# Do dogs get PTSD?



## Pilgrim123 (Jul 26, 2014)

We have just adopted Honey, a nervous 7 year old. She is beautiful but very needy.
I was told she is terrified of thunderstorms. I notice she is terrified of all unexpected noises.Even rattling the dog food package sends her running. Moving a hand near her when she is looking the other way makes her cower. Her dinner bowl is also a problem - you have to put it down so your body is between it and her, then walk away.
My question, really,is about all dogs. I'd swear she shows all the signs of PTSD - heightened arousal, increased startle reflex, inability to relax, the fact she runs away before stopping to see what something is, etc.
Can dogs get PTSD?

By the way, the vet from the rescue has prescribed up to 10 5mg tablets of Valium before a storm. If I took that much Valium, I'd be almost comatose!


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## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

Hope you get some more expert responses.

Based on my experience I'd sat there could be a few things at work . . . basic temperament, actual experiences of the dog, and how those around the dog, both human and canine, reacted to any frightening experiences. Of the 3 Goldens we've had 2 have been fairly fearless . . . things like loud noises have never bothered them. The third was sweet and loving but over time she developed a phobia of bad storms. I've guessed it was because we experienced a few really bad electrical storms and a couple of near hurricanes with very high winds and heavy rain. She seemed to get more anxious with each successive one. I don't think it helped that the storms made me anxious as well.


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## G-bear (Oct 6, 2015)

I believe that dogs can, and do, experience something similar to PTSD. Our black and tan coonhound, Jack, had been very badly abused before we got him. From what his foster mom told us Jack had been beaten with a 2X4, tied to a tree and shots were fired at the tree and he had been left chained to the same tree for 2 days with no food or water (in the summer) before his previous owner was arrested and changed with cruelty to an animal and neglect. When we got Jack he was terrified of all loud noises (including my calling, "Jack come!"), was deathly afraid of being touched by anyone, and would not go near a tree. He was a resource guarder who would let no one near his bowl while eating. 
I am 100% sure his fears were the result of what he had experienced during the first 2 years of his life. It has taken 2 1/2 years of hard work on Jack's part to overcome a lot of those issues. It took a long time to allow him to know that hands don't hit in this house, yelling usually means there is a treat to be given (as in Jack, come!) and that trees do not harm him (and are, in fact, a dandy thing for him to lift his leg on). With thunderstorms I discovered (by accident) Sentry good behavior calming ointment, which, when applied to Jack's nose before a thunderstorm, allows him to now sleep through a storm. He has made wonderful progress and has shown himself to be a beautiful sweet boy. I have absolutely no doubt that with time your girl, Honey, will overcome her fears. It will happen because you have previously shown how much you've adored your dog's (Pilgrim and Girly) and the patience and love you've shown them will also be shown to Honey and she will bloom under your care. Congratulations on your new family member, Margaret. She is a very lucky girl


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## Amystelter (Jul 31, 2013)

G-bear said:


> I believe that dogs can, and do, experience something similar to PTSD. Our black and tan coonhound, Jack, had been very badly abused before we got him. From what his foster mom told us Jack had been beaten with a 2X4, tied to a tree and shots were fired at the tree and he had been left chained to the same tree for 2 days with no food or water (in the summer) before his previous owner was arrested and changed with cruelty to an animal and neglect. When we got Jack he was terrified of all loud noises (including my calling, "Jack come!"), was deathly afraid of being touched by anyone, and would not go near a tree. He was a resource guarder who would let no one near his bowl while eating.
> I am 100% sure his fears were the result of what he had experienced during the first 2 years of his life. It has taken 2 1/2 years of hard work on Jack's part to overcome a lot of those issues. It took a long time to allow him to know that hands don't hit in this house, yelling usually means there is a treat to be given (as in Jack, come!) and that trees do not harm him (and are, in fact, a dandy thing for him to lift his leg on). With thunderstorms I discovered (by accident) Sentry good behavior calming ointment, which, when applied to Jack's nose before a thunderstorm, allows him to now sleep through a storm. He has made wonderful progress and has shown himself to be a beautiful sweet boy. I have absolutely no doubt that with time your girl, Honey, will overcome her fears. It will happen because you have previously shown how much you've adored your dog's (Pilgrim and Girly) and the patience and love you've shown them will also be shown to Honey and she will bloom under your care. Congratulations on your new family member, Margaret. She is a very lucky girl




Jack's previous owner needs to rot in jail!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Congratulations on your adoption of Honey, hope you'll share pictures of her with us. 

I guess it's possible she could have PTSD, but to me it sounds more like she was not socialized or exposed to many things when she was young. Do you know what her background or story is?

She sounds just like how my Bridge girl was when I adopted her. She was a former puppy mill momma that had lived the first 2 years of her life in a cage/kennel. She was not socialized, had been abused verbally and physically, had never been in a car, a house, touched the ground or grass. She was afraid of any sudden movements, people moving too quickly around her, raising your hands or arms as you mentioned Honey is. She was also afraid if someone raised their voice. 

She was very nervous, every little thing and sound we take for granted such as the microwave timer going off scared her, she was terrified of us, was afraid of being touched, afraid of anyone coming up behind her, you name it, she was afraid of it. 

How long has Honey been with you? Give her some time to settle in, take things very slowly with her. Give her the time she needs to trust you and to feel safe, this may take weeks or even several months. Let her come to you, don't try to force anything with her, be very patient, gentle and loving with her. 

If it were me, I wouldn't give her the valium, if you think she needs something, try a natural relaxer such as Rescue Remedy, not sure if it's available in Australia or not. 

It's just going to take a lot of time with her, it's not going to happen overnight, she's going to be a work in progress for a very long time, maybe even the entire time you have her. Sorry if this is not what you want to hear, but I found it to be true of my bridge girl. 

Here's a link to a website, they also have a FB page. It has a lot of very good info on this site, I referred to it often. 

Fearfuldogs.com

I found that many of the usual training methods do not work when you are dealing with a dog that is afraid. You may take one step forward and two steps backwards some days. Certain things will work one day and the next day they won't. The damage to my girl was so deep, that sometimes certain things would cause her to go into full blown panic mode or basically shut down. I learned to work through them even though I didn't always know what may have been the cause. She got where she liked going out to some Walking Trails we have in a near by National Forest away from people and other dogs. She loved going to the beach, going swimming. 

Over the years she got where she would come up to people and want attention, whenever someone came to visit if they were standing she felt threatened. If they sat down and they let her come up to them when she was ready, she did fine. 

She also always needed to be with another well adjusted dog, this is important, it really helped her and it does with most dogs that are former mill dogs. They gain confidence and also learn from being around another dog.

It's a long journey, but one that is very well worth the time it takes to see them blossom into a dog that enjoys life and their family.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Bless you, and Thank you!, for opening your heart and home to Honey, congratulations! 

Yes dogs can suffer from PTSD, Post Traumatic Disorder (PTSD) in Dogs | Animal Wellness Magazine. Being rehomed is not always as easy on them as we may assume, it can be traumatic/scary for them, some dogs will recover quickly, others can take a long time. Keep Honey's world 'small' for at least a couple of weeks, give her time to decompress, to get to know you, and for you to get to know her before challenging her with too many new people, places in her life.

A couple of books may be of interest to you.

Love Has No Age Limit by Patricia B. McConnell

Beyond Flight or Fight by Sunny Weber

Cautious Canine by Patricia B McConnell


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## Pilgrim123 (Jul 26, 2014)

Thank you for the replies, G-bear and Carolina Mom. They've both been very helpful. G-bear, I'd been following your discussion on the benefits of Sentry ointment, ever since we heard we would be getting her. You have no idea how much I wish it was available here, especially as we have storms forecast for tomorrow!
Honey was, according to the rescue, a dog who was no longer wanted when the couple had a baby. After that, she was locked in the back yard and forgotten about, apart from giving her food and water. She wants to be in contact with you the whole time, when she isn't running away in a panic. It's not a combination I've run across before. 
Thank heaven she likes to walk, as long as there are no noisy trucks or motorbikes. If we walk for an hour, she sleeps peacefully for at least 30 minutes.
And this is her, in her favourite position on the couch, as long as I don't move or there's a noise outside.
By the way, one thing I've learned over my years of rescuing is that I have to adapt to the dog, just as much as the dog has to adapt to me, so, even if she is always frightened, she has a home here where she will be loved.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Awww, Honey's beautiful, she reminds me of my Bridge girl. 

Give her time, she'll come around, she needs to learn to trust you and to feel safe, once she does, she'll be a totally different girl, especially once she realizes she is loved......


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

Carolina Mom, your Bridge girl sounds very much like my friend's Lab, Zeke. He was tied to a pole and left out in a snowstorm. 
It was a long time before he trusted anyone, for some reason he trusted me from the first day but I tell her it was because he could sense that I was too dumb to be a threat to him. He was about 8 months old, I came into her house, flopped on the floor going "PUPPY!" and he was all over me - while everyone was all worried he would bite, he was licking my face. After 5 years, he still has certain "dislikes," one of which is men in hats - we think he was abused by a man who took off his cap and hit him on the head with it, because it's rare that he will allow anyone to pet his head, still.

Honey is beautiful. She's lucky to be with you and when she realizes she's safe and home now, she's going to thrive.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I think she may benefit from daily anxiety medication, rather than just the valium during storms. Anxiety is an actual chemical reaction in the brain, dogs, like humans, can benefit from treatment. Xanax or other anxiety drugs taken daily can help a dog be more calm overall. It would be worth talking to your vet about.


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## G-bear (Oct 6, 2015)

Honey is beautiful. Such a sweet face! She reminds me of my heart dog, Goldie. She is a lucky dog to have you and I am so happy for you


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## Pilgrim123 (Jul 26, 2014)

Charliethree, that was a very helpful article. It's helped convince me that mylissyk's idea about a vet visit is in order. Although she is not as lost as a puppy mill dog, she is on the alert all the time. (I know - she's only been here two minutes, and, like all rescues, it"ll take time for her to settle into the routine of a new home.)
I was thinking about how she clings to me last night. It reminds me of the TV footage of Romanian orphans in the late 80's who clung to anyone who gave them affection. Sad, really, but she has a chance of fun in her life again.


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## Amystelter (Jul 31, 2013)

Charliethree said:


> Bless you, and Thank you!, for opening your heart and home to Honey, congratulations!
> 
> Yes dogs can suffer from PTSD, Post Traumatic Disorder (PTSD) in Dogs | Animal Wellness Magazine. Being rehomed is not always as easy on them as we may assume, it can be traumatic/scary for them, some dogs will recover quickly, others can take a long time. Keep Honey's world 'small' for at least a couple of weeks, give her time to decompress, to get to know you, and for you to get to know her before challenging her with too many new people, places in her life.
> 
> ...




I looked all over my threads this morning to find you but I had forgotten what you name was here. So glad you saw the post because I knew you would have good references for her! I am of no help


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