Pet Caregiver Burden: What It Is and How to Start Feeling Like Yourself Again

Estimated reading time: 7 min

You got a dog so you can go on long, relaxing walks…but your dog is terrified of walking outside.

You brought home a second cat for companionship…but all they do is fight.

You want to have friends over or bring your dog to family gatherings…but your dog is reactive or aggressive towards people.

You’ve tried countless things to help your pet, but you feel frustrated, isolated, and exhausted. It can start to feel like there are too many problems, and not enough bandwidth to handle them all.

You love your pet, but you’re starting to question if this is sustainable.

If any of this resonates with you, you may be experiencing caregiver burden.

You’re Struggling, Not Failing

Caregiver burden is defined as the multifaceted strain perceived by the caregiver from caring for a family member and/or loved one over time (Liu et al., 2020). While this concept has long been studied in human healthcare—especially among caregivers of individuals with dementia—it’s relatively new in conversations about pet care. The first ever caregiver burden scale was created by Zarit, Reever and Bach-Peterson in the 1980s. They were interested in learning how caring for elderly people with dementia affects their caregiver. The 22-item survey measures the challenges most frequently mentioned by caregivers, including well-being and health of the caregiver, finances, social life and the relationship between the caregiver and the person they are caring for. The Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) gave caregivers language for their experiences—and helped professionals recognize when someone was struggling.

What Pet Caregiver Burden Actually Means

Caring for a pet always comes with responsibility. But what happens when the needs of a pet exceed what you were prepared for? Dr. Mary Beth Spitznagel, Ph.D., a clinical neuropsychologist and professor at Kent State University, began researching this after caring for her own dog with cancer. While caring for Allo, she realized that caring for a sick pet can impact people in many of the same ways as caring for a sick human—leading to stress, anxiety, depression, and reduced quality of life. This inspired her to conduct the first ever study to examine pet caregiver burden.

“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,” Spitznagel said. “In the case of this study, burden is at a high enough level that for some people, it could be causing symptoms of anxiety and, more likely, depression.” (Maxwell, 2017).

Since then, research in this area has grown significantly. In 2025, Dr. Spitznagel created and validated a Canine Caregiver Burden Assessment Tool (CCBAT), the first of its kind created specifically for dog owners (vs. adapting the ZBI for human caretakers to pet caretakers). Caring for a pet with extreme physical or behavioral health needs takes time, money, emotional and physical energy. It requires adjustments of expectations, lifestyle and grieving the life you had hoped for when you first brought your pet into your home.

Signs You Might Be Experiencing It

One of the most common emotions in caregiver burden is guilt. You might feel guilty because:

You can’t afford every test or specialist
You’ve made choices in the past you wish you hadn’t
You need time away from your pet

Research by Dr. Lori Kogan, Ph.D., a psychologist and professor at Colorado State University, and colleagues establish disenfranchised guilt as a component of the burden of owning a pet (Kogan et. al., 2022). Disenfranchised guilt is the failure to understand the meaning and experience of another, thereby invalidating the other person’s experience. This may lead to feelings of anxiety, depression and poor psychological health. In the research I recently conducted with Dr. Kogan and Dr. Jennifer Currin-McCulloch, Ph.D., a social worker, School of Social Work PhD Program Director and professor at Colorado State University, explored guilt and other aspects of the experience of owners of dogs with behavioral challenges. We surveyed 565 dog owners and look forward to publishing the research and results. The study demonstrates that the impact of dog behavior problems on owners is shaped not only by the behaviors themselves but by how those challenges are interpreted and experienced. The findings highlight the role of social context, including stigma, judgement, and inconsistent support, in shaping caregiver experiences.

Why Dogs With Health/Behavior Problems Hit Different

Pet caregiver burden can show up in a multitude of ways, whether you are caring for an animal with a chronic physical illness, extreme behavior challenges, or both.

You might:

Feel anxious and worry about what the future holds
Miss out on social events or avoid having people over because of your pet
Feel guilty for resenting your pet
Think you are trapped with no solutions or options

As a Veterinary Social Worker and behavior consultant, I support people navigating these challenges everyday. And I want to be clear about something: I am not immune to it either.

The Guilt, Grief, and Isolation are Real

I, too, experience caregiver burden. I have four dogs of my own with varying levels of needs and challenges. I want to share a little window into my world to help illustrate how caregiver burden shows up for me, in hopes you can start to recognize it in yourself.

Wylie

18.5 years old (I’ve had him the majority of his life)
He has kidney disease and arthritis, which is managed with medications ($$) and bloodwork every 6 months ($$)
Needs to go outside 1-2 times overnight due to increased urination
The sleep disruption affects my functioning the next day
I am thankful for every day with him, but I constantly wonder: Am I doing enough? Is he comfortable?

Kūlolo

Adopted last year at 10 years old
She was 27 pounds and is now closer to 21 lbs.
Separation anxiety and resource guarding
Under the care of a board-certified Veterinary Behaviorist, Dr. Kelly C. Ballantyne.
We have tried several meds to improve the separation anxiety, added pain meds, all while I utilize management and training
Despite my best efforts, the intensity of her resource guarding continues to increase
To say I feel like a failure is an understatement- a feeling I know many pet parents share

Rizzo

Adopted in January at 5 years old
Smart, cuddly, and reactive to people and dogs on walks
Has made significant progress in just a few months
Walks require constant preparation, awareness and timing
I sometimes wonder who is more hyperaroused on our walks- me or Rizzo
One difficult walk can make me question all of our progress

Mona

16 year old diva
Just as sassy as when I adopted her at 1 year old
Living with cognitive decline and arthritis
Managed with medications ($$) and frequent bloodwork ($$) just like Wylie

I have training. I have access to top-tier veterinary behavioral care.

And still—I feel overwhelmed sometimes.

I question myself.
I feel like I’m not doing enough.
I feel the weight of it.

If you’ve ever thought, “I should be able to handle this better,” please hear this: You are not alone.

None of us had a crystal ball. We didn’t know exactly what challenges would arise. We didn’t know how our lives—or our pets’ needs—would evolve. Along the way, we’ve had to adapt. That doesn’t mean we failed. It means we’re human.

Where to Start When Everything Feels Like Too Much

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by too many problems, the goal is not to fix everything at once. The goal is to simplify and prioritize.

1. Get a Baseline

Before implementing any changes, I highly suggest taking either the ZBI adapted for pet owners or the Canine Caregiver Burden Assessment Tool (CCBAT).

The ZBI questionnaire (along with related articles and research)
The CCBATs (the full 24 question version and the abbreviated 5 question version [word doc])

2. Build the Right Support Team

Now that you have baseline data, look to see what questions had the highest numbers/ stress attached to them. This can help you create a roadmap for what aspects of caring for your pet are hardest for you so you can identify support for those aspects.

For example, if your stressors are regarding sleep interruption, administering medication, or completing the veterinary treatment plan, schedule an appointment or conversation with your primary care veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist. Your veterinary team cannot help you with an issue they are not aware of, so the more you share, the better they can use their expertise to support you and your pet.
If you are struggling with having people over, implementing management strategies in your home, or figuring out where to start with training, try adding a positive-reinforcement trainer to your pet’s care team. Pet Harmony’s Behavior Consultants support dog and cat (and more!) clients around the globe, and as you can tell, are just as committed to supporting your needs as the client as they are supporting the needs of your pet. Working with pet and veterinary professionals that can listen to your concerns, empathize with your struggles, and focus on a collaborative treatment plan can also help reduce your caregiver burden (Spitznagel et al., 2026).

3. Reduce Isolation

So many pet parents in your shoes dealing with the daily stressors of living with a pet with behavioral challenges feel isolated- they’ve never had a pet like this before, no one they know has a pet with these issues, and they are embarrassed to talk about their pet’s issues. Enter in… virtual support groups! A little community goes a long way in recognizing you are not alone, and there are other people out there doing the hard things just like you. Check out options in my previous blog post There is no I in Team, But There is a U in Community to see a list of options to explore!

4. Prioritize Your Well-Being

Self-care isn’t optional– it’s essential and unique to every individual.

It might look like:

A peaceful walk around the neighborhood without your dog so you can decompress
Finding a trusted petsitter
Give yourself permission to rest

When life feels heavy, it can start to feel like you are backed into a corner without any options. Taking care of yourself is a great reminder that you indeed have some choice and control, aka agency. Enrichment is just as important for you as it is for your pet! Learn more about that here on my Enrichment for the Real World podcast episode: Your Self-Care is Enrichment.

This is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

When there are too many problems, it’s tempting to try to solve everything quickly. But sustainable care doesn’t work that way.

Instead, remember:

Your pet’s challenges did not appear overnight, nor will they disappear overnight.
Some factors are outside your control.
Small steps forward are still progress.
You cannot care for your pet to the best of your ability without first caring for yourself.
Consistency and sustainability are more important than perfection.

Most importantly- give yourself– and your pet– grace. You are doing hard, meaningful work. And even if it doesn’t always feel like it: you are doing enough.

Your friend,

Valerie

Now What?

Pet Parents:

Want some insight on building a care team for your pet? Check out Veronica’s blog: Understanding Your Pet’s Veterinary Care Team
Need some ideas for feeling less isolated in your behavior journey with your pet? Check out Tiffany’s blog: Life Lessons and Support for Behaviorally Complex Pets
If you are on a behavior journey with your pet(s) and want enrichment tips and relatable content dropped in your inbox, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.

Pet Professionals:

If you’re feeling isolated in your approach to working with behavior issues, check out this blog on fostering community: Before You Become a Dog Trainer, You Need a Community
And if you need some professional tidbits and insight in your inbox, you can also sign up for our weekly professional newsletter here.

References

Liu, Z., Heffernan, C., & Tan, J. (2020). Caregiver burden: A concept analysis. International journal of nursing sciences, 7(4), 438–445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2020.07.012
Kogan, L. R., Bussolari, C., Currin-McCulloch, J., Packman, W., & Erdman, P. (2022). Disenfranchised Guilt-Pet Owners’ Burden. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 12(13), 1690. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12131690
Maxwell, Jim. (2017). When caring for a sick pet becomes too much. Kent State. https://www.kent.edu/kent/news/when-caring-sick-pet-becomes-too-much
Spitznagel, M. B., Bennett, N. E., & Carlson, M. D. (2026). Supporting Caregivers: Overcoming Stress, Burnout, and Burden. The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice, 56(2), 507–519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2025.10.002
Spitznagel, Mary Beth, Martin, John, Knudsen, Elizabeth, Albers, Angela, & Gober, Margaret (2025). Development and psychometric validation of a canine caregiver burden assessment tool. Human-Animal Interactions, 13:1, 0052, https://doi.org/10.1079/hai.2025.0052
Spitznagel, M. B., Mueller, M. K., Fraychak, T., Hoffman, A. M., & Carlson, M. D. (2019). Validation of an abbreviated instrument to assess veterinary client caregiver burden. Journal of veterinary internal medicine, 33(3), 1251–1259. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15508
Zarit, S. H., Reever, K. E., & Bach-Peterson, J. (1980). Zarit Burden Interview (BI, ZBI) [Database record]. APA PsycTests. https://doi.org/10.1037/t06571-000

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