The hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands (the so called HPA axis) affects how safe and comfortable a pet feels in the world, and how they react to change.
If this axis is too easily aroused, fight / flight fuelled anxiety, reactivity and stress, with problem behaviours often arise as a result.
Many factors can influence the triggering of such events in a pet, but one that is often overlooked is diet.
Ingredients in a food which cause a reaction in a particular dog or cat, can lower the level of balancing neurotransmitters in the gut and brain. This in turn results in heightened HPA axis activity which adversely affects cognitive function, mood and behaviour (picture the impact that fizzy drinks and similar products have on some children).
Processed pet food is far more likely to do this because of the large number of ingredients these contain, which can number 10, 20, 30 or more, if all additives typically used are also included in the count.
Switching to a high quality, single protein raw food on the other hand, often results in reduced HPA axis activity, and a much calmer, healthier, happier and less anxious pet.
(It's important that meat, bone and fatty acid rich offal is proportioned with this in mind for maximum benefits.)
To see if this will make a difference to your dog, simply transition to one of our single protein recipes over the course of 3 - 6 days) and feed this alone with nothing else added for 2 - 3 weeks.