Introduction: Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating condition with limited treatment options. OCD is heterogeneous with respect to the content of obsessions and compulsions and their underlying motivation, among other characteristics. Animal models have provided important insights into the pathophysiology of OCD. Areas covered: The phenomenology of OCD is discussed, with emphasis on clinically-relevant subgroups. The paper also discusses the advantages and limitations of animals as models of OCD, along with considerations on assessing their validity. A PubMed database search using the terms ‘animal model’ and ‘obsessive compulsive disorder’ revealed ongoing studies in several models, including stereotypy in the deer mouse, quinpirole-induced checking, spontaneous alternation, compulsive lever pressing, genetic models, pathogenic models and models involving normal compulsive-like behavioral patterns. These models are presented with respect to their similarity to specific features of OCD and...

Parasitic diseases are important in animal production because they cause high economic losses. Affected animals often exhibit stereotypical behavioral alterations such as anorexia and inactivity, among others. Among the diseases that commonly affect domestic rabbits is mange, which is caused by the mite Psoroptes cuniculi. Therefore, within the context of the host-parasite relationship, it is critical to understand the mechanisms involved in the alteration of host behavior, in order to better utilize sick animal behavior as a strategy for diagnosis and treatment of disease.