers the activity of some excitatory brain cells.
What is the Best Passionflower Supplement for Dogs?
The best supplement containing passionflower for dogs should:- Adhere to the highest standards of safety and purity.
- Be made specifically for dogs so it’s the correct dosage.
- Contain the best combination of ingredients for maximum effectiveness.
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Dossage
You can find passionflower-containing supplements for humans, but dogs need their own specific supplements. Our pups need pup-sized dosages - and even then it’s not “one size fits all dogs.”
After all, the dosage for a Doberman will be very different from the dosage for a Pomeranian!
Buying a calming passionflower supplement that contains correct doggy dosage instructions is critical. That way you can be 100% sure your pup receives the proper amount to help his anxiety.
The Best Combination of Ingredients
The best anxiety supplements for dogs won’t just have passionflower. They’ll use a carefully selected blend of bioavailable ingredients that work together to help your anxious pup:- Chamomile flower to treat stress, reduce inflammation, and calm the gastrointestinal tract.
- L-tryptophan to promote calm behavior and emotional well-being.
- Valerian root to ease anxiety and calm hyperactivity.
- Ginger root for its anti-inflammatory properties and ability to soothe upset stomachs.
The Tail End
Dealing with our dogs’ anxiety can leave us frustrated and upset, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Passionflower for dogs can help, and calming supplements with passionflower can calm and soothe your dog and be a vital part of their anxiety treatment plan to help you and your pup live happy, healthy, anxiety-free lives together.
*2022 study of 1,000 dog households conducted by Kantar Group & Affiliates on behalf of CEVA Animal Health.