dogs and psychosis

The dictionary defines psychosis as:
“…a mental disorder characterized by symptoms, such as delusions or hallucinations, that indicate impaired contact with reality.”

Psychologists and psychiatrists can argue endlessly about where to draw the line between neurotic and psychotic behaviors, and it is certainly difficult to discern symptomatic differences in that common union; but, when one focuses on the outer extremes of each condition, the differences become obvious, even in dogs.

A neurotic dog may exhibit chronic anxiety, fear, hyperactivity, obsessive behavior, and inappropriate responses to stimuli. Truly psychotic dogs, however, are deranged. His behavior is sharp and unpredictable. It runs the gamut from manic highs and lows to deep depression, and tends to be dangerous and destructive to the dog, as well as other animals and humans the dog comes into contact with.

Many of these behavioral characteristics are sometimes exhibited by non-psychotic dogs that “have a bad day.” Others may be preoccupied with some distressing ailment that is temporarily affecting their behavior. When the distress subsides, behavior returns to normal. The difference between these dogs and truly psychotic animals is that psychotic animals seem completely unaware of the nature of their destructive behavior. The psychotic dog is not misbehaving; he just isn’t able to control his actions.
Dogs suffering from psychosis often have periods of intense violent anger for no apparent reason. They insult themselves, attack inanimate objects, and attack anyone unlucky enough to be in their aggressive path. They often do not respond to external stimuli. His moods rapidly change from manic to depressive. Some psychotic dogs do not eat to the point of starvation.

A dog’s erratic behavior is more likely to be diagnosed as psychotic if one or more of the following conditions are present in the dog’s history: an accidental drug overdose, extensive corticosteroid therapy, distemper before three months of age, a severe parasitic infection before six months of age, diabetes, a history of severe beatings, a spinal or head injury, and extreme psychological trauma.

The pattern of onset of psychosis in dogs is quite similar to that of psychotic illness in humans. Some dogs have a genetic condition that reveals itself with destructive behavior early in life. Others lead normal lives until, at a certain age, they exhibit severe psychotic behavior.

The mental health of dogs is of interest and concern to veterinarians. Some specialize in the evaluation and treatment of these mental illnesses, but psychosis in dogs does not enjoy the same level of scientific research that is invested in the study of human psychiatric problems. Most owners, while willing to invest considerable sums of money to treat physical ailments in the proven hope of a cure, are unwilling to incur similar costs to speculatively treat their dog’s mental illness. Truly psychotic humans receive professional psychiatric care, in a secure residential facility if necessary. Dogs exhibiting severe psychotic behavior are euthanized.

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