Traumatized Animals: Could They Have A Form Of Ptsd?

[Deleted member 29899]

Sometimes I go to our cities animal shelter and myself mhaving been abused/neglected, I walk by all the cages and can immediately related to one or two. Their little souls look broken. You can see it in their eyes. It breaks my heart. I will have an individual visit with the 'broken' one for as long as I can and it eventually bonds with me and lays on my lap. It almost brings me to tears. When I leave they are crying to be with me. I almost feel guilty to have bonded with them because it leaves them even more distressed.
I think it's easy to feel sorry for them because we can see their pain but they cannot speak for themselves. Sorry if this sounds really sappy. It breaks my heart though. Wish I could afford a dog right now, rescue some poor little soul and I know it would help me heal as well.

 

[MT Johnny]

I think my dog has a version of PTSD from medical treatment trauma - not that anything that ever happened to him was abuse, just the opposite, he's had the best medical care I can give him - just way too much of it, because he has multiple serious conditions due to diabetes, and he's been in and out of the veterinary ICU and to the regular vet for several years now. He was always fearful, after each major hospitalization it grew worse, now he has to be muzzled to be treated, and he is so full of anxiety being there. I feel bad, but now it's to the point they are giving him benzos to calm him down while he is there. I don't want to feel like I'm "torturing him" because he does have quality of life when hes feeling OK and not in another diabetic crisis or sick with pancreatitis or suffering yet another chronic ear or eye or skin infection.