Do Animals Get PTSD?

What is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. It is natural to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation.

In the natural world

Despite the fact that most living organisms must hunt other living organisms to survive, the natural world is not as peaceful and harmonious as we like to think. Animal living in the wild can suffer from PTSD, caused by traumatizing encounters with predators.

In domesticated animals

Ever wonder why some domesticated animals which are being put up for adoption exhibit timid/aggressive behaviors? These animals could have been abused by their previous owners.

The U.S. military has seen this reaction to stress in its working dogs. Its veterinarians say that about 5 percent of those dogs that have served in Afghanistan and Iraq suffer from “canine PTSD,” which can make some dogs aggressive, timid or unable to do their jobs.

Are these effects necessarily bad?

It allows learning about and responding to danger, and avoiding situations that present life-threatening risks. Researchers believe that PTSD has deep evolutionary roots, and that some of its symptoms arise from adaptations — like a heightened state of alert — that allow individuals of many species to manage danger.

Sources:

1. https://knowablemagazine.org/article/living-world/2021/do-wild-animals-get-ptsd

2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/07/08/can-animals-suffer-from-ptsd/

3. https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/animals-in-the-wild-can-get-ptsd-too