This past holiday season, I noticed on social media that there were a lot of pet deaths.  Now, this actually has nothing to do with pets freezing in the cold or accidents.  I’m talking about many of them passing away from either natural causes or other illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, etc.  Even with the illnesses present, why were so many dying during the winter season?  I went back to the previous holiday season in 2016 and saw that the same thing was happening.  I knew that there had to be some sort of correlation with the cold months and death.  I just wasn’t sure what it was.

Lo and behold as I was doing research, it turns out that many studies have found that people tend to die more often during the holidays.  And these people are dying of NATURAL CAUSES.  What gives right?  Well there are several theories, one of which is the link between mind and body.  If you don’t feel good then your body reacts accordingly.  Can our pets suffer from the same problems?  According to some experts, they sure can:

Many animal experts suspect that the so called ‘January Blues’ or ‘winter depression’ can affect canines just as it does humans

According to the NHS, it can wreak havoc throughout January and February.

And now Jennifer Dean, a technologist with leading pet food brand Webbox Natural, argues that because we share much of the same brain chemistry with dogs , our four legged friends could potentially feel low at this time of year, too.

Now there is no clear evidence or studies present but experts have observed enough pets to determine that something certainly is going on during the winter months.  Our holistic vet always suggests that we change our pups diets during the winter months.  It never made sense to me but now it was all starting to come together.  One of the things our holistic vet advocates is adaptogens.  Adaptogens are natural substances (herbs) that help the body adapt to stress.

There are a ton of adaptogens out there, but some of the ones that are used to help with depression are Rhodiola Rosea, Holy Basil and Ginseng.  Obviously before you go out to buy any of these herbs you should consult your veterinarian.

Did you know that dogs can get depressed?  If so, what sort of things have you heard of that can help?

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