Hey reddit, is there such a thing as a retarded dog? Is there a doggy down syndrome? How do you tell? Any veterinarians out there know the answer?

Uncoolio

All I know is that my cat is six years old and still can't read. I'm starting to get worried.

futureslave

yeah they're called yellow labs

mayonaze

My dog is convinced that his penis is out to steal his food. He barks at it and runs in circles growling whenever i feed him. Hes terrified of plastic bags and the BBQr, and is convinced that the vacuum is a motorized dog assasination robot. On the upside he loves to spoon, and thinks the kitty is the most fascinating creature on the face of the earth. Oh, and hes a 150 lb Rottweiler.

Saydrah

There are very few defined developmental disorders in dogs, but they've found mental illness in dogs that is very similar to OCD, so I imagine brain development could also be abnormal. It's also been shown that dogs raised in environments without any mental stimulation are permanently impaired in their ability to learn. I don't know of any disorder that, like Down Syndrome, results from an extra chromosome in dogs.

Since dogs are essentially wolves bred never to leave puppyhood, I imagine wolves would think of all dogs as having Down Syndrome.

Robopuppy

There are almost certainly mental disabilities for dogs, as their brains are nearly as complicated as our own. Any number of things, oxygen deprivation could cause all sorts of problems.

Down's syndrome in particular is unlikely, as it's a distinctly human mutation, but I'm sure there are all sorts of polyploidy disorders for dogs. However, almost all cases of chromosomal mismatches are lethal before birth, retardation there is the exception, not the rule.

On the other hand, dogs are pretty stupid to begin with. Mine eats cat poop, is terrified of air blowing at him, and routinely runs into walls. A mildly retarded dog might be harder to diagnose than you'd think.

awkistra

This Ted Talk claims to show a tiger with mental disability.

ArcticCelt

With Dogs it's the other way around, almost all of them are retards (but adorable) and from time to time one is normal.

FrankTheRabbit

I know that this is supposed to be a dreaming dog, but I suspect he is also retarded. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI8XgJ3JebE#

jujubish

I met my friends dog a few months after he picked it up from a lady that lived on an Indian reservation in the middle of Montana and grew up inside a tiny fenced yard a in a trailer...with cats. He was definitely the runt of the litter and only knew to act cat like.

The first few months he was scared of EVERYTHING! Doors, carpet, rocks, other dogs, humans, couches. He would constantly walk in circles and never turn his back on anything. He had to be watching you at all times. We all thought he was retarded or had down syndrome or both. He was also really skinny nad wouldn't ever gain weight.

We'd take him hiking and put him around dogs a lot to try and get him used to dog life. Eventually after a year he became the cutest fucking dog I have ever met! He has horrible eyesight and kicks your heels when you hike together. And he now acts more human and cat than dog. We call him our buddhist dog. He has such an amazing energy to him. We're still convinced he's retarded and if he was human we think he'd have down syndrome, but every person that has met him can't stop talking about him.

So, yes I think dogs can be retarded and I'd rather have one. Here's guydein

Fetus_Cheese

How about a retarded tiger? http://www.whatcracksmeup.com/uploads/34725-1408505107m.jpg

Obviously. Anything with a brain big enough to sustain damage can be retarded.

Of course, all you want a dog for is generally to give love and affection, so unless it has doggy autism, you should generally be fine.

meatpuppet13

i'm pretty sure my cat has brain damage. he had a super-high fever as a kitten (late night emergency vet trip) and the vet said it was a possibility.

he's a great cat, the best actually. he's know among my circle of friends as the sweetest, friendliest cat on the planets and i'm think it's because he's mildly retarded.

mrhorrible

Down syndrome occurs in humans do to an extra chromosome being present. Dogs have a different set of chromosomes all-together, so there would be no directly analogous syndrome for them. I suppose though, that having an extra chromosome thrown in there wouldn't exacty benefit dogs, so... yeah. Go for it. Try adding chromosomes until you get an adequate result for you purposes.

jmiday

Yahoo! Answers

Take with a grain of salt.

savoir_fate

dogs don't have a neo-natal team standing by to keep them alive if they are born prematurely, or with birth defects. They simply die...and no one does a post-mortem to find out why. nature tends to care of things pretty neatly.

igiveup2345

My dog has defied countless years of evolution to become the only living thing I have ever met that has a defense mechanism that consists entirely of rolling onto its back and wheezing.

It's parents were closely related, and their parents were closely related.

bakunin

ALL dogs are stupid. If you find a smart one, then that's the sick puppy.

ChaiOnLife

Not sure about dogs, but my uncle, a practicing vet, pronounced one of my childhood kitties "Cat-tarded." Her name was Muffin and her hips were pointed out so she always had this very slutty walk, for a cat, and she had NO balance at all. When she jumped down from anything, her tail would smack the floor, and when she walked, she looked like a drunk tight rope walker.

0l33l

Inbreeding of animals tends to do that. If your dog is a purebred, this might be the reason; also why people notice that mutts are smarter.

mootiechazam

My dog is quite special. He spent last night licking the whole floor because he thought he may have to throw up. He then proceeded to throw up everything that he had licked off the floor. The floor is now squeaky clean as all of the dog hair/dust was easily cleaned up in his small pile of puke. Plus he has a lazy eye and only one testicle.

I am pretty sure that my siamese cat is not mentally stable. He has no catlike grace whatsoever and has this absurd look of confusion on his face at all times.

avacadomotto

I don't know, but I firmly believe my cat is autistic, on some level.

BdaMann

Down syndrome can only occur in humans.

However, dogs could possibly have other trisomies in their chromosomes.

SudafedNyquil

Could just be brain damage? Lots of dogs are stupid - could be bad breeding.

monkeyman316

I hear your mom is a dog.

Ask her.

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