Prozac approved for dogs with separation anxiety

Beef-flavored tablet will treat dogs suffering separation anxiety

Man’s best friend may have a new best friend after Eli Lilly and Co. won U.S. approval to sell its former blockbuster antidepressant Prozac to treat misbehaving mutts.

The drug, repackaged into a chewable, beef-flavored tablet to be called Reconcile, was officially approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of separation anxiety in dogs in conjunction with behavior modification training, the drug maker said on Wednesday.

The product gives new life to a drug that was once Lilly’s most lucrative medicine before it lost patent protection several years ago and sales evaporated in the face of generic competition.

full article here

Comments

[Kate]

I'm wondering how many people are going to utilize this offering.

As someone who has never seen separation anxiety in dogs for herself, I also have to wonder how this is going to affect the behavior of the dog taking the medication. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has any thoughts on this.

As an aside - this is the first time that I've commented on this blog but I've been a long time reader. One of us should nominate it for the Bloggers Choice Awards - http://www.bloggerschoiceawards.com/categories/27. Petville is probably one of the better, informative blogs about pets and pet ownership out there. It deserves a bit of recognition.

[Petville]

Thanks, Kate! Any recognition is always appreciated.

[Michelle]

Kate and Petville readers: I've also been reading this blog for awhile and I do have a dog that has "seperation anxiety". I have a 8 year old Yellow Lab and after our Black Lab passed on, this dog went into a deep depression. We live on a farm where she has the run of 13 acres. First of all, she has since developed frightfulness of guns and storms (bad) since our black lab died. She has destroyed 2 windows and 1 door at our house. I talked to my vet about this and he recommended a pill to calm her. I used it in our last storm and it worked good.

But she ALSO has seperation anxiety, she is fine while my husband and I are at work during the day, but after we come home at night and leave again, she goes to our friends house over a mile away (usually that is where we are). We don't know what to do about her. We are afraid she will get hit someday, since she is getting older. Oh.. you are probably thinking kennel the dog? lol She is the type of dog that CAN'T be Kenneled.. she is Huidini.. she breaks out of ANY kennel. She ruined 2 kennels at my vets when we had her fixed. But we love her.. she is VERY smart.. and loves to play frisbee. SO this may work for dogs that have this problem. :) michelle

[tisha]

I have an 7 year old pomeranian that I got when he was a year old. After i brought him home for the first time he started chasing any member of the family to the door and barking a growling when ever they would go to0 the door to leave. A week later he bit me for the first time when i was walking out the door. I almost gave him back to the people i got him from but since i was 18 ,lived with my parents and there were no small kids in the home i keap him assuming that the four other homes he lived at the first year of his life before i got him had left him with the fear of being left. i have since calmed him down where he rarely does it anymore but it still happens sometimes. i think this drug is a great idea. my dog deserves to feel better and not tormented by the actions of people who got dogs without knowing if they could keep them from his earlier life.

[Jayme]

I have a 3 year old Australian Terrier who has been suffering from severe seperation anxiety. I tried pretty much everything including phermones, taking him to a behavioral specialist, and behavior modification alone, and nothing worked. He would cry, bark, and howl the entire time I was gone, he would mark his territory all over the house while I was away, if he was in a cage, he would break through it using his muzzle and paws, often hurting himself, he would scratch up doors, chew on blinds, it was horrible. I was leaving medication as a last resort when the vet put him on Clomicalm, which worked for about a week or two and that was it. Also when he was on Clomicalm he seemed really lethargic and drugged. But as soon as I heard about Reconcile I spoke with the vet and he also suggested that my dog was a perfect candidate. He is currently the only dog at our vet who is on the medication and has been on it for almost 3 months and I have to say it is a miracle. After the first week, he stopped peeing on everything while I was away, he no longer marks when I take him for walks either, he seems more receptive when I tell him to come, sit, quiet, etc. He no longer cries or barks when I am gone. And he doesn't seem as lethargic as he acted when on the Clomicalm. I am so glad the FDA approved Reconcile and I would recommend it to others whose dogs are suffering from seperation anxiety. I was at a point where I thought nothing would help my dog, but Reconcile did.

[Miranda]

I am so relieved to read your comment, Jayme. I have a 10 month old airedale terrier puppy with severe separation anxiety. We tried Clomicalm at first, and saw the exact same effects...lethargy, loss of appetite. The drug worked for less than a month and then all his anxiety came back. I just picked up Reconcile from our vet today and I'm hoping it works. It is extremely stressful for the pet and the owner to go through the problems of destroyed kennels, hurt paws and teeth, and difficult departures. It helps to hear from other pet owners that Reconcile is working. Thanks!

[Cherie]

Does anyone know the side effects of this drug and what happens if they stop taking it? Withdrawl? I too have pomeranian that has been on clonicalm for 21/2 months. The first week very sleepy, but I though it was just her calming down. Now despite an increase in the dose, she still crys, pees, pulls her hair out, and poops when we leave her. Worse is how she spins around in circles and her ears are flat and she just shakes when we return. I really will wear you down.

[Kyla]

I have a 8 yr old Pomeranian and he suffers really bad...he barks at me when i leave and barks i have come back in the house alot of times cus i forgot something and he would be in the livingroom makeing this ungodly sound like a howl or a cry, when i come back he will cry and bark and jump at my leg until i pick him up, He will not stay with my mom if i give him to her when we go camping,If someone is holdin him he will not take his eyes off me, As of right now he is layin on my chest while i type this, If i was to put him on the floor he would only cry and bark till i picked him up again. I do my house work and he takes a step everytime i do, I shower, or go to the washroom I have to let him in expecialy when showering, I have a 7 yr old daughter that is jealous of him cus he takes up so much of my time!! I'm at no end with him BUT I would NOT put my dog on meds, I love him to much to have medacate my dog.

[Autumn]

I find it very interesting that people refer to Doggie Prozac as "drugging a dog." I have personally been on Prozac for years due to chronic depression. It is a useful aid for me in my fight against depression. (I also go to counseling weekly for the problem.) I would be horrified to hear someone describe me as "drugged." I certainly do not find this true at all. My personality has not been altered, it simply helps me to deal with symptoms.

[Kelly]

We have a 7 year old Chocolate Labrador with severe anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. We adopted him when his owner died suddenly in a very traumatic (ambulances and the like) way. Apparently he already had anxiety or lack of confidence issues before this but this event triggered extreme displays of this behavior. He licks his feet and forelegs repeatedly, barks and growls at inanimate objects (if you're wearing a hat, carrying a purse, pick up a guitar, etc...). He cowers and shakes with shear terror on his face if you take him for a walk. He does the "army crawl" when he hears a noise (even a bird chirping or leaves rustling in the breeze). To make this more confounding, he can, at times act like a totally normal dog. It's like there's a switch; flick it one way and you have a crazy dog, flick it the other way and he is happy go lucky... can catch a ball like a champ, loves belly rubs, etc.. then whamo... shaking and peeing himself.
We have been practicing behavior modifications which have worked only on agression toward strangers. We have also been working on desensitization but it is not working. His trainer is recommending that we see a vet and seek prozac for him. This is not a case of him being left alone, I'm a stay at home mom and I spend quite a bit of quality time with him. He is a very loved dog and gets a lot of attention. My heart hurts for him because he can never relax. He is always tense just waiting for a noise and then nearly comes out of his skin when even a tiny noise occurs. I have been on some other sites where people that have zero experience, that approach life from a touchy - feely "just hug and love your pet and they'll be fine" attitude reigns supreme. Dogs are intelligent creatures with complex thought processes. Some dogs genuinely need the help and indeed the relief that this medication can provide for them. They're not being "drugged" with these medications any more than a dog given medication for diabetes or liver problems or an infection... is "drugged." They are being given a second chance at living a happy life, chasing a ball and playing with their people. I am praying that Reconcile gives my wonderful dog some desperately needed relief.

[Small Breed Dogs]

Anti-depressants have been shown to affect some people with the opposite reaction, causing them to become more depressed and sadly, some of those people take their own lives. Now, if this happens to people, what is to happen to what may be a small percentage of dogs who have a bad reaction to the Prozac and feel worse. We must think about this seriously.

[Bob Franky]

Not a huge fan or medicating my little pooch - but having major troubles - so I'm going to keep this on my mind.

My little Chihuahua Teddy is having separation anxiety issues my wife and I are trying to work through.

I read another great post on dog separation anxiety yesterday on my.arfie.com - take a look http://my.arfie.com/profiles/blogs/the-first-10-minutes-coping

I think working with a dog to train him through the process is key., Leave the house for a bit to test him, try a webcam to keep an eye from the neighbors house.

Somethings got to work - until then I'm gonna keep on trying :)

[Pat Geis]

Have a rescued Dalmatian...male. When we had about three weeks we had friends that stayed for a few days, he growled at them and wouldn't take his eyes off them...made me very nervous. Thought this was because he was still orienting himself to the surroundings. Daugher came for a short visit a few months later, same thing..he never adjusted to her presence, growling, staring. Still it continues. He has separation anxiety as well..destructive. Had him on Elavil no change. Just started Prozac. Hoping this will work so family and friends can feel comfortable. He otherwise is a loving, loyal dog.
Pat

[Tina]

For all owners of dogs with separation anxiety, have you tried the 'downplaying your coming and going' strategy? If you make your enterance and exit a big display, it can worsen any dogs attachment to the owner. My 1st dog had sep. anx (a little, like almost all puppies do) and I heard that strategy and it worked. It's sometimes hard for us, the owner, to hide our excitement about seeing our dog after a long day on the job, but it helps keep the dog balalnced. Also, a command and a treat (for doing the command) can calm the dog down.

My 2nd dog is a rescue from a puppymill that was busted. She has major issues with other dogs, and a few little scars that I have realized are teeth marks. She has come a long way, but has some anxiety, fear aggression, and OCD. I started Prozac last week and she's calming down a bit, but not as much on the walks. I'll be getting a behaviorist to come in and help me too. I think it's totally acceptable to try and help our dogs live more peaceful lives, esp. when their former life didn't allow for that. I've been researching, networking and trying many different things and sticking with each one until it's run its course for a year. I hope that through Prozac, she can calm down and be more trainable.
~Tina

[Peg]

I have a wheaten terrier that has severe separation anxiety. What is strange is that we never make an issue of coming or going and when we do return she does not even come to us immediately. However, left alone she has destroyed my house. We went back to the crate and she breaks out of it everyday. If I manage to secure it so she can't - she ends up salivating to the point that the entire crate is a puddle of fluid and her paws are soaked (don't know if she is chewing them or what). We tried clomicalm. We thought is was working only to come home last night to a house where she pulled the hardware off the wall and shredded my curtains, pulled all the coats out of a closet that must not have been shut tight, and a wooden door scratched and clawed at. She also peed over the carpet. We are about to give up. We have done the "alpha" dog stuff, major walking left the tv on, tried sneaking out of the house, etc. Do you think this Reconcile might work?