Most dog owners have a hilarious story about how their dog chewed up something important, like homework, or infeasible, like a chunk of drywall.
It’s difficult to know if our animal companions suffer from eating disorders as we do, since we can’t easily confirm the mental and emotional drive behind a pet’s eating habits.
Hairballs are a common problem for those who keep cats. Grooming is important for felines, and a lot of fur can end up swallowed in the process.
Autism spectrum disorder is not so often considered an illness anymore. Many consider autism to be a perfectly normal facet of human psychology that is misconstrued to be a disorder
Unlike many other disorders, depression is fairly well-documented in nonhuman animals. Those that have been scientifically shown to suffer depression are nonhuman primates and rats.
Stress is a normal reaction for animals when their environment becomes dangerous.
Both cats and dogs can suffer from a few different sleep disorders. Narcolepsy can cause pets to collapse into a deep sleep, sleep apnea can destroy sleep quality and collapse airways.
While aging can contribute to many other mental illnesses in pets, it can also bring its own specific concerns. Many pet owners will shrug off their companion’s strange behavior.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder tends to be oversimplified in casual conversation. If someone likes things a certain way or cleans a little more than usual, people may label them as “OCD.”
Service pets are often recommended for people who suffer from PTSD and can be a huge help in their recovery.