Table 1: Common Signs of Anxiety/Distress
Most commonly recognized signs of nonspecific anxiety/distress in dogs and cats11–22
- 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)