find that your dog is suddenly aggressive hisher behaviour unpredictable heshe is refusing to eat or even go for a walk these are all signs of depressionentrepreneur bhupendra khanal notices that every time hes not around his threeyearold golden retriever mowgli who is otherwise social starts fighting with other dogs he also doesnt eat well for two days after firecrackers are burst mowgli remains quiet and withdrawn i know that he is depressed then to make him feel better i give him vanilla ice cream and spend a lot of time with him i take him to a park and play with him and usually he starts feeling better after a few hours says bhupendra who along with other friends did the same with a friends cocker spaniel who was depressed for two months after he was given away by his first family when he was just five months old we played with him took him for walks three times a day and helped him socialise with other dogs cocker spaniels are more sentimental than other dogs so it took him two months to get out of the gloom he addsthe many forms of depressionunlike humans animals dont bother about minor pains but there are several ways in which they can face depression one is clinical depression which results from illness surgery or fractures hospitalisation can result in stress which leads to depression then there is psychological depression which can happen due to multiple reasons such as leaving your pet in a boarding or elsewhere or when you dont give them enough attention this is actually separation anxiety which leads to depression when dogs are in heat and are not able to mate it can result in depression due to hormonal reasons travel can also result in stress and therefore depression also aggression and unpredictable behaviour are all signs of depression that results from turmoil in the dogs life such as when they are passed between several pet parents they get confused and undergo a lot of mental ups and downs which makes them anxious and unpredictable says veterinarian dr pawan kumartreat dogs as dogs not human babiesdr pawan warns that another issue for confused and anxious pets is that a lot of people treat their pets as human children before adopting a dog you should research the behavioural characteristics of the specific breed we tend to treat dogs like babies and make the mistake of thinking that their development is like human babies that is not right dogs have different needs and feelings which we need to understand and give them what they need accordingly that is when you will have a happy pet says dr pawanhow to help your pet cope with depressionconsult a behaviouristveterinariantrain them for car travelease them into small periods of staying by themselvesexpose them to minor stresses over time to help them get used to itif you have to leave them at a boarding clearly communicate to the caretaker to take your pet for