How to Tell Your Dog Is Suffering from Psychological Problems
Despite all the progress and achievements relevant to modern healthcare and veterinary methods, mental health mostly remains out of sight.
It’s not because human doctors or vets are careless. That is true due to the complicated nature of one’s psychics and mentality.
When speaking of pets in general and dogs in particular, writing and understanding the science diet dog food review, for instance, is relatively easy nowadays.
On the other hand, mental disorders and psychological problems that a dog might have frequently remain unnoted by the keeper simply because they are unaware it is possible for a pet to suffer from such unpleasant illnesses.
Here are the most common problems and symptoms that might help a keeper reveal them. Attention is key here. Don’t think your dog can’t have psychological issues because it is a “good” boy or girl.
Factors causing mental disorders and troubles in dogs are not always under your control. But you can and must do whatever it takes to help your pet cope with its problems.
Dog’s Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling when one predicts danger or future trouble accompanied with suppression and somatic symptoms: a dog is vigilant, looks around frequently, moves actively, and keeps muscles in tension.
The reason for anxiety can be either external or internal. When anxiety continues for long, it may cause dandruff and hair loss. Another feature of anxious animals is their inability to wait for the situation to develop. They react immediately and want to avoid the problem quickly.
Depression for Dogs
Yes, your dog can be depressed. When you see your pet remaining in a bad or apathetic mood for long, that’s a leading symptom of classic depression syndrome. That one also includes little to no moving activity showing up.so it obsessed with the owner easily.
A bad mood for dogs can be identified with long-term monotonous whining and a refusal to react when you’re trying to communicate with your pet.
A dog may either move slowly or show anxiety with its intense movement, too. Keepers should be especially attentive about the dog’s speed of thinking. In case a pet completes simple actions slowly or refuses to complete them at all, that’s a reason to be worried.
A depressed dog feels it difficult to master new skills (for example, a new command). Conflicts with other pets are also more likely for a dog in depression.
Additionally, this disorder causes a dog to be overtired and lower their physical activity. A depressed dog eats less or even refuses to eat its favorite food.
Dog Hyperactivity
Hyperactive dogs are unable to relax entirely. Veterinary examination of such pets mostly reveals physiological changes in such dogs’ bodies.
For example, their heartbeat rate, stable body temperature, and breathing frequency become higher. It is challenging to diagnose hyperactivity for dogs because likely symptoms may appear as a reaction to different physiological conditions, such as metabolic disorders (diabetes, liver malfunction, etc.) or encephalitis.
Hyperactive dogs have it difficult to be persistent with activities that require cognitive effort. An animal switches from one activity to another, remaining too active and refusing to calm down. Hyperactivity usually starts showing up at an early age.
When speaking of dog hyperactivity, the preciseness of a diagnosis is critical. You need to be sure a dog is not just highly active. In case doubts arise, you should see your vet. Fortunately, the majority of keepers assuming their dog is hyperactive are mistaken. Most probably, your dog is just incredibly lively and happy.
Dog Phobias
A phobia is an intense rapidly developing fear reaction not fading away despite the constant interaction with the fear object. That’s the main difference a phobia has when compared with fears.
Abnormal fear reactions are sudden and bright (panic, for example) in the case of phobias. A phobia means immediate disturbance and similar attack symptoms time after time.
External signs of an animal’s state of panic include frequent breathing, ears looking backward and “hidden”, a demonstrated effort to run away or hide from the phobia object, destructive behavior, uncontrolled peeing, or defecation.
Fear of Loneliness
An animal has a fear of loneliness when it demonstrates anxiety symptoms after you leave them alone. The most obvious signs of loneliness fear include making the place dirty, destructive activity, loud and overwhelmingly intensive barking. Those are the symptoms you may notice.
Still, other signs frequently remain hidden. They include frequent breathing, cognitive function disorder, and extensive salivation. Some forms of this fear also come with diarrhea, extensive hair grooming, depression, appetite loss, etc.
Additionally, a dog that is afraid to stay alone usually greets the keeper in an overly active and happy way. When it is a real loneliness fear, symptoms show up only when a dog stays alone or can’t come closer to its keeper for some reason.
