A dog's life set to get easier with once-a-day pet Prozac to treat depression

I'm not sure what to make of this but do you think it's a good thing or bad
A dog version of the anti-depressant Prozac has been approved for sale to British pet owners.
The one-a-day tablet, which tastes of beef, is said to help cure 'canine compulsive disorder' and 'separation anxiety' brought on by owners' long absences during the day.
Symptoms include poor behaviour, whimpering or tail-chasing.
The drug, called Reconcile, is also designed to curb the compulsive pacing, chewing and dribbling which its makers claim is a result of depression brought on by their owners' long absences.

The anti-depressant Prozac has been used to cure compulsive behaviour in humans, and works by increasing the brain's levels of serotonin, a 'happiness' chemical.

Trials involving more than 660 mentally-disturbed pets in Europe and the US produced improvements in behaviour within eight weeks.

Eli Lilly, the drug's US manufacturer, said: 'Treatment for companion animals is a relatively new area for us.'

They point to research which shows that as many as 8 per cent of dogs suffer from canine compulsive disorder.
Prozac

Pick me up: Prozac

Critics say gods are now being diagnosed with 'lifestyle' illnesses so that drugs can be marketed to treat them.

Roger Mugford, an animal psychologist, said: 'Most breakthroughs in dog behaviour are achieves by carrying a titbit and using it wisely, not by drugs.'

Reconcile has now been granted a licence by the UK's Veterinary Medicines Directorate.

However, it was first licensed in the US three years ago for separation anxiety from being left alone for long periods.

The American Food and Drug Administration said it should be taken with therapy to modify the dog's behaviour - and should be taken by puppies as young as six months.

At the time, Steve Connell, Eli Lilly's manager of consumer services for companion animal health, said that more than 10million US dogs exhibit strange symptoms from being left alone too long.

'Lilly research shows that 10.7million, or up to 17 per cent, of US dogs suffer from separation anxiety,' he said. 'We're thrilled that our first product for dogs can help restore the human-pet bond.'

He said research showed that 73 per cent of dogs taking Reconcile and undergoing therapy showed better behaviour within eight weeks, compared to dogs receiving therapy alone.

The drug's website says: 'While you may not be familiar with canine separation anxiety, you are probably familiar with its symptoms.

'While you are gone, your dog may do one or several of the following: chew destructively; bark or whine; inappropriate urination and/or defecation; drool; pace; tremble; vomit - or worse.

'Separation anxiety is a clinical condition in your dog's brain. Your pet is not a bad dog. Your pet's behaviour is the result of separation anxiety.'

In Britain, research for Sainsbury's Bank in 2003 indicated that 632,000 dogs and cats had suffered from depression in the previous year.

Nearly three times as many had suffered from behavioural problems which could be linked to depression, such as attacking furniture.

Clare Moyles, Sainsbury's pet insurance manager, said: 'People are leading more stressful lives and unfortunately this can have an adverse effect on the health of our pets.

'Cats and dogs can be very susceptible to their owner's feelings and if they sense that they are unhappy they can become agitated or depressed.'

Side effects of Reconcile can include lethargy, reduced appetite, vomiting, shaking, diarrhoea, restlessness, excessive barking, aggression and seizures in a small number of dogs.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz0gIp9a0ZH

Hmm I don't think I agree with this at all..

Chewing etc are all behavioural problems which require training..

And surely if these things are brought on by seperation anxiety because the dog's left alone too long, then the owners should be considering whether they should have had a dog in the first place, not giving them a drug..

EDIT: Also, who would want to risk putting through their dog through the potential side effects?! All of them are bad enough, but SEIZURES? No thankyou..

Why bother to train a dog anymore when it can be diagnosed with "depression" and be drugged up instead?


Bloody ridiculous.

And IF an animal is in such a state on an ongoing daily basis, despite good help and training and suitable lifestyle offered; I honestly would consider being PTS a better option than drugging the poor thing for the rest of it's days.

Oh dear!!
So if you leave your dog alone too much then instead of training and exercising your dog you can just dope it up so it dosent bother doing the wrong thing - or anything

Why do people have dogs?? They would be much happier with a soft toy!

I don't agree that separation anxiety is a training problem ~ it a behavioural problem brought on by the stress & anxiety of being alone. Some dogs are more prone to it than others & there can be many causes, from early weaning to an impoverished puppyhood to an inherited nervous disposition. But the root cause in all cases is because dogs are naturally social animals, suited to living with others of their own kind or with primary attachment figures in the form of the humans they live with. And in the prolonged absence of this sort of company some dogs can become highly stressed & anxious.

The problems arise for owners when the dog, in an effort to cope & make themselves feel better, develop unacceptable strategies like barking, chewing doors, toiletting indoors etc.

However I don't agree with the use of anti-depressants to solve these problems. Apart from the potential side effects, no-one knows exactly how a dog is feeling emotionally. either before or after drug treatment. We can only make educated guesses based on behavioural observations & sometimes through brain scans or blood tests.

By far the best way to solve these problems is to change the dog's lifestyle & management regime ~ if necessary by recognising that you aren't able to offer the dog what it needs to enjoy life & finding a more suitable home.

The only circumstance in which I would consider the use of psychotropic drugs for behavioural problems is when the problem is SO severe, that any behavioural modification in the form of cognitive therapy, cannot even get started as the dog is too stressed or depressed. In these cases, the temporary use of anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication MAY provide a window within which cognitive therapy can be started. But any medication should only be prescribed by a vet, in consultation with a properly qualifed behaviourist & only in conjunction with behavioural therapy.

If the problem is brought on by the owner's long absences during the day the owner needs to consider making changes to his/her lifestyle or rehome the dog.

What she said.

My girl Rio had seperation anxiety after her companion passed away last year. It was difficult but leaving her for short periods then rewarding her when she was reasonably calm on my return has really helped. She also has two doggy friends now. I could have taken the easy route and drugged her, but it doesn't cure the root of the problem. You have to address the issues with time and training, not medication.

What they said.

Although I can see that there are times when *short* term use of a drug may be useful I don't think it should be the beginning and end of it.

Glad you know the status that should be shared by *all* dogs everywhere

I wouldn't use that... If it's anything like human antidepressants I would think that it could well make the dog feel a lot worse whilst the dosage is figured out and everything balances out chemically? I don't think it's fair to do that to a dog, who won't understand that it could help it to feel better in the long run. And even then, you're treating the symptom rather than the problem. At the very least I think it should never be used without extensive training/therapy for the dog, and then only for the shortest amount of time possible when all other avenues have failed.