Is my dog depressed quiz (9 Questions to find out created by a PRO Veterinarian)

 

Do dogs ACTUALLY get depressed?

Depression in humans is a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in activities that may have caused joy previously.

 

Everybody experiences depression at some point in their lives and it is a natural human emotion but do dogs suffer from depression?

 

The short answer is yes. The long answer is that dogs do get depressed but not in the same way that a human does in regards to clinical depression.

 

When trying to identify if your dog is depressed or not please remember that the below questions are only relevant if you have noticed a sudden change in behavior.

 

Some dogs love to sleep more so if they normally do this it might just mean they are on the lazier side than other dog breeds!

 

Now we know dogs CAN get depressed, let's start the quiz...

 

Is my dog depressed? - Quiz

When dogs feel sadness, grief, or depression their behavior usually changes to match their current emotional state.

 

Identifying the main symptoms of a canine depression is important to help you identify if your dog is acting strangely due to depression or as a result of another health problem.

 

Important note: Many of the symptoms in depressed dogs can also be symptoms of other health problems so if you are ever in doubt then we ALWAYS recommend getting your dog seen by a professional veterinarian to be safe.

 

We developed a special quiz alongside our professional Veterinarian to help you identify if your dog is depressed below. Just answer the 10 questions below with a 'Yes' or 'No' answer.

 

If you answer any of the questions with a 'Yes' then it's best to first seek professional help with your veterinarian immediately to ensure that they don't have an underlying health issue.

 

If your veterinarian can't find anything wrong with your dog then it could be a case of dog depression. Later on in the article we will cover some actions you can take to getting your dog feeling better.

 

Let's get started!

 

1. Has your dog become withdrawn?

This is when your dog starts not showing interest in the things they normally enjoy like playing games or going on walks.

 

Most dogs are sociable creatures so if this suddenly changes and your pet pooch doesn't want to be anywhere near you or family members it can be a sign of a depressed dog.

 

2. Has your dog become lethargic?

Depressed dogs can become lethargic, not want to go on walks, and seem to sleep all day.

 

A normally energetic pooch who becomes lethargic or a sudden change in sleeping habits can be a symptom of depression.

 

3. Has your dog lost it's appetite?

Like humans, a symptom of depressed dogs is a loss of appetite.

 

They might not eat any food at all or show disinterest even if you are trying to give them their favorite treat.

 

4. Is your dog not drinking as much water or none at all?

Similar to loss of appetite but far more dangerous as it can cause health issues a lot faster than not eating is when a dog stops drinking as much water or none at all.

 

If this happens with your dog seek immediate medical attention.

 

5. Has your dog lost interest in games?

If your dog normally loves playing tug of war or fetch however, now when you try to get them engaged in a game they just ignore you it can be a sign that something is wrong.

 

6. Is your dog excessively grooming?

Excessive grooming can be a symptom of depression or a sign that the dog is feeling pain in a certain area of its body.

 

Get your vet to check the area that they are licking more as it could be a bruise or something else causing this behavior.

 

7. Has your dog become clingy?

Becoming clingy and needing more attention than usual can indicate a few things;

 

A) Your dog is being attention seeking
B) Your dog is in pain/depressed
C) Your dog has developed separation anxiety

 

Clingy dogs don't necessarily mean they have a health problem it might just mean they have separation anxiety.

 

If they are normally clingy then you probably don't have anything to worry about however, if they are suddenly very clingy then it might be a cause for concern.

 

8. Has your dog forgotten their potty training?

If your dog suddenly forgets its potty training classes and has started to go to the toilet inside the house then this can be a sign of a depressed dog as once potty trained it is very unusual to forget this especially if it is in areas where they sleep or eat.

 

Sadly, I have firsthand experience of this behavior when a friends parent passed away. I had heard dogs greive but had never seen it personally.

 

The parent would normally take the dog for a walk every morning and when they were gone the dogs behaviour changed drastically.

 

He started to wee inside the house which was very unusual behavior and would cry all night long as if he knew what had happened.

 

9. Is your dog having problems switching off and settling?

If your dog is disoriented and cant seem to switch off and settle then this is another sign of a depressed dog.

 

As in the point above if a dog is emotionally upset or grieving than they can find it hard to settle and relax.

 

Why do dogs get depressed? + Tips on how to make them feel better

 

If you have a fear that your dog might be depressed than the first question you need to ask yourself is; Has anything changed in your dog's life, environment, or social group?

 

Depression in most dogs is usually caused by a specific event in their life like the loss of an owner, change of environment, dog fight or injury.

 

Fortunately, dogs are incredibly resiliant and given enough time and effort you can make your dog feel better in a few weeks.

 

Below are some common triggers of depression & some tips on how to help them feel better.

 

Grief from the loss of a loved one both human or animal companion.

 

Experts and more importantly dog owners have shown that dogs do experience grief when a loved one passes away whether that's a human family member or an animal friend.

 

How can you help this?

Try spending more time with your dog so that they know they are loved and someone is there for them.

 

Take them for nice walks and give them more of a fuss than usual to distract them from their grief.

 

Like with humans time is the best healer here.

 

Change of environment - new home, rehoming, adding a new baby or pet to the household.

 

Most dogs like routine and any change in the environment can make them upset.

 

Whenever I visit my wife parents house for a few days and we bring our dog with us it takes him ages to settle and relax and looks visibly upset.

 

This also applies to adding a new baby or pet to the family home as it takes attention away from the dog.

 

How can you help this?

 

Start getting them into a routine as soon as you have moved house, walking them and feeding them at similar times each day will help reset them to their new accommodation.

 

If a new baby or pet has been added to the household than make sure you are giving your dog a bit of extra loving too so that they don't feel left out and forgotten.

 

Not enough physical and/or mental stimulation. This is especially true for high-energy, working breeds.

 

Simply not giving your dog breed the physical or mental stimulation it requires can cause them to feel depressed.

 

Can you imagine if your whole body was designed to be physical and craved to get it's energy out but wasn't exercised enough? It would be torture.

 

This is one of the reasons we created The Pedigree List so that owners can find a dog perfect for their lifestyle!

 

How can you help this?

 

This one is easy! Simply take your dog on longer walks and always incorporate some sort of training when you take them out.

 

This will increase your bond with your dog and make them feel much better in no time!

 

Chronic pain from a health problem or injury

 

If your dog is unwell they will often share the same symptoms as a dog that is depressed.

 

Unfortunately, for this cause of depression it sometimes requires the dog to start healing for them to feel better.

 

Side Story: I remember when my dog's nail got caught in a bush and had to be removed which caused my dog a lot of discomfort.

 

Before we got the nail removed we didn't actually know there was a problem with it but my dog seemed completely different.

 

Bare in mind this is a young male Doberman who has a lot of energy normally.

 

When I would wake him up in the morning, he would just lie in his crate looking sad and then when he did come out he would go straight to the couch and just sleep there all day.

 

Considering his normal behavior is he starts to get grumpy if he hasn't had a walk within 30 mins of getting up we instantly knew something was up!

 

My point in telling this story is that as human dog owners it is easy to assign a human emotion to a dog but it doesn't necessarily mean that is the actual cause of the behavior.

 

To us, he looked really sad and depressed but actually, he was just in pain because of a broken nail.

 

When he got his nail removed and took some painkillers he was back to his old self within a few days.

 

This is why with any health problems we always recommend reading up about the issue (like you are doing now as a good dog owner) but always speaking to a professional so they can do a deeper inspection.

 

Trauma, including injury, abuse, or long-term stress.

 

Trauma is common with dogs that have been rehomed or have been abandoned in rescue centers.

 

Some of these dogs have been abused their whole life and are dealing with long term depression.

 

How can you help this?

 

This can sometimes take longer than the other causes as the dog might have been abused for a long time and will need longer to heal.

 

I would speak to a dog behaviorist who is an expert in this type of situation or even the rescue center who will be able to advise on how best to handle it.

 

Dog Fight

 

Has your dog got in a fight recently? If your dog has got in a fight or has been attacked by another dog out of the blue this can cause your dog to become withdrawn as they process what has happened even if they aren't physically hurt.

 

When my dog was attacked by a bigger dog when it was a puppy it didn't have any injuries (we took him to the vet straight away) but he did become withdrawn as I think he was scared that that situation would happen again.

 

How can you help this?

 

This sounds counter intuitive but if your dog has been in a fight and is whimpering next to you but isn't physically hurt then you want to avoid fussing them as this reinforces the behaviour and can make them nervous in future around other dogs.

 

It communicates to your dog that behaving like that is the desired response which over time can create an anxious dog.

 

Instead when they are home make sure that they get extra cuddles and some play time and they should be fine within a few days.

 

Is my dog depressed? Conclusion

 

You now know what to look for if you think you have a case of dog depression on your hands.

 

Thankfully, your dog is lucky to have an owner that cares enough to research about this issue and is now in good hands to be helped to feel better by the advice of a veterinarian or a dog behaviorist who specialises in these cases.

 

I hope your dog feels better soon!