when navarang gupta a businessman shifted from delhi to ahmedabad what he didnt realise was that the change affected charlie his 7yearold labrador the most the otherwise happy charlie lost interest in everythinghis eating habits changed he hardly bothered to go out for a walk and looked forlorn most of the times navarang pressed the panic button when one day charlie could not even get up properly and he was rushed to the nearby vet after a prolonged inspection it was found that charlie was depressed because of his change in habitat and was finding it difficult to adjust to the new situation just like navarang if you are worried about your canine companion you should not miss these warning signschange in appetitejust like humans the eating habits of dogs change when they get depressed they might start eating less or more depending on their mood some may even stop eating completely and such change in behaviour may lead to extreme weight loss or gain dont delay your visit to the vet if you see these symptomschanging sleeping habitsdogs often sleep a lot more than normal when they are sad or depressed many pet parents misunderstand this as sign of lethargy and are often seen coaxing or pushing the dog to participate in physical activities be careful if your pet seems drowsy all the time and dont wait to take him or her to the vet immediatelyloss of interestif your otherwise happygolucky canine companion is no longer his former self do not dismiss this as just a mere change of behaviour surprisingly a dogs change of behaviour when it is depressed is almost similar to how humans behave during similar circumstances if your dog stops showing interest in activities which it used to love earlier such as going out for a walk responding to tricks etc you should consult an expert avoiding contact or hidingdogs are social beings and they love having company in fact your pet is the happiest when you are nearby and receive a pat on the back or a friendly hug if your pet dog starts avoiding your or keeps for a hiding place when there are people around its not a good signwhat you should dowhen you notice these symptoms do not wait to take your pet to the vet make sure that these symptoms are not related to any physical ailments after taking your vets advice try to keep doing things which your pet used to enjoy on normal days but avoid pushing or forcing it to do things be patient and attentive and make sure that your pet is surrounded by happy people