Military dogs seen with stress syndrome

Military dogs seen with stress syndrome

SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. military dogs that sniff out mines, track down enemies and clear buildings struggle with mental strains of combat like their human handlers, experts say.

More than 5 percent of the approximately 650 military dogs serving with U.S. combat forces are developing canine post traumatic stress syndrome, said Dr. Walter F. Burghardt Jr., chief of behavioral medicine at the Daniel E. Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base.

Military veterinarians have been seeing patterns of disturbed behavior among dogs exposed to explosions, gunfire and other combat-related violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, The New York Times reported Friday.

Symptoms can include hyper-vigilance, distinct changes in temperament, or becoming unusually aggressive, needy or timid with their handlers.

The concern is when the dogs are no longer able to perform the tasks they were trained for, Burghardt said.

"If the dog is trained to find improvised explosives and it looks like it's working, but isn't, it's not just the dog that's at risk," he said. "This is a human health issue as well."

Treatment can be tricky, since veterinarians and handlers must make educated guesses about the traumatizing events.

Care can be as simple as taking a dog off patrol and giving it lots of exercise, playtime and gentle obedience training, veterinarians said.

 Military dogs seen with stress syndrome