Are you teaching your pet to act sick?

by animal communicator Sarah Messina

9 times out of 10, if your pet appears to be sick, he is sick. Most pets will avoid showing signs of sickness rather than letting you know they need help. But every now and then, I come across an animal who has learnt to use 'sick symptoms' to their advantage. Typically, the pet will fake being sick in order to get special attention and it works a charm on us. Now before you start pointing firngers and calling your pet a drama queen, take a look at how you might be unwittingly reinforcing this behaviour. Dr Pitcairn author of Natural Health for Dogs and Cats , explains it like this:

Say your dog is feeling lonely because you went back to work and just don’t have as much time for him as you used to. Before long, he develops a minor symptom – a cough – that worries you. Every time he coughs you rush over, pet him, and murmur comforting words… Pretty soon the dog gets the idea that every time he coughs he gets what he wants – your loving attention. What incentive is there for him to get well and stop coughing?”

So you see, it's actually our sympathetic reactions which set up the negative pattern. Our pets get used to the special attention and want more. Who could blame them? Interestingly, even  if the attention we offer them is 'negative' (eg. punishing, scolding) it can be perceived as a reinforcement. This is particulary true in cases of neglected animals, where negative attention is considered preferable to no attention at all.

How can you tell if your pet is faking sick?

• If your pet is pretending to be sick, or playing up a fake illness, they will most likely develop symptoms like coughing, limping or scratching - symptoms over which your pet has some amount of control.
• The very first thing you need to do is get your pet to a trusted vet to rule out all physical causes. If there's no medical explanation for the symptoms your pet is showing, then you might have a faker on your hands.
• Sometimes pets begin this behaviour as they are recovering from an illness. If your vet thinks your pet should be better by now, and they aren't, this could be another indication.
• Take the time to monitor your pet. See if he displays the symptoms when he thinks you're not looking.
• Keep in mind that faked symptoms can stem from pre-existing conditions and bodily weaknesses, so you might be dealing with a combination of genuine and pretend symptoms.

What to do about fake pet sickness

According to veterinarian Herbert Tanzer, author of  Your Pet Isn’t Sick (He Just Wants You to Think So), we need to stop coddling our pets in response to a symptom and coddle them more at other times. He suggests that you resist the urge to fuss over your pet when they are exhibiting symptoms, and instead offer the attention when they are behaving normally.

It's equally important to find out the reason behind your pets' behaviour. Are they craving more attention from you because of some change in your life (or theirs)? Every animal needs varying levels of attention and space, so find out what it is that your animal needs whether it be more cuddling time, more walks, more company, more playtime or something else. Don't neglect the root of the problem or it's likely to happen over and over again.

Sarah Messina is a professional animal communicator and healer for Wild Insights Australia.
If you would like to have an animal communicator talk to your animals, you can book online or contact Sarah today.