The sun is shining, the weather is mild, and it’s a perfect day to go outside and play! Except . . . Buttercup does not seem to be vibing with that idea. She is (rather uncharacteristically) laying on the couch and didn’t even move when you grabbed the leash.

What’s up with that? The disinterest, laziness, or apparent depression. And more importantly, what can you do to help?

Few things are just black and white, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise when I tell you that your animal companion is probably not just lazy. Go ahead and strap in and we’ll go over the three big reasons they could be acting this way.

Why So Lazybones?

The first and biggest reason is also the most common. If your otherwise active, excitable pet is suddenly not interested in going for walkies, their toys, and is sleeping the entire day away when they’d otherwise be getting up to mischief, this behavior could be a symptom of infection, parasites, or disease. I can’t stress this enough (and I’m probably watering the ocean – you know this already): if you’re worried about your dog or cat or guinea pig or your cat’s guinea pig’s health, take them to see the vet!

If you’re interested in a more detailed breakdown of what could be going on with symptoms broadly referred to as ‘lethargy and exercise intolerance,’ check out this post from Vetstreet.com. Fair warning: it’s a lot to take in, but knowledge is power!

Now, on the opposite end of the spectrum we have another possibility: maybe you just don’t know how much your pet actually needs to sleep. Cats and puppies need a level of napping that I can only dream of.

Seriously though, puppies sleep on average 18 to 20 hours a day, and cats nap for around 13 to 20 depending on the kitty! It’s also possible they’re feeling under-stimulated and may take a nap out of sheer boredom. Try some new toys or engage with them differently to make things exciting again!

There’s also a chance your pet is depressed. If you’re familiar with pet health, you may already know that animals need help caring for their mental health just like we do. But if you don’t? I’ve got you covered.

A few very common causes of depression in cats and dogs are: moving to a new place, stress between the humans in the household, and death of a loved one (humans and animals alike). If we’re looking at the evidence, these similar to the reasons a human might find themselves feeling depressed too.

But, short of reducing stress in the home, there aren’t a lot of obvious solutions to alleviate that depression in your furry friend.

Where Vigor Comes In

Pet health professionals recommend exercise and playtime to help distract your pet from what’s stressing them out. A trip to the dog park could be a great choice to get Buttercup back to normal!

Except when you get out the leash, dangling it all excited-like because Buttercup normally comes unglued for that sort of thing, they are really not having it. ‘This spot on the couch is very comfy, and I will simply not be moving for the rest of the afternoon,’ that little doggy face says.

You know how sometimes all it takes is one good push to convince yourself it’s really time to get out of bed? That’s what Vigor can do for Buttercup, in a nutshell. (Well, in a 30mL dropper bottle.)

Our vigor oil blend is made from a sunflower oil base, with a catnip and aniseed infusion. Sunflower oil is full of healthy fats, which are great for energy! And as for the infusion? We’ve all laughed at cat videos (or our own cats) when they get ahold of catnip, but did you know that aniseed has a similar effect on dogs?

Check out this article to learn more about how ‘dognip’ affects pups. Note that they say the same things we do about human grade essential oils. Our essential oil infusions are pet safe, but please do not give your dog anise essential oil made for humans. It can seriously harm them!

So if you do want to take an afternoon trip to the dog park with Buttercup, even though they’ve been very lump-like and disinterested lately, put a few drops of Vigor in their breakfast. Give them that little extra push to get out of their doggy funk; they’ll appreciate it, and so will you when you see them jumping and running and rolling around in things again. (But hopefully nice things like grass, and not mud or worse.)

Questions? Concerns? Email us at info@pawsivibes.com.

Have a Vigor success story? Have a picture of your pupper after a day at the park? Send us an email at blog@pawsivibes.com - we’d love to see them. With your permission, we may even showcase your pet on our Instagram or Pinterest board! Catch them posing around some PawsiVibes merch or products and we’ll absolutely feature them in a post, and get you 20% off your next order. How cool is that?