Fear, anxiety and phobias in pets

From an evolutionary point of view, fear and anxiety are life-saving for animals. These feelings help them avoid threats and prepare the body for possible meaningful responses, such as flight or fight.

What can trigger fear, anxiety and phobias in pets?

Each individual pet reacts differently to stimuli. The reaction depends on character, socialization (lack of early socialization), experiences (mostly bad/negative) and genetic factors (fear is hereditary). The most common triggers are people, sounds, objects and the environment.

Fear

is described as the reaction of consciousness to an actual danger or threat. In other words, fear is an immediate alarm response to the actual danger of a life-threatening situation (a mouse at the sight of a snake).

Fear

can be defined as a feeling expressed in situations that are perceived by the animal as negative/threatening. Anxiety usually refers to "future dangers", uncomfortable living conditions that may arise (a dog is afraid of being left alone at home if it gets dressed for a night out).

Phobias

are extreme fear reactions. The sight, presence or sound of an object/individual can trigger phobic reactions, whereby the reaction is disproportionate to the actual "danger" posed by the trigger, it is exaggerated. (A well-known phobia in dogs is the noise phobia, the extreme or irrational fear of thunder, which at no time poses a danger to the animal.)

Most common triggers for anxiety and fear in cats:

Unfamiliar people / animals
Unknown objects / smells
Loud noises / sudden movements
Wide, open spaces
Car rides
Vets

Most common fears and phobias in dogs:

Separation from the holder
Unknown people / animals
Vets
Car rides
"threatening" objects (vacuum cleaners/stairs)
Loud / disturbing noises (thunder / fireworks)

How do animals show fear, anxiety and phobia?

Pets react in a variety of ways. Typical physiological reactions are: increased heart rate, tremors, increased respiratory rate and sweating (sweaty paw prints). It can also be observed that fearful or anxious pets tend to urinate or defecate and empty their anal gland.

Typical behaviors are: avoiding eye contact, lip licking, yawning, scratching and turning away.

More obvious reactions are: hiding, a crouched posture, ears flat on the head, wide-open eyes, pinched tail (dog). In general, it is easier to recognize fear and anxiety in dogs.

First reactions of pets

Depending on the individual animal and its previous experiences, the first reaction most show is to try to avoid the situation.
If this is not possible, the animal will try to escape the situation (flee, hide). If this is not possible either, it will certainly show defensive-aggressive behavior (making itself "bigger", growling). In extreme situations, the animal freezes, which means that it literally cannot move, as if paralyzed.