Quote:
Originally Posted by kjc  Yes, I believe they can suffer mentally from a lack of bonding.
I got my Peek A Boo from the Humane Society when he was 5 years old. He wasn't very friendly, though he did sit in my lap the first 3 days as he was scared to death. He had already been in 3 or 4 homes priur to mine. He wouldn't look at me, just kind of tolerated me. After 2 months, I was beginning to doubt my decision of getting, and seriously thought about returning him to the HS....
He was the most difficult dog I ever had to get close to, but it was worth it. Mental illness? Maybe. He had shut down emotionally, so I had to bring him back. He loves everybody and has for 9 years. |
What you did for Peek A Boo is such a great accomplishment! Few people would have cared as much about him as you did. I had a cat named that but I spelled it Peekaboo...nice name!
I agree that they can suffer terribly...mentally...from abuses as well as physical issues, drugs, chemical food additives, and other things.
My first Shep/Lab managed to sneak out of the house in heat before we knew she'd started her cycle and about a week before she was to be spayed and had 7 puppies. When they were on soft solid food about a week, one pup somehow managed to choke on a bit of the food. I was right there with all of them but didn't see him right away 'cuz I was working with whole whole litter, cleaning the welping box, etc. and turned away for a couple minutes, glancing at them every now and then. When I looked back at them, he was lying on the floor, unconscious, so I grabbed him up and did a Heimlich and got him breathing, but you could see in his eyes and body he was mentally retarded and we lost him anyway. It was awful and I never took my eyes off the pups while they were eating again.
I had a friend who had a Maine Coon cat...a gift to her who became her heart...who she had to have PTS 'cuz he was acting schizophrenic. He'd be all lovey dovey one second and attack her the next. Her vet...also my vet...called it "Rage" and said it is more common in dogs than cats, where it is rare.
Also, I have rescued feral cats who seem quite neurotic with fear based issues, and most of them have overcome everything but some needed to be indoors for 30 minutes or so before the 'outside feral cat' in them relaxed enough to be comfortable indoors. Another cat, stray or dumped, was not very friendly, even after we took care of his absessed leg. If you touched him with your foot...I give mine foot-lovies when my hands are busy...he'd freak out and be all teeth and claws. Again, just kept treating him like nothing was wrong, and continuing to love him up and not too much later, he'd flop down on my feet and start foot-loveying, plus he'd let my baby granddaughter use him as a footstool.
I have a friend who got a dog from a shelter...he was pretty neurotic, too. It took quite a while, and he had some physical issues from the abuse they had corrected surgically, but they just kept loving him until he decided people were ok again and now he is a little darling.
Sorry this was so lengthy, but since animals eat processed foods with additives, and are given chemical drugs, and display emotions and behaviors rather like humans, etc., I cannot imagine that some of them don't end up with some of the same mental and emotional problems people do.
