OCD Service Dog Feels Contaminated
I (27F) have been diagnosed with OCD since I was 5. I’ve gotten a lot better over time, and it doesn’t impact me much on a day to day, but with big changes and unfamiliar environments, I have flair up. When I was 15, I got a service dog for OCD and other mental health reasons, and he’s truly saved my life.
About 3 months ago, the foundation in my rental house caved in, and rats started living under the house. My partner called an exterminator who came, dealt with the problem, and we asked if there was a chance that the rats were touching/eating the dog food, and he said no. 3 weeks ago they came back and were in the kitchen, so we moved out immediately. We called another exterminator and he also said the rats weren’t in the food again.
Since moving, we threw everything in the kitchen out and have bleached the few things in the house I could tolerate keeping, but it’s been a nightmare. Everything in the new house feels dirty all the time, I have rules that don’t make sense, and I can’t stop cleaning everything over and over.
Today, my partner went back to the old house to grab something and said there were no sign of rats. I asked him why he thinks they left and he said that they were probably eating the dogs food. I’m now absolutely disgusted by my dog. Everything feels filthy. I can’t look at my dog wanting to vomit. Everything he touches feels contaminated the air he breathes, and I can’t lean on my service dog for support. I can’t just wash him because in my mind, the rat saliva is inside his body. I don’t know what to do to make him feel clean again.Seeking any advice if possible.