I want to share this article from today’s NYTimes because it’s about PTSD in dogs and I thought you guys might like it! The article reports that up to 5% of dogs in the military get PTSD. Interestingly enough, an official diagnosis of PTSD in canines only began to be used 18 months ago. Even more striking was that the dogs exhibit almost the exact same symptoms as humans: they avoid areas where the had an adverse experience, their temperament changes and they become hyper-vigilant amongst other things. These are all symptoms we see in humans. Moreover, the same type of therapy works as a treatment in dogs as in humans. Exposure therapy is used to desensitize the dogs (they’re exposed to a sight or sound that now scares them, like a gunshot, and are rewarded if they don’t react), which is very similar to the exposure therapy that works with humans. This article was really moving to me. I think it’s because it seems to suggest that these animals have a richer emotional life than we might sometimes give them credit for.
The Article
