Mental health in humans is very important and should not be taken lightly especially if there are instances of mental illness. In these cases, proper medical attention should always be sought. However, what about mental health in pets? Do pets suffer from mental illnesses?
Many years ago, I stayed at a home with a cat who was seeing a pet psychiatrist due to “changes in the household.” Bear in mind that the cat started seeing the pet psychiatrist before I stayed in the home although one could argue that my stay could have added to the cat’s stress. I really did not know what to make of the situation and I never inquired as to what were the “changes in the household” that caused the cat to see a pet psychiatrist. Did the cat really need to see a pet psychiatrist? Did the cat’s parent need a psychiatrist? Did I need to see a psychiatrist trying to make sense out of all this?
Nevertheless, in all seriousness animals do experience stress. Some would argue that stress is due to internal factors such as the animal’s DNA. Others would argue that stress is brought about by external factors such as how the animal has been trained. For example, there have been reports of pit bulls and rottweilers fatally attacking individuals:
https://www.denverpost.com/2017/12/17/two-dogs-mauled-owner-pit-bulls-virginia/.
Could pet psychiatry have helped these dog(s) be less vicious and be better family companions. Sadly, we will never know.
What about less vicious animal breeds? How useful is pet psychiatry to these animals? To be honest I’ve never considered having our dog Ace see a pet psychiatrist even though at times he barks as if he is a raving lunatic and probably could benefit from pet psychiatry in these instances. Should a pet’s scheduled visit to the vet include a mental health assessment in addition to a physical health assessment? It’s an interesting thought.