by Dr. Ava Frick, DVM, CAC
Everyone it seems is maxed out these days and that can include our pets too. Stress can come in many forms; poor diet, pain, toxins, injury, diseases, vaccinations, and pesticides are common ones but there are others you may have not considered. Pets exposed to extreme weather, being isolated from the group (if a herd animal), incompatibility with other animals in the group (you could call this sibling rivalry) , owners being gone, boarding in a strange place, pregnancy, and even too much exercise are suffering from the effects of stress.
What’s bad about stress is that over time it wears at the endocrine system; the adrenal glands, thyroid, pituitary, hypothalamus, thalamus, pineal gland, and pancreas all take hits. Going years without proper specific glandular, vitamin and mineral supplementation can exhaust the system leading to a possible collapse. Happily, with early detection, there are things that can be done to prevent future glandular diseases like Cushing’s and hypothyroidism.
You can take a simple test and see how your pets stack up, then make plans to do something about it before it’s too late.
For more information contact me at 636-489-5350 or visit www.AnimalRehabStlouis.com.