Autistic dog

Looking for advice. I have an 8yr old dog that is potentially autistic and looking for advice. She's lovely and friendly, but sometimes I worry.

She seems to be under sensitive to touch, and needs constant stroking. However, this brings on a severe tail stimming episode.

She's over sensitive to sounds and doesn't like fireworks.

She never licks people - not even her lord and master! (That's me)

She can't feed herself. I have given her a tin of dog food yet she waits for me to open it.

She can't got to familiar places without supervision as she can't safely cross the road.

Socially, she is friendly but struggles to make friends. She wants to play with every animal but they run away laughing at her :( for example, we have a cat that hides and runs away when she sees her.)

She is socially unaware of certain behaviorus. She will happily fart in a room full of people and not be bothered. She has also eaten a full meal, then the contents of the cat litter tray, then puked, eaten the puke and puked again before walking off and leaving me to clean up - with guests.

Is there a test I can do? I think she qualifies for PIP but not sure what to do there Disappointed

Happy Monday Smiley

Parents
  • I think the evidence is pretty affirmative. I think this is a case of canine asd. I must advice though, that even though the new autism act is a great step in the right direction, it is still lacking in any real guidelines, meaning, you may still get some funny looks when you take your dog to the doctors to request an assessment. 

    But don’t give in. With PIP, again it can be a bit tricky. You could always ask for the assessment to be carried out in the middle of a field, with plenty of running space, so the assessor gets a good feel for your dog in her natural environment. Maybe they could play a few games of catch (you could throw the ball to them!), and if you get a good assessor, I’m sure they’ll do what they can to make your dog feel more comfortable, for example, by dressing as a dog so your dog doesn’t feel so different from the off. Maybe they could teach your dog how to eat as well, by example! I’m sure some extra dog food will go down well with the assessor. 

    It would probably be a good idea if you could get your dog to puke in the doctors surgery and at the pip assessment as well, just so they get a good idea of the behaviours you’re having to deal with etc. 

    I know it’s not easy, but don’t give in. If more and more of us start to take our dogs to the doctors and start to demand something is done, I’m sure we could change things a lot quicker. I took my dead parrot the other day. They tried to tell me that because the parrot is dead, they couldn’t see the benefit in getting a diagnosis, so I had to remind them, how important a diagnosis is to us and just because the parrot is dead, he should not be excluded from his right to know who he is. 

    I’m thinking of taking the tortoise as well, as he has some very anti social behaviours which I’m sure are on the spectrum and my mouse, has never said a word to me in all the years we’ve been together, so I think there’s some autism going on there as well. 

    I guess it’s true what they say, that autism effects not just the individual but the whole family as well. When we’ve seen to the animals I’m starting on the electricals ~ don’t even get me started on those!!!! 

    Hang in there and never give in. 

  • Ah the dreaded electricals! I think my drier has a personality disorder. At least it has stopped doing the one thing it is supposed to do! 

  • I think I’m about done with my drier! It has also stopped doing the one and only thing that it’s supossed to do! I think mine is trying to assert its individuality, to say it’s not like all the others and it refuses to be pushed into acting like the rest!!! Punch tone3

  • My problem is, I forget all about her all too soon and the result is, she burns my blinking food!!!! Mean, she is!!! So I’ll show her. I’ve switched to a raw food diet and I’m going to buy a coffee machine so I don’t even have to use her stove top to make my coffee. And I’m going to get bamboo chopping boards that cover her stove top up perfectcty. I’ll show her, for burning my food Punch tone3

  • I also have problems with my cooker. The first problem is she hates me calling her that...

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