America’s heroic war dogs, who help fight for freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan out of sheer patriotism and uncontrollable Pavlovian impulses, are suffering from PTSD just as much as their less-adorable human comrades, the Times reports: >
Though veterinarians have long diagnosed behavioral problems in animals, the concept of canine PTSD is only about 18 months old, having come into vogue among military veterinarians who have been seeing patterns of troubling behavior among dogs exposed to explosions, gunfire and other combat-related violence in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Like humans with the analogous disorder, different dogs show different symptoms. Some become hyper-vigilant. Others avoid buildings or work areas that they had previously been comfortable in. Some undergo sharp changes in temperament, becoming unusually aggressive with their handlers, or clingy and timid. Most crucially, many stop doing the tasks they were trained to perform.
With therapy and sometimes even Xanax (seriously), some of these elite dogs can function normally again. But half of them will be given an early retirement. Which is fine with the dogs, we’re sure.
