PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is well known and documented in people. Some of us may know someone who was in the service that suffers from PTSD after experiencing the horrors of combat. However, PTSD can occur following almost any type of traumatic experience, whether acute or prolonged. So, is it possible for dogs to also suffer from PTSD? While it may be difficult to definitively diagnose a dog with PTSD, we can absolutely see signs that mirror what is exhibited in people with PTSD. It’s important to note up front that if you connect with this article and suspect your dog may have PTSD, contacting a veterinary behaviorist may be in the best interest of your family and your dog.
What Is PTSD?
PTSD stands for post-traumatic stress disorder. Per Mayo Clinic, as PTSD relates to humans, it is a “mental health condition that’s caused by an extremely stressful or terrifying event – either being part of it, or witnessing it”.1 Just witnessing or being part of a traumatic event does not necessarily mean that a person and/or an animal will suffer from PTSD. There are dogs who go through horrific abuse and/or neglect situations who go on to adjust perfectly well to their wonderful new homes. My dog is a great example of that. After being neglected and tied in a yard for who knows how long, he became tangled in the rope he was tethered to. This resulted in the loss of one of his back legs. Despite that experience, he is one of the most loving, energetic, and trusting of humans dogs I’ve ever met. If you have food and a snuggle for him, he’s instantly your friend. I am surprised daily that he doesn’t suffer any obvious, long-term trauma or PTSD from his previous living situation.
The difference is that when a dog witnesses or goes through a traumatic experience and does not improve with time, love, training, and work, or if the negative symptoms of their experience get worse over time, then they may have PTSD.
What Are the Signs of PTSD In a Dog?
This is where the difficulty lies in diagnosing PTSD in our dogs. In part because sometimes, we don’t know much about their lives before they came to us, a shelter, or a rescue. We will often see a dog who is fearful, shut down, aggressive, and/or anxious and automatically assume they are suffering from PTSD due to abuse. However, we don’t really know this. Some dogs may exhibit this behavior simply because they were never around humans or other animals. The lack of socialization may oftentimes mimic signs of PTSD, making it difficult to distinguish.
Classic signs of PTSD are similar to what we can see in humans.
These signs may include:
- Chronic anxiety
- Fear and/or avoidance of certain types of people, places, or things
- Abnormal sleep patterns
- Aggression
Anxiety can appear in many different forms including separation anxiety, constant pacing/panting/agitation, and even destructive behavior. Some dogs will whine or bark constantly to show their anxiety, while others chew on inappropriate items. Anxiety can be difficult to diagnose in some dogs as some owners just think their dog is “attached” to them, when in reality they may be showing signs of anxiety. Aggression can also manifest as attacking people, other animals or food, and other resource guarding.
What Are the Causes of PTSD In a Dog?
Any traumatic or stressful event can trigger PTSD. This may include being left in a yard alone with little access to food and water, being tied up with no ability to run, abuse, being in a car accident with an owner, getting stuck in a house fire, etc. Oftentimes we think of PTSD in strays, neglected, and/or abused dogs who come across our TVs on the commercials.
What we often don’t think of is PTSD in working dogs who may be subjected to the violence of combat, being attacked if they are a police dog, or even having a handler who does not treat them well. In reality, even the most loved and well taken care of dog may be subject to PTSD from a freak accident or occurrence, in addition to working dogs exposed to stressful events on a daily basis.
Diagnosing PTSD In Your Dog
Diagnosing a dog with PTSD can only be done by a licensed veterinarian, ideally a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist. Seeking help from a behaviorist is the equivalent of a human seeking diagnostics and care from a psychologist and/or psychiatrist versus just your family physician. A behaviorist will best be able to diagnose whether your dog truly has PTSD or another anxiety or behavioral disorder. We never recommend turning to trainers, breeders, or handlers who have no medical background.
How Do I Care for a Dog With PTSD?
PTSD dogs take time, patience, and professional care to treat. Oftentimes these dogs may shut down in certain situations, or become reactive. They need an owner who is going to work with them and work with a Veterinary Behaviorist to treat these behaviors. Oftentimes people just want to give a dog a home, treat them like a member of the family, and expect everything to fall in line. But the reality is that these dogs, as with people, need long-term work, love, patience, and often medications.
Medications such as anti-anxiolytics get a bad rap in dogs. We see it all too often in clinic situations where owners are hesitant and/or resistant to give their dogs medications before an appointment or during certain triggering situations at home. But medications help to calm an anxious mind and make the experience less stressful for the owner, the dog, and the veterinary staff. There is no one-size-fits-all with medications and what may work great for one dog could not work well for yours. That’s why these dogs need to be managed and monitored by a veterinary professional so that appropriate medications can be prescribed and adjusted as needed.
Most dogs will do best with a combination of both medications and “behavioral therapy”. What works best for each dog is a case-by-case basis, with some needing more of one than the other. Therapy may include socialization exercises, desensitization exercises, stress mitigation at home or during certain situations, and mental and physical stimulation. Some dogs may be able to come completely off medications over time, while others may benefit from one or both avenues of treatment their entire life.
I cannot stress enough that you should be working with a licensed veterinarian, and ideally a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist if your dog has suspected or diagnosed PTSD. I do not recommend just taking your dog to a trainer who “specializes in” PTSD as they may have absolutely no medical background. These dogs often need prescription medications and only licensed veterinarians can provide this.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Will My Dog Ever Completely Recover?
This is unknown. Recognizing, diagnosing and treating PTSD in dogs is fairly new. It’s a case-by-case basis whether or not the dog even improves, nevertheless completely recovers. What we do know is that owners need to be prepared and committed to working with their PTSD dogs lifelong.
How Can I Find a Veterinary Behaviorist?
To find a Board Certified Behaviorist, go to American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (dacvb.org). Click on “Menu” in the upper right-hand corner of the screen and scroll down to “Diplomate Directory”. This will allow you to put in your city, state, and country to help find the nearest behaviorist. Keep in mind that there may also be a behaviorist who does telehealth appointments, so always ask for this option if there are none in your area.
What About Supplements & CBD?
Legalization of marijuana for humans in some states has made the pet market boom with CBD and THC products. But not all are created equal. We are just now getting funded for scientific studies on the effects of these substances and products in our companion animals. Most of the products on the market have absolutely no scientific studies to back their effectiveness. There are supplements and products that may help your dog, but we always recommend asking your veterinarian which product(s) they like best instead of just blindly ordering an unregulated product from the internet.
Conclusion
PTSD is a fairly new topic of conversation in veterinary medicine. Signs may mimic anxiety or stress for a number of reasons, and therefore can only be diagnosed by a licensed veterinarian. Many veterinarians will recommend consulting and treatment with a Veterinary Behaviorist as these cases can be difficult to manage. While many people will only think of PTSD in dogs who have suffered neglect and/or abuse, the reality is that we can also see this in working dogs or even well taken care of dogs who go through a traumatic event.
Treatment and care is balanced between behavioral therapy and prescription medications. While there are some supplements and complementary therapies that may help, use should always be guided by a veterinarian due to the overwhelming number of unregulated products on the market. Owners with a PTSD dog need to be committed to providing a loving, safe home and working with their dogs for this potentially life-long condition.
Featured Image Credit: Gorodenkoff, Shutterstock