By Claudia Bensimoun
First published: World Cynosport Rally
Can dogs suffer from PTSD like humans? This RallyDogs feature by Claudia Bensimoun on barkuptoday.com, published June 11, 2013, reveals insights from a Fukushima study where abandoned dogs showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder after the 2011 nuclear disaster.
Researchers Miho Nagasawa and colleagues found elevated cortisol levels and reduced trainability, linking stress to environmental trauma. With over 5,800 dogs affected, the findings offer lessons for performance dogs facing similar pressures.
Below are key highlights from the study, including how to recognize stress in canine athletes. Read the full feature on RallyDogs.com here.
Studies show that dogs that have experienced stressful or traumatic events can show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), by Claudia Bensimoun.
Dogs that experience stressful or traumatic events can carry psychological trauma. Walk through any post-meltdown Fukushima dog shelter in Japan, and one will see the most common behavioral problems associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. (PTSD)
Dogs, like people, can feel stressed, confused, and unloved. Many dogs that were abandoned in the Fukushima exclusion zone after last year’s nuclear crisis have had to survive many of the devastating effects: high radiation levels, lack of food, freezing temperatures, and sudden changes in their environment and family unit.
The numerous meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011 not only caused a humanitarian crisis, but they also created the worst-case scenario for all pets as well. More than 100,000 people had to be evacuated from within a 13-mile radius. Dogs were left feeling traumatized. Today, researchers have evidence that the Fukushima event was so devastating for the 5,800 dogs that were registered in the area that, when tested, these abandoned dogs displayed many symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder in people.
According to Miho Nagasawa and colleagues, who compared behavior patterns and levels of cortisol in the Fukushima rescued dogs, they found evidence that dogs do indeed suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD).
We received stray or abandoned dogs from rescue centers in the Fukushima Prefecture. During re-socialization training and health care, we assessed each dog’s behavioral characteristics and urine cortisol levels. We compared them with those of other abandoned dogs not involved in this earthquake.
The dogs from Fukushima showed significantly lower aggression toward unfamiliar people, trainability, and attachment to their caretakers; also, urine cortisol levels in the dogs from Fukushima were 5-10 fold higher than those in abandoned dogs from another area of Japan. These results suggested that the dogs from Fukushima suffered from a highly stressful crisis.” Miho Nagasawa says via Nature’s Scientific Report.
Nagasawa and his colleagues expected that the Fukushima dogs might still be under chronic stress and exhibit behavioral and neuroendocrine stress responses attributable to the environmental conditions post-Fukushima. They then compared research data from disaster-affected dogs with data from Kanagawa, a non-affected area in Japan.
The results showed that the Fukushima dogs’ urinary cortisol levels were highest on the day of arrival and then declined significantly after the 8th day. At the same time, the Kanagawa dogs showed no significant changes in urine cortisol levels over time.
These strays also demonstrated difficulty learning and forming attachments to humans. “The dogs from Fukushima showed significantly lower aggression toward unfamiliar people, trainability, and attachment to their caretakers.” Miho Nagasawa says via AAAS. Science Now
Impaired learning and an inability to bond were two of the post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms displayed by both dogs and people. Although the Fukushima dogs seemed to improve over time, they remained anxious and more stressed than other dogs. They were not as friendly as other dogs.
Miho Nagasawa and his colleagues say it remains unclear whether the greater stress in the Fukushima dogs resulted from the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake in 2011, the sudden and strange disappearance of all humans, or the time it took to rescue all the abandoned dogs in Fukushima.
To recognize the signs of stress in performance dogs, one must visualize the external stressors in their environment. Although it is impossible to measure stress levels, it is undoubtedly possible to assess specific stressors—such as environmental changes or prolonged isolation—using cortisol levels and behavioral observations, as demonstrated in the Fukushima study.
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