Canine Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Excessive Licking, Sucking, Snapping and Running In Circles - The answer you may be looking for to as what is going on.

The first revelation that animals have OCD was made by Dr. Judith Rapoport, a child psychiatrist at the National Institute of Mental Health. She wrote a book about a boy with OCD - The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing - and following a national media tour was inundated with messages saying, "My dog does that, too." The dogs referred to were compulsively licking the lower extremities of their limbs, so-called acral lick, and on the surface it did look a lot like canine "hand" washing.

Compulsive disorders are caused by conflict, stress and/or frustration. With each stressful event that your dog encounters, there is a release of neurotransmitters involved with the stress response. When a dog is frustrated or stressed, he may start to perform a normal behavior such as holding a toy in his mouth in order to relieve that stress. If holding the toy in his mouth actually reduces the neurotransmitters involved with the stressful event, the dog is likely to perform that behavior again when he is stressed.

The first thing to do if you think your dog has a compulsive disorder is to go to your veterinarian for help. Because medical conditions can cause signs similar to compulsive behaviors in dogs, it is extremely important to rule out medical diseases such as neurologic, endocrine, gastrointestinal, and orthopedic disorders. Your dog should receive a thorough physical examination as wella s screening lab work before considering treatment for a compulsive disorder.

If your dog is completely healthy and is free of pain, he may have a compulsive disorder. Compulsive disorders are treated with medications to lower arousal and conflict as well as behavior modifications to give the dog an alternate coping strategy outside of the compulsive behavior. Treatment is often prolonged and continues for the life of the dog. If your dog is diagnosed with compulsive disorder you can expect some ups and downs in treatment and in your dog's behavior. Often chronic cases are referred to a board of certified veterinary behaviorist for treatment.

The best thing you can do for your dog if you suspect a compulsive disorder or if your dog repeatedly displays any behavior, even if it seems harmless now, is to seek help from your veterinarion. When compulsive behaviors are treated early and quickly the prognosis is much better than if they have progressed to a chronic state.