By Lori M. Teller, Veterinarian
Texas A&M University

When one of my co-workers found out about a tiny, orphaned kitten that needed a home a few months ago, he didn’t hesitate to adopt it. He says his new companion helped make the months of COVID-19 isolation at home much less stressful.

He is not alone. Animal shelters and breeders across the country have reported record numbers of dog and cat adoptions in recent months.

But after my co-worker returned to work, he says his adorable kitten started urinating on the kitchen counter while he was away.

Another friend is worried about how her dog will react when she returns to the office. Her big, goofy Labrador retriever follows her everywhere, even to the bathroom. When she leaves to run a quick errand, the dog sits by the back door and whines, awaiting her return.

What should these pet owners do?

The Problem With Sudden Changes In Routine

A change in routine, such as suddenly being alone for many hours every day, is a major cause of separation anxiety for both dogs and cats.

Separation anxiety is more than a little whimpering when you head out the door. It’s major, unwanted behavior that happens every time you leave or are away.

For dogs and cats, this can mean excessive pacing, barking or howling, whimpering or self-grooming as you get ready to leave. In some cases it can mean urinating or defecating around the house, often in places where scents linger, such as on bedding or rugs, or destroying household items in your absence. Extreme clinginess or neediness is another symptom.

Separation anxiety won’t go away on its own, and it can be difficult to get rid of entirely. But there are ways to manage it. As a clinical veterinarian and professor, I am often asked to help people find ways to ease their pets’ anxiety.

What Not To Do

First, it’s important to understand that it’s not about you – it’s about your pet. Your dog or cat is not trying to teach you a lesson or get revenge. Animals don’t act out of spite.

Instead, it’s a signal of extreme distress and frustration that should be approached like any other medical ailment. Your pet doesn’t want to experience separation anxiety any more than you want to experience its consequences.

For this reason, punishment is never the answer. For one thing, your pet won’t connect the punishment with something that happened hours – or even a few minutes – earlier. And punishment may only exacerbate your pet’s anxiety and stress.

Similarly, going to the opposite extreme by praising or giving affection when your pet is suffering anxiety also will make the problem worse.

The goal is to create a balanced relationship so your pet tolerates being alone. First, get your pet checked out by a veterinarian to rule out physical conditions, such as a urinary tract infection if your pet urinates in inappropriate places.

Next, make sure your pet gets plenty of exercise and mental stimulation. For dogs, this may mean a long run or brisk walk every day. Getting exercise shortly before you leave the house may put your dog in a more relaxed state while you’re gone. It’s harder to feel stressed when the endorphin levels are elevated. For cats, this could mean a change of environment by being outdoors in a safe, enclosed area such as a “catio.”

Treating Separation Anxiety With Behavior Change

Here, we’re talking about your behavior. The goal is to make your absence seem like no big deal. Making a fuss over your pet when you leave or arrive home only makes matters worse. If you treat it like it’s routine, your pet will learn to do the same.

Try to figure out when your pet starts to show signs of anxiety and turn that into a low-key activity. If it’s when you pick up your handbag, for example, practice picking it up and putting it back down several times over a few hours. Similarly, get dressed or put on your shoes earlier than usual but stay home instead of leaving right away. Try starting your car’s engine and then turning it off and walking back inside.

Next, practice short absences. When you’re at home, make it a point to spend some time in another room. In addition, leave the house long enough to run an errand or two, then gradually increase the time that you’re away so that being gone for a full day becomes part of the family routine.

Changing The Environment

Boredom makes separation anxiety worse. Providing an activity for your pet while you’re gone, such as a puzzle toy stuffed with treats, or simply hiding treats around the house will make your absence less stressful. Other options for dogs and cats include collars and plug-in devices that release calming pheromones.

To maintain your bond while you’re gone, place a piece of clothing that you have worn recently in a prominent place, such as on your bed or couch, to comfort your pet. Similarly, you can leave the TV or radio on – there are even special programs just for pets – or set up a camera so you can observe and interact with your pet remotely. Some of these come equipped with a laser pointer or treats you can dispense.

Using Supplements Or Medication

In some severe cases, when the animal harms itself or causes property damage, medication or supplements might be necessary. These alter the brain’s neurotransmitters to create a sense of calm.

While some are readily available without a prescription, it’s a good idea to get advice from your veterinarian to determine which are safest and most effective for your pet’s situation. Medication can help reduce the anxiety, making it easier for the pet to learn new coping skills. A behavior modification plan accompanying the use of medication can help manage this problem.

Separation anxiety is difficult for both you and your pet. But a few simple changes can make a huge difference as life returns to some semblance of normal.

By Stephen O’Shea, Texas A&M Forest Service

In Texas, cedar trees’ favorite time to release pollen is right after a cold front.

Cedar fever season is upon us, and at a time when having a fever – or even catching a slight cold – is concerning, it’s more important than ever to understand the symptoms and source of this common Central Texas allergy.

For starters, cedar fever isn’t a flu or a virus – it’s an allergic reaction to the pollen released by mountain cedar trees. In Texas, the predominant species of mountain cedar is the Ashe juniper.

“Cedar fever is the worst west of I-35, where you have primarily juniper mixed in with oaks and some other species,” said Jonathan Motsinger, the Central Texas Operations department head for the Texas A&M Forest Service. “And because all of those junipers are producing pollen at the same time, you’re going to get a higher concentration of pollen in the air.”

This is one of the primary factors contributing to cedar fever – the sheer quantity and density of Ashe junipers in Central Texas. According to Robert Edmonson, a biologist for the Texas A&M Forest Service, the pollen from Ashe junipers isn’t particularly allergenic or harmful – it’s just so concentrated that, even if you aren’t generally susceptible to allergies, it could still affect you.

“There’s just so much pollen in the air, it absolutely overwhelms the immune system,” Edmonson said. “It’s like trying to breathe in a dust storm.”

Cedar Or Juniper, The Response Is The Same

Since pollen is wind disseminated, cedar fever can affect individuals far removed from areas with a high-concentration of juniper trees. And the source isn’t limited to Ashe junipers. In more eastern parts of the state, there are also eastern red cedars that pollinate around the same time — between December and January — and can induce a similar response from people’s auto-immune systems.

Besides the sheer quantity of pollen released, cedar fever is mostly problematic because of when that pollen is released. Most trees pollinate in the spring, when we’re expecting to have allergies. Ragweed pollen and mold spores can contribute to allergies in the fall, but very few plants pollinate during the winter. Cedar trees are the exception — they are triggered by colder weather — and in Texas, their favorite time to release pollen is right after a cold front.

“Following a cold front, the air dries out, we get some wind, and the pressure is different,” Edmonson said. “Under those conditions, every single pollen cone on a juniper tree will open at one time, and it looks like the trees are on fire. It looks like there’s smoke coming off of them.”

While this creates for some fascinating imagery, it can also lead to some serious misery. And for people new to the Central Texas region, or unfamiliar with cedar fever as a whole, it can lead to genuine confusion since the pollination period of mountain cedar trees is also in the middle of flu season.

Blue berries on an Ashe juniper tree, also known as mountain cedar.

Symptoms In An Already ‘Watchful’ Environment

It’s not uncommon for people experiencing cedar fever to mistake their symptoms as a cold or the seasonal flu, especially given the variety of symptoms triggered by cedar fever. According to Healthline, these may include fatigue, sore throat, runny nose, partial loss of smell and – believe it or not – some people actually do run a fever.

This year could be particularly problematic, since many symptoms align with disease caused by the novel coronavirus. But there are a few tell-tale signs to look out for. First of all, cedar pollen will rarely cause your body temperature to surpass 101.5. If your fever exceeds that temperature, then pollen likely isn’t the cause.

There are also a few symptoms of cedar fever that aren’t linked to COVID-19, like itchy, watery eyes, blocked nasal passages and sneezing. But there is one “dead giveaway” that, according to Edmonson, should always clear things up. “If your mucus is running clear,” he said, “then it’s an allergy. If it’s got color, then it’s probably a cold or the flu.”

You can treat cedar fever by taking allergy medications and antihistamines, but you should consult with your physician or health care professional before taking new medications.

You can also try and anticipate the pollen by tuning in to your local news station, many of which will give you the pollen count and can predict when it’s going to be particularly bad. On those days, it’s smart to keep windows and doors closed, to limit the amount of time you spend outdoors, and to change air conditioning filters in your car and in your home.

Removing cedar trees from your property isn’t recommended primarily because the pollen is airborne and — since they often wait to release their pollen until it’s cold, dry and windy — that pollen can blow for miles. It’s also important to note that only male juniper trees release pollen.

“The male trees have pollen cones, and the female trees have berry-like cones, which are very inconspicuous, but that’s what’s pollenated from the male trees,” Motsinger said.

Roughly 5 percent of Americans — or about 16.4 million people — experience seasonal affective disorder every year. A Texas A&M expert from the Department of Psychiatry recommends ways to cope.

By Sarah Allen, Texas A&M University Health Science Center

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of major depression affecting roughly 5 percent of Americans that comes and goes with the seasons. This condition, sometimes referred to as the “winter blues,” typically starts in the late fall as the sky gets gloomy and the temperature drops. Some people experience SAD in the spring or summer, but SAD during these seasons is much less common.

Carly McCord, clinical assistant professor in the in Texas A&M University’s College of Medicine and the director of Telebehavioral Care, explains SAD and recommends ways to manage it.

What are the signs and symptoms of SAD?

Because seasonal affective disorder is a type of major depression, the signs and symptoms are much the same for each condition. Therefore, to be diagnosed with SAD, a person must first meet the criteria for major depression, and the depression symptoms must follow seasonal patterns for at least two years.

For instance, a person whose depression comes in random waves throughout the year probably does not have SAD. But a person who experiences depression every year from October to February probably does.

Although SAD symptoms and the symptoms of major depression overlap, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, some are more or less common based on the season:

• Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
• Feeling hopeless or worthless
• Having low energy, especially for wintertime SAD
• Losing interest in activities
• Having problems with sleep — wintertime SAD tends to cause hypersomnia, or excessive sleeping, while summertime SAD tends to cause insomnia
• Experiencing changes in appetite or weight — wintertime SAD tends to cause overeating, weight gain and a craving for carbohydrates, while summertime SAD tends to cause poor appetite
• Feeling sluggish or agitated, restless or anxious
• Difficulty concentrating
• Social withdrawal, especially for wintertime SAD
• Episodes of violent behavior, especially for summertime SAD
• Having frequent thoughts of death or suicide

When identifying SAD through psychological evaluation, a doctor will determine if a patient has enough of these symptoms and other behavior patterns to warrant the diagnosis.

McCord notes, however, that feeling glum as the weather changes or having some of these symptoms does not necessarily mean a person has SAD — or any type of depression for that matter.

“You don’t get a diagnosis unless it is significantly impairing your functioning,” McCord said. “Most people may experience low mood with gloomy weather, but that doesn’t mean it’s a diagnosis of depression or seasonal affective disorder.”

Impaired functioning is different for everyone, McCord said. Some people may struggle with work or school, while others could have difficulty socializing and withdraw from social interaction altogether.

What puts you at an increased risk of having SAD?

Although the exact cause of seasonal affective disorder is unknown, research has determined what attributes increase a person’s risk of developing this disorder. Based on current research, many of these risks are out of a person’s control.

For example, women are four times as likely to be diagnosed with SAD compared to men. Likewise, people who already have depression or have a family history of depression are more likely to develop SAD. Younger adults are also at an increased risk, with SAD being reported in both children and teenagers.

One way people can decrease their risk of developing SAD, however, is by living closer to the equator. In fact, only 1 percent of people who live in Florida experience SAD, while 9 percent of people in New England or Alaska have SAD. Some research suggests this effect of location could be related to skin pigmentation or vitamin D production, but more studies are needed to determine exactly how these factors contribute to SAD.

What can you do about SAD?

The four major treatments for seasonal affective disorder are medication, light therapy, psychotherapy and vitamin D supplementation, all of which can be used separately or in combination.

In addition to these treatments, McCord said, “self-care is a recommended coping mechanism.” Some ways to practice self-care include:

• Exercising
• Eating healthy foods
• Getting good sleep
• Spending time with friends
• Engaging in spirituality
• Volunteering
• Practicing gratitude

McCord emphasized that these self-care activities aren’t just for people with SAD, though.

“Our environment influences us, and we have the ability to choose how we respond to that,” she said.