Can Your Pet Have ADHD Or Autism? Research Suggests Yes

There are days when I just love the Internet, because you can go down the strangest rabbit holes.  This is one of them.

Oh, brother.  What did you find?

An article talking about whether our pets can have conditions like ADHD and autism.

Yeah, I know, it's pretty common to somewhat jokingly say a dog has ADHD, but I'm talking about serious scientific research into the matter.  According to that, it appears that the answer is yes, pets can indeed have ADHD and autism, or at least an equivalent.  And it isn't just limited to dogs.  Other common pets can as well.

Wait, really?

Like I said, it appears so.  Some research was able to link impulsive behavior in dogs to serotonin and dopamine levels in their brain.  The same chemicals are tentatively connected to ADHD in humans, particularly impulsive behaviors.

Sticking with man's best friend, another group of researchers found a genetic mutation that can occur in both dogs and humans.  The mutation is linked with autism in humans, specifically with difficulties in social situations.  When the mutation is present in dogs, they also display similar problems with socializing.

So what does it mean?

No clue.  Research is still ongoing, but could potentially lead to insights into how to deal with pet behavioral problems and new ideas on how to better diagnose and address the conditions in humans.

I'll admit, over my life, I've had several pets that had some odd personality traits.  As a kid, I just thought they were silly or dumb.  After reading the research, I'm left to wonder if they really were silly and/or dumb, or if there was something else going on that my family never thought about because we didn't know it existed to begin with.