Chances are, stress is no stranger to you and your family. While physical, mental, and emotional strain have always been part of human experience, the sources and unpredictability of external stressors are much greater today with busier lifestyles and instantaneous global news at our fingertips. A more novel and unexpected consequence, however, is that man’s companion animals are now increasingly subject to psychological stress. Contemporary pets live in much more stimulating environments and are influenced by the extremities of our moods and behaviors as we react to the demands of life and alarming news feeds.
We know by experience that stress is “contagious”. When our family members and friends are worried or anxious, they typically behave and interact differently, which often affects our own mental and emotional stability. Humans and sentient animals are communal creatures, and our relationships with each other mean that we can’t help being influenced by those around us. This can be a positive aspect of life, relationships, and society, but in highly stressful times, adding shared stress to our own can burn out our body’s ability to manage and cope with stress.
Pet stress is primarily caused by the same outside stimuli that trigger the human stress response. New environments, changes to routines, and unfamiliar sights and sounds unsettle our sense of comfort and safety. We share the mammalian fight-or-flight response that mobilizes our brains, muscles, and cardiovascular systems preparing the body to react to the unexpected.
More insidious, internal sources including illness, allergies, autoimmune issues, and inadequate nutrition also keep our stress response on continuous alert. Chronic stress perpetuates a cycle that should be temporary, and we now realize that the ongoing release of stress hormones has significant consequences for the current and long-term health of ourselves and our pets.
The stress response recruits multiple body systems by sending alerts from the brain by way of hormone messengers. One of the first-informed of these systems is the immune system, containing a fascinating array of cells designed to attack, destroy, and remove threats, and then, ideally, to restore things back to normal. This powerful and effective force is essential to health, yet its strengths become dangerous when resolution and restoration don’t entirely occur.
In the same way that they fight foreigners, continually stimulated immune cells inadvertently do damage to healthy body cells. Short-term stress and our immediate but limited responses are normal and even healthful. However, the hidden effects of chronic stress accumulate and eventually manifest in more frequent sickness, poor sleep, lack of energy, brain fog, skin issues, and potentially more serious conditions down the road.
Chronic stress means that the stress response is ongoing, immune cells are continually activated, and our bodies take the hit. Humans have a remarkable ability to hide our conscious response to stress, but the impact of chronic stress on pets is typically more immediately apparent. Animals may also become more susceptible to illness, but their response to stress often appears as restlessness, whining, disinterest in normal activities, refusal to eat, untimely elimination, destructive behaviors, and even aggression. Hampered mobility and skin irritation are also red flags for excessive immune activation in vulnerable tissues.
As we learn the importance of reducing and managing our own stress, the same follows that pet families should recognize and be attentive to the effects of stress on our animal kin as well. A holistic wellness philosophy starts from the reality that every symptom has its cause, and that full health requires the optimal function and interaction of physical, mental, emotional, and environmental factors. The fact that stress presents itself in a variety of symptoms in both humans and animals points to the need for us to evaluate stress from this broader perspective.
Sadly, it’s unlikely that everyday stress is going away any time soon, so it’s time for new ways to conquer this unwelcome foe. Common veterinary solutions, such as anxiolytic medications, may offer short-term relief, but frequently become ineffective and often bring detrimental side effects. Like many conventional therapies, pharmaceutical drugs are developed within an isolated, limited scope based on their ability to target a single or small set of symptoms. Such medications rarely resolve the root issue and can even hinder our ability to recognize and manage the cause. The frustration and expense involved with seeking help for our stressed pets who depend on us is one to which many can sympathize.
If stress can’t be entirely removed, the goal of holistic stress support is to both limit its amount, its potential damage, and to empower the natural ability of the body to fight and resolve stress. First and foremost, the simplest solution is to remove or reduce the preventable sources of stress. We owe it to ourselves and our pets to create lifestyles that eliminate unnecessary stress and foster environments that allow everyone to feel safe and secure. Pets thrive on routine and consistent supplies of nourishment, attention, and exercise. Responsible pet families also factor in how human events and transitions affect our companion animals and strive to minimize fear or trauma.
Once preventable causes of stress have been addressed, the focus shifts to responding to unavoidable stress. Since the immune system is at the center of chronic stress symptoms, mitigating its impact is one of the leading ways to thwart the downstream symptoms that emerge. Ideal stress support should also promote the protection of cells and equip the body to be more naturally resilient.
Thankfully, scientific research continues to uncover ways that plants can contribute to human and animal health. As inquisitive, animal-loving researchers discovered the profound effectiveness of botanicals in humans, they quickly shifted to confirming that the same ingredients offer benefits for our best friends.
In case you didn’t know, plants experience stress too! The most fascinating aspect of plants is that underlying their structures are invisible compounds that protect them from many hazards. Plants are vulnerable to weather, animals, bacteria, weeds, chemicals, and nutrient deprivation; therefore, they need strong mechanisms to sustain and defend them.
Many of the vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds we absorb when we (or our pets) eat fruits and vegetables are first used by plants for combatting environmental stress. Once we discovered how important these micronutrients are to those who consume plants, it became clear that maximizing them in our diets is the key to optimal health.
The hemp plant is often in the spotlight nowadays, even though this multifunctional herb has been appreciated around the world for centuries. Cannabis sativa, the source of both hemp and marijuana, is now specially cultivated to produce botanicals that are concentrated in specific bioactive compounds and purified to remove any unwanted factors. Broad-spectrum hemp extracts are now regarded among many scientific and medical experts as objective and anecdotal data demonstrate its ability to improve symptoms of stress and provide support for a variety of health conditions.
Mammals are equipped with biological systems with built-in receptors for hemp-based compounds. These receptors exist throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems, and are primarily involved in the immune response. Chemical signals from immune cells binding to neural receptors trigger inflammatory cascades and sensations of discomfort.
The primary action demonstrated by hemp constituents is an ability to block these receptors and therefore influence downstream processes. Since immune activation is the most consequential aspect of chronic stress, hemp bioactives are purported to help dampen the potentially detrimental effects and to support symptom relief. Along with its direct effect on specific receptors, the hemp plant contains antioxidant compounds that combat free-radical damage and protect delicate nerves.
A recent survey suggested that almost 60% of pet owners have tried hemp-based products for their dogs, and at least half noticed positive health benefits. Accumulating research studies, encouraged by federal approval of industrial hemp as food in 2014, indicate that broad-spectrum extracts from this plant represent a multi-functional ingredient to support human and animal health.
Safety reports continue to provide confidence that hemp is safe in companion animals when high-quality ingredients are used as directed and under the guidance of a veterinarian. As pet parents increasingly seek natural, accessible, affordable support for stress and other health conditions, many innovative products have emerged.
Starting from a holistic, whole-body perspective on stress and its many symptoms, Cogent Pet has created products that are designed to help lessen the effects of stress and to support a balanced immune response. With broad-spectrum hemp extract as the foundational component, veterinarian Dr. Efrem Hunter has carefully chosen supportive nutrients that help protect and nourish stressed cells and tissues.
Starting with two of the most commonly encountered concerns for dogs – joint mobility and skin health – Cogent Pet added bioactive botanicals and other powerful ingredients that have been shown to enhance the body’s stress resilience. Here’s a glance at some of these synergistic ingredient profiles:
If the impressive product rosters aren’t enough, Cogent Pet has also ensured the optimal bioavailability of each critical ingredient with a boost from black pepper extract in a fat-soluble carrier blend that is easy to digest and quick to absorb. Wrapped in a delicious, chicken-based soft-chew, these customized formulas optimize your dog’s defense against unpredictable and inevitable sources of stress and help ease pesky symptoms that get in the way of fetching fun and chasing their dreams.
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