Steep rise in pets needing treatment for anxiety as insurance claims skyrocket
The number of insurance claims to treat cats, dogs and rabbits for mental health problems has sky-rocketed.
Owners are claiming for treatments to tackle a whole host of psychological problems, including anxiety, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder.
Some behaviour modification plans and hormone treatments cost owners a steep £1,000 a day.
It’s no wonder then that pet insurance companies have paid out £750,000 this year – a 50 per cent increase from 2018, reports The Sunday Times.
Dog owner Lesley Church-Burrows, 65, from Epping Forest, Essex, sent her Great Dane for two neurological sessions costing £275 each when the pooch developed agoraphobia.
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Marlie the dog is fed chicken from Marks and Spencer, sleeps on a memory foam mattress and has 90-minute walks in Epping Forest.
But when the dog developed a twitching eye, and when hungry or worried, shakes and shifts from side-to-side, Lesley thought it was time to seek professional help.
She said: "People ask me how a dog can have anxiety and tell me the idea is as daft as a box of frogs."
With no NHS for pets, illness or injury can cost pet owners hundreds and thousands in vets’ bills, leaving some with no choice but to have their pet put down.
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One in ten dogs around the UK regularly suffer panic attacks, anxiety or depression, a study by Rover.com, published in September, showed.
Yet, half of owners surveyed admitted they wouldn't easily be able to spot the signs.
Dog behaviourist and trainer Louise Glazebrook told the Metro: “Mental health issues in dogs is a very real problem, with dogs across Britain suffering from a range of disorders – most commonly depression and anxiety.
"This really affects how a dog thinks, feels and responds. Yet this research shows that one in five Brits (20%) think dogs are simply acting up for attention."
Some of the causes of the most common reasons for dogs feeling down include being left alone for too long, the death of a companion, change in routine and a lack of exercise.
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