How to tell if your pet suffers from mental illness
It might sound silly at first, but our pets can suffer from mental illness, just like we can. The problem is, your canine friend can’t tell you with words how he’s feeling. So mental illness in animals tends to manifest in strange or destructive behaviours.
So what should types of behaviour could be indicative of mental illness in your pets?
In cats: urine spraying and compulsive over-grooming.
In birds: feather picking and over-bonding.
In dogs: sensitivity to and phobias of noise, and aggression.
Oftentimes, these types of behaviour can, especially in dogs, result in the animals being surrendered to the RSPCA because their owners don’t know how to respond. The good news is that if caught early, these problems can be solved with help from your vet.
If you do notice repeated out of the ordinary behaviour, it might be a good idea to have a conversation with your vet so you can discuss ways to address the issues. The answer is usually a mixture of medication and training, and can be a long process, but it’s important to stick with our pets through the good times and the bad. After all, that’s what they do for us.
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