Pets Also Need 'Depression' Counseling [New Jobs]

Pets Also Experience Mental Stress and Lethargy
Need for Psychological Therapy Beyond Simple Behavior Correction
Psychology Contributes to Improving Welfare in Zoos as Well

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No matter how long one has lived with pets, it is fundamentally difficult for humans to accurately understand the psychological state of different species such as dogs or cats. However, animals also experience a variety of emotions like humans, and sometimes suffer from severe depression that can threaten their lives. Recently, overseas, the number of psychologists responsible for animals' 'mental health' is increasing.

Animal Treatment: Now Beyond 'Correction' to Psychological Care

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According to the US pet training company 'Pet Care,' 'Animal Psychology' is a new specialized knowledge that contrasts with general animal 'training.' Even now, most pet psychology-related solutions focus on 'correction' rather than 'healing.' They carefully observe what behaviors dogs or cats exhibit, infer where bad habits originated, and based on this information, reset the relationship between owner and animal or correct the animal's behavior.

However, animal psychology literally focuses on the psychological welfare of animals. According to experts, animals also feel frustrating emotions, stress, and depression just like humans. Sometimes, these feelings can develop into depression. Dogs experiencing severe depression may refuse to eat on their own and can even die. Alternatively, they may express their sadness externally through aggression.

Animal psychologists evaluate depressed or aggressive pets and animals exhibiting compulsive behaviors to identify where they feel stress and frustration, then 'treat' them. The treatment process goes beyond simple supplements like play or behavior correction. It also includes prescriptions of human depression medications such as paroxetine and Prozac, requiring strict professional knowledge.

Animal Psychology Also Improves Welfare of Zoo Animals

Considering the emotional factors of the internal environment of zoo enclosures is also a result of research in animal psychology. Photo shows Fubao and a bamboo doll. Provided by Everland.

Animal psychologists in the US typically hold degrees in related fields such as animal behavior or cognitive psychology and are known to be employed at animal hospitals or specialized companies.

In particular, recent demand for animal psychology has been reported to be high in zoos. Due to the nature of zoos, all animals must live within confined spaces, but animals with inherently large territorial ranges find it naturally difficult to adapt to such environments. Because of this, some animals may experience stress or depression.

Professional animal psychologists working in zoos focus on making the zoo environment as similar as possible to the animals' natural habitats. Unlike in the past, modern zoos have introduced toys or simple puzzles (which release food automatically when solved) for animals, a trend that is also a significant achievement of animal psychology. Research has proven that activities like playing with toys or solving puzzles help relieve accumulated stress and reduce psychological pressure in animals.