By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The start of school is an adjustment for everyone, but if your kids are back in person, it may be an adjustment for your pet.
"We've had a strange time," said Jon Austin, DVM, owner of Hutchinson Small Animal Hospital. "From March until ten days ago or two weeks ago everybody was home. The kids, the parents who were taking care of the kids were all home. Especially new dogs and cats have not had any reality yet. They haven't had the time when the family bustles around in the morning by 8:00 and its an empty house until 3:30 or 4."
Austin notes that the natural instinct of most pets is to find small spaces.
"A small, tight space like a dog kennel is actually a comfort thing," Austin said. "One way in, one way out, it serves their emotional purposes a lot better than having them loose in the house. They just wander around and find things to chew that are dangerous or electrical cords or get destructive with a rug."
If you don't confine your pet, you can see some separation anxiety and destructive behavior, especially from puppies, but always ask your veterinarian for tips on the best way to safely confine your pet if you have to be gone.