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Dog-owners to be offered beef-flavoured Prozac for their depressed pets
Last updated at 19:07pm on 25.04.07When a dog is looking a little down in the mouth the traditional remedy is to take it for a walk.
But the makers of Prozac reckon some dogs are so depressed they need to be medicated to get them through the day.
They have now launched a special canine version of Prozac on the pet market which comes in a chewable form and tasty beef flavour.
A special canine version of Prozac has been launched on the pet market which comes in a chewable form and tasty beef flavour
It is the first drug to be marketed by a new division of Eli Lilly, which is to be devoted entirely to pet pharmaceuticals.
The reformulated form of Prozac, called Reconcile, is aimed at dogs suffering from stress and separation anxiety from their owners.
The symptoms include the dog going berserk, barking, howling, ripping up furniture and carpets and incessant scratching at the door to get out.
A tendency is urinate in inappropriate places is another hallmark of the condition.
Clinical trials showed that the drug significantly reduced the symptoms of separation anxiety in dogs estimated to affect between 10 to 20 per cent of domestic dogs.
This not the first time anti-depressants have been given to family pets in the UK.
A few months ago a 12-year-old grey tabby called Twiglet hit the headlines after being prescribed anti-depressants for her "anger management issues" by a vet.
The unhappy cat's weight had ballooned to 15lb last March, but the results of her treatment and strict diet were dramatic.
After five months, Twiglet has lost almost 7lb and was roaming around the back garden without fear.
"She became just like any depressed person," said owner Jackie Martin, 28, an office administrator from Brighton.
"She became so frightened she rarely ventured out and put on weight because she wasn't getting any exercise."
There are several complementary products targeted at depressed pets are already on the market, although experts claim they have not been a hit with British pet owners.
Dr Roger Mugford, a leading animal psychologist, said: "There are already two well publicised drugs on the market in the UK, but neither of them have found a market.
"The British are a lot more sensible than people in some other countries if their animal is unhappy."
He said that medicating dogs was not the solution to behavioural problems.
He added: "Most dogs do not suffer from cognitive learning disorders.
"It is mostly a matter of lifestyle, genetics, diet and the skills of the owner to keep the dog healthy.
"There is certainly no market for curing anxiety in cats."
He said there are also concerns that Prozac has some unpleasant side effects in humans, which could suggest that some dogs might become aggressive when taking it.
This was also the view expressed at a recent meeting in Birmingham of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association.
Most drugs used for companion animals, as the pharmaceutical companies refer to pets, are human drugs that vets prescribe off label.
The cost of drug development is so high that companies are willing to spend the money it takes to develop a canine-specific drug, or run clinical trials testing human drugs for dogs and cats.
But drug companies believe that as more Europeans and Americans view their pets as family members a new market for reformulated in drugs in animal-friendly forms is opening up.
Drugs that never made it though the human testing process are being revived. One of the pet drugs approved in America earlier this year is the diet drug Slentrol.
Dirlotapide, the generic form of the drug, was originally tested for human use , but its side effects were deemed intolerable in humans.
Reader views (2)
It astonishes me that Dr Mugford sees no market for treating anxiety in cats. For the past thirty years in pet animal veterinary practice in London I have constantly dealt on a virtually daily basis with cats that present anxiety-related clinical signs. These include excessive grooming, eczema, stress related cystitis, inappropriate urine-marking, and comfort eating, amongst many other things. There are already many licensed and off-label pharmaceutical products which can be used for the control of these symptoms, to the welfare benefit of the patients. If anything, there may be an even bigger market for behavioural medication for cats than for dogs, as people are keeping cats in far greater numbers and concentrations in urban and suburban areas than ever before, with attendant stresses; these are commonly related to territorial issues with neighbouring cats, or with lack of opportunity to get out and about and have proper cat to cat interaction. In my view, in the long term, we can expect to see further development of psychotropic drugs for our feline companions to help them to adapt to the lifestyles we now force upon them. This is clearly a market that the pharmaceutical companies should be looking at.
- Duncan Davidson (Veterinary Surgeon), Mitcham, Surrey UK
Since the dog was first domesticated there has never been a need for any drugs to suppress depression or help sedate our dogs from suffering anxiety and stress.
But there are always those that will capitilise in an area where they can make money by pulling on your heart strings and conscience.
If society was not so throw away and had time to spend with their companion animals there would be no need for drugs...
Stop the public use of fireworks. bring back compulsory dog licensing and introduce compulsory micro- chipping,
Potential pet owners should be assessed on their experience and life style to help give any companion animal the right husbandry.
Why are cats so popular? Simply because it allows people to have an animal where it will not interfere with daily life as most cats are left to their own devices.
- Andrew Meads, Northants England
