[LSNN] Not only humans suffer from mental disorders

[draZ]

 

Not only humans suffer from mental disorders

 

BY SCOTT POWELL

 

Los Santos, SA - Mental disorders are the biggest plague of the modern age. The number of people suffering from mental disorders is still increasing. According to the World Health Organization, depression affects about 300 million people. If so many people have unbelievably hard times dealing with this cutthroat, how hard can it be for the animals? 

 

 

 

Mental illness is not just the domain of the human realm, some animals can also suffer from psychiatric symptoms. Fortunately, there's even a new field dealing with this immense problem — animal psychiatry. Psychiatric problems have been observed across a wide range of animals. In horses, dogs, birds or even in marine mammals. The most common psychiatric problems regarding the animal realm are anxiety, depression and OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder, in which the patient is afflicted with unwanted intrusive thoughts, to which he responds with compulsive action). 

 

New studies document chimpanzees, killer whales or elephants suffering from symptoms of PTSD, which is the consequence of former abuse. Some primates, dogs or elephants suffer from depression as a result of the loss of the owner.

Military dogs have been known to suffer from PTSD just as human soldiers do. A huge amount of military dogs have returned from the war zones exhibiting the same torturous behavior which includes the signs of PTSD. Fortunately, more and more animal psychiatrists are successfully trying to develop effective therapies to help dogs in their emotional recovery. 

 

"There's still some debate among veterinarians about whether military dogs actually suffer from "PTSD" or simple anxiety-based behavioral disorders exhibited typically in neglected or traumatised dogs. Personally, I have no view either way, but I'm aware that in 2015 or 16, the US Marine Corps declared that one of its sniffer dogs that worked in Afghanistan had "PTSD like" symptoms and discharged it. So, obviously, the US military takes it very seriously. And maybe it's really just semantics anyway because the symptoms are so close."  - veterinary expert and also the owner of Animal Ark Veterinary Clinic, Ms. Greyfeather, says.

 

Birds can also suffer from this torturous plague with their own forms of depression and anxiety. The signs they exhibit include over-preening, feather plucking or aggressive behaviors. Bird owners should always do their best to limit their lovely pet's stress by providing a balanced diet, clean water, a clean environment and plenty of attention.

 

"We have quite a few birds come into our clinic exhibiting the typical symptoms of anxiety and depression. The thing many people don't realize is that birds are really very intelligent and require a lot of stimulations. They're also heavy bonders. Typical signs of depression and anxiety include feather plucking, aggressive behaviors, and, in severe examples, self-mutilation."  - veterinary expert, Ms. Greyfeather, remarks.

 

House cats can have OCD too. Excessive grooming, pacing, and meowing are the most usual indicators of their unhealthy behavior. This behavior means that your cat is either bored, anxious or even in pain. A cat that is not given enough attention is mostly the one that will suffer, so keep that in mind. The cat scratcher, cat toilet and a bowl are all essential for its mental health.

 

"This type of behavior looks a lot like human OCD because it's really repetitive, right? There's also some research that excessive grooming in cats also releases pain-relieving chemicals in their brains, so (just as I mentioned with birds) eliminating the existence of underlying physical problems is the first step. Then we look at environmental factors and look to change what needs to be changed in their home lives." veterinary expert interjects.

 

And how to deal with your beloved pet's mental illness? That's a topic I invited already mentioned veterinary expert, Ms. Greyfeather, to cover.

 

How do you treat military dogs suffering from the heartbreaking behavior regarding PTSD?

 

"I've never treated a military dog because veterinary treatment of US government animals is something that is contracted to larger veterinary hospitals. But, I understand that the treatment is similar to what behaviorists recommended for any dog suffering trauma, which includes medication (in the worst cases), as well as desensitization possibly combined with counter-conditioning. So, as an example, a dog that shows signs of aggression and excessive anti-social behavior (clinging, panting, tail tucking, etc) can be placed in a safe environment and have other people or dogs introduced gradually, as well as receiving reward stimulus for good behavior in those situations." 

 

How do you deal with our lovely birds that exhibit signs of mental disorders?

 

"We deal with birds in almost two-step processes; first, we address the immediate physical problems. If there's self-mutilation, we have to address any wounds as well as consider a course of antibiotics if there's primary or even secondary infections. As for feather plucking, in addition to being a possible sign of a mental problem, it can also be a way that the bird soothes itself against underlying bacterial and even parasitic conditions — so we have to rule those out first.

Once we've ruled out or dealt with physical reasons, we need to look at the bird's home-life. Is she just bored? 
Is the resting environment not suitable, for instance, a cage that's too small or poorly located — with not enough stimulation, or right near a window where there's far too much of it? Is there a new pet? Did somebody important pass away or move out of the home? All of these can be met with behavioral conditioning techniques or little changes to home life. Even establishing a simple routine can do wonders." 

 

How do you deal with house cats that exhibit signs of unhealthy behavior?

 

"Cats are naturally fastidious about their toileting and hygiene, so just like dogs or birds, when there's an underlying problem of anxiety, boredom, or a medical presentation, they'll revert sometimes to what makes them feel safe and comfortable. This type of behavior looks a lot like human OCD because it's really repetitive, right? There's also some research that excessive grooming in cats also releases pain-relieving chemicals in their brains, so (just as I mentioned with birds) eliminating the existence of underlying physical problems is the first step. Then we look at environmental factors and look to change what needs to be changed in their home lives."

 

 

 

Have you ever dealt with any wild animals? If so, could you tell us the story?

 

,,We deal occasionally with wild animals in the practise, and now that San Andreas has implemented hunting licenses, we anticipate many more. A lot of these will be orphans. Most of our wild animal rescues so far have been road strikes, so deer or the occasional coyote that gets hit by a car. I think though that the nicest story we had was a livestock call-out to one of the ranches just past Grapeseed. The rancher mentioned something vague about cougars and a cow. 

 

When we arrived we found one of his pregnant cows was in a physical standoff with a mother cougar over two cubs she'd given birth to in one of his barns. We think it was the cougar's first litter, and the cow herself was almost at full gestation. We later found out from the rancher that the cow had once given birth to a calf, but it later died. Apparently she never forgot this and was going to make sure she'd keep a baby alive this time...one way or another. 

 

When we tried to intervene, we had the fury of two mothers decending on us. That's not a fun place to be!"

 

 

 

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Edited April 7, 2021 by draZ

[maramizo]

Username: DogPerson310

Comment: That's why people need to be careful with rescue dogs. Poor things have seen so much heinous shit, takes forever to rehabilitate them.

[Rushing]

Username: MXRC

Comment: ok boomer

[Greyfeather]

Username: Animal Ark Gang

Comment: We have two beautiful rescue dogs available right now. Both are kind and loving and looking for a home. Call us on 412 59 810 or look for our advertisement online.