Most commonly recognized signs of nonspecific anxiety/distress in dogs and cats^11–22

• Urination
• Defecation
• Anal sac expression
• Panting
• Increased respiration and heart rate
• Trembling, shaking
• Muscle rigidity (usually with tremors)
• Lip licking
• Nose licking
• Grimace (retraction of lips)
• Head shaking
• Smacking/popping lips or jaws together
• Salivation/hypersalivation
• Vocalization (excessive and/or out of context)
• Frequently repetitive sounds, including high-pitched whines, like those associated with isolation
• Yawning
• Immobility, ‘‘freezing,’’ profoundly decreased activity
• Pacing, profoundly increased activity
• Hiding or attempted hiding
• Escaping or attempted escaping
• Body language of social disengagement (i.e., turning head or body away from signaler)
• Lowering of head or neck
• Inability to meet a direct gaze
• Staring at some middle distance
• Body posture lower than normal (in fear, the body is extremely lowered or tail tucked)
• Ears lowered/possibly droopy because of changes in facial muscle tone
• Mydriasis
• Scanning (i.e., moving eyes and/or head across the environment to
  continually monitor all activity)
• Hypervigilance/hyperalertness (may only be noticed when touched or interrupted, but pet may hyperreact to stimuli that otherwise would not elicit this reaction)
• Shifting legs
• Lifting paw in an intentional movement
• Increased closeness to preferred associates
• Decreased closeness to preferred associates
• Profound alterations in eating/drinking (acute stress is usually associated with a decrease in appetite and thirst, whereas chronic stress is often associated with an increase)
• Increased grooming, possibly with self-mutilation
• Decreased grooming
• Possible appearance of ritualized/repetitive activities
• Changes in other behaviors, including increased reactivity or increased aggressiveness (may be nonspecific)