It's possible for any breed of dog to develop OCD, however, there are some breeds more prone to compulsive behaviors. Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, and Bull Terriers have been identified as more likely to develop OCD due to genetics. Dogs with OCD also likely have altered serotonin transmission.
While canine compulsive disorder is not extremely common, some of the breeds most likely to exhibit signs of OCD include German Shepherds, Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and adorable Cairn Terriers.
Generally speaking, OCD is a developmental disease seen in rapidly growing puppies of some but not all large breeds, including Great Danes, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherds. Some breeds are more likely to have it than others.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in Dogs
The most commonly observed obsessive-compulsive behaviors are spinning, tail chasing, self-mutilation, hallucinating (fly biting), circling, fence running, hair/air biting, pica (appetite for non-food substances such as dirt, rocks or feces), pacing, staring, and vocalizing.
It's no wonder that many pets that are close to their humans, such as dogs, cats, horses, pigs and exotic birds, are all known to display obsessive compulsive behaviors. The most common types of animal obsessive compulsive disorder seen in dogs include tail chasing and obsessive licking.
The cause of OCD is unknown. However, this disease is more common in dogs receiving too much energy, protein and calcium in the diet. Other factors may also include genetics, rapid growth, trauma, lack of blood flow, and hormonal factors.
The shoulder joint is the most common site for OCD in dogs, followed by the tarsus (ankle), elbow, and stifle (knee). In some cases, multiple joints may be affected in the same dog.
Shoulder OCD in dogs has been demonstrated to be a genetic disease and cannot be caused by diet or exercise although excessive exercise in a dog with untreated shoulder OCD may make the lameness more severe.
Dogs may also develop obsessive-compulsive disorder
Study authors find that certain breeds are more likely to display ADHD-like characteristics. Much of this comes down to their genes and the traits many of these breeds have been bred to display over many generations.
Prognosis for OCD in the shoulder is good to excellent with full function restored after surgery. Prognosis for OCD in the elbow, stifle, and hock is fair to guarded depending on the size of the lesion, the severity of degenerative joint disease, and the animal's age.
As genetics play an important role in the development of OCD, any patient diagnosed with this condition should not be bred. In addition, parents, siblings, or previous offspring of an affected patient should not be bred.
Examples of listed compulsive disorders in dogs include shadow chasing, light chasing, spinning, spinning/tail chasing, acral lick dermatitis (ALD), self-mutilation, fly biting, pica, fence running, flank sucking, checking hind end, and excessive licking of objects (12,13).
3 Common Dog Mental Health Issues. Dogs can show symptoms of anxiety and depression, which can go hand in hand. They can also develop compulsive behaviors when they're struggling with these mental health issues.
Without it, the joint will become painfully arthritic within months. And this is no cheap surgical procedure, I assure you. That's because board-certified surgeons, with their wealth of training and experience, are the go-to veterinarians for this procedure. Expect to spend between $2,000 and $4,000 per joint.
The inheritance pattern of OCD is unclear. Overall, the risk of developing this condition is greater for first-degree relatives of affected individuals (such as siblings or children) as compared to the general public.
Is OCD Inherited? Research shows that OCD does run in families, and that genes likely play a role in the development of the disorder. Genes appear to be only partly responsible for causing the disorder, though.
Imaging, surgical, and lesion studies suggest that the prefrontal cortex (orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortexes), basal ganglia, and thalamus are involved in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Is there a particular breed predisposition? Genetic factors are the most important cause of OCD, with strong breed predispositions, particularly in Labradors and giant breed dogs. Different breeds appear to be predisposed to developing the condition in different joints.
Can a Dog Have Autism? While some of these behaviors are unique to humans, researchers have found that, in fact, ASD can occur in dogs, but it's called canine dysfunctional behavior (CDB). Researchers believe that canine dysfunctional behavior is an idiopathic condition, meaning that the cause is unknown.
New research suggests that by yelling, or otherwise adversely training your dog, you could be causing some serious psychological harm. Number of occurrences of each stress-related behavior in the dogs averaged across the three training sessions for Group Reward (filled bars) and Group Aversive (empty bars).
One study with 28 people used Benadryl (diphenhydramine) as the placebo because it was assumed to have no effect on OCD. However, Benadryl improved the symptoms [28]. No proper clinical data backs up the use of opioids, riluzole, or Benadryl in people with OCD.
Often called clingy, velcro dogs have a desire to be close to their owners. Companionship. Perhaps the most obvious reason, some dogs simply prefer the companionship of their human owners. Over the process of domestication, natural selection has shaped dogs to become companions for humans.