War dogs suffer trauma just as soldiers

Burghardt is the chief of behavioural medicine at the Daniel E Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio,Texas. The doctor is among the first to recognise the condition in the dogs.

Dogs serving with the American army are developing canine PTSD,the animal behavioural specialist claimed,The New York Times has reported.

Although vets have long diagnosed behavioural problems in animals,the concept of canine PTSD is only about 18 months old,and is still the subject of debate.

But it has gained popularity among military veterinarians,who have been seeing patterns of troubling behaviour among dogs exposed to explosions,gunfire and other combat-related violence in Iraq and Afghanistan,the daily said.

Like humans with the disorder,different dogs show different symptoms. Some become hyper-vigilant. Others avoid buildings or work areas that they had previously been comfortable in,it said.

The report added that some undergo sharp changes in temperament,becoming unusually aggressive with their handlers,or clingy and timid. Most crucially,many stop doing the tasks they were trained to perform.