Caregiver stress, the burden that falls on those caring for elderly parents or chronically ill family members, is a well-known and heavily researched phenomenon. The physical and emotional stress that comes with caring for a loved one can lead to a host of health issues for the caregiver, including depression. Mary Beth Spitznagel, an associate professor in the department of psychological sciences at Kent State University, has conducted her own research on caregiver burden on family members of people with dementia. Last year, though, when one of her dogs was diagnosed with bladder cancer, Cushing's disease and cognitive dysfunction, she realized that caregiver stress is not limited to one species.

“We had many sleepless nights, spent a lot of time trying to trick her into taking her medications or convincing her to eat, and she had countless accidents in the house,” Spitznagel says. “I was exhausted and feeling stressed.” Out of curiosity, she took one of the burden questionnaires from her caregiving research. “That's when I realized that the type of burden we often see in family caregivers might occur when someone is caring for a sick pet.”

This inspired Spitznagel to look into the issue further. “I am new to the human-animal interaction research world,” she admits. She found a few other studies suggesting that a pet owner's quality of life is burdened in the context of specific pet illnesses. But her study is the first, as far as she knows, to measure caregiver burden in owners of a sick pet, to examine it in the context of broader psychological functioning (like symptoms of depression and anxiety) and to compare the burden in owners of a sick pet to those with a healthy pet.

Pet Care Can Lead to Depression

Her collaborative study, published in the September issue of the journal Veterinary Record, is titled "Caregiver Burden in Owners of a Sick Companion Animal: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study." She developed an online questionnaire from human caregiver burden research and distributed it through social media to people posting in pet disease support groups. More than 600 pet owners responded. And the results confirmed her own experiences. “It turns out that the effects of caregiving for a sick pet – burden, stress, anxiety, depression, low quality of life – are in many ways similar to what we see in a person caring for a sick family member, for example, a parent with dementia,” she says. That burden reached a high enough level to cause symptoms of anxiety and, more likely, depression, in some pet owners, Spitznagel says.

Caring for a sick pet has many parallels with providing care to human loved one, says Dr. Susan W. Lehmann, clinical director of the division of geriatric psychiatry and neuropsychiatry and director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Day Hospital at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Both can involve emotional, physical and financial demands. Caregivers often are called upon to provide direct health treatments and physical care that may involve learning new skills or techniques. Caregiving is a 24/7 responsibility, which can be physically and emotionally draining,” she says.

There are also important differences. Caring for a human often requires helping to make decisions with and for the individual, which the person previously might have done for himself or herself. “This can present an additional stress or burden for the caregiver,” Lehmann says. “Pets, by their nature, are always dependent on their owners for food, health care needs and health care decisions.”

Spitznagel adds that even a very close bond with a pet is going to be different from a relationship with a parent or spouse. In addition, the life cycle of a cat or dog is far shorter than a human, and longer duration of caregiving is associated with greater experience of burden. “Just being in the caregiver role for a longer period of time may make it more stressful to provide care for a human family member,” she says.

Coping With Caregiver Stress

Whether one is providing in-home health care to people or pets, Lehmann says, “caregiver stress is real and is common and is different from the attitudes one has about the caregiving role. This means that even when the caregiver is wholly committed to providing care for their loved one and wants to be in the caregiving role, the duties and needs that caregiving entails can still be overwhelming and cause stress and anxiety.”

Coping with that stress is hard, Lehmann acknowledges, but “it is very important for caregivers to take time for themselves on a regular basis.” This includes taking care of one’s own health needs, staying connected with friends and finding time for relaxation. “Caregivers should accept help from others and should seek out help with the care of the loved one to prevent burnout and exhaustion,” she adds. Keep in mind that caregivers also need to get enough sleep, exercise and nutritional meals. Many caregivers will benefit from additional emotional support from a support group or from a counselor or therapist.

Along with support, Spitznagel says, “It is also important for the caregiver to be armed with information. With so much online misinformation these days, working with a physician or veterinarian to make sure you are getting good information is essential.” To do her part, she has started a science blog on pet care, which can be found at petcaregiverburden.com.