A recent case study in Animal Behaviour and Welfare Cases details the clinical management of dissociative syndrome in a 6-year-old female mixed-breed Grand Griffon Vendéen named Mila. This rare psychiatric disorder, analogous to schizophrenia in humans, manifested as sudden, severe self-directed aggression and unresponsiveness to external stimuli.
Initial differential diagnoses included compulsive disorders, pain-related conditions, and epilepsy. Conventional treatments with NSAIDs, phenobarbital, and potassium bromide proved ineffective. Clinical signs, such as maximal pupil dilation and aggression toward her own limbs, supported the psychiatric diagnosis. An MRI scan ruled out structural brain abnormalities.
Therapy with the antidepressant fluoxetine and the antipsychotic aripiprazole resulted in a sustained reduction in both the frequency and duration of episodes, which became brief and occurred mainly around evening meals. Mila’s owner reported no side effects and noted a return to normal, playful behaviours.
This case highlights the importance of structured diagnostic processes in veterinary behavioural medicine and demonstrates the potential of novel psychopharmacological strategies in treating complex canine psychiatric disorders.
Source: Masson, S. (2025). Dissociative Syndrome in a Mixed-Breed Dog: Differential Diagnosis and Successful Therapeutic Management. Animal Behaviour and Welfare Cases, March 10, 2025.
