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Friday, March 30, 2007 Prozac for Your DogA new canine version of Prozac will soon be available. It is just the latest in pet-specific drugs, as pharmaceutical companies increasingly chase this lucrative market. By Emily Singer
Anxiety-ridden dogs that go berserk when left alone by their owners will soon have a new treatment option--a reformulated version of the antidepressant Prozac, known generically as fluoxetine. To be marketed under the name Reconcile by Indianapolis-based drugmaker Eli Lilly, the drug is chewable and flavored with a doggie-delectable zing. It is the latest in a string of recently approved canine drugs, reflecting the growing market for pet pharmaceuticals. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Reconcile in February after clinical tests in dogs showed it significantly improved symptoms of separation anxiety, a problem that strikes 10 to 20 percent of canines with varying severity; dogs affected may bark, chew household items, or urinate in inappropriate locations when left alone. The drug, which will go on the market in April and will be sold along with a behavior modification program, is the first product introduced by a new division of Lilly devoted entirely to pets. Most drugs used for companion animals, as the pharmaceutical companies refer to pets, are human drugs that veterinarians prescribe off label. The cost of drug development is so high that few companies are willing to spend the money it takes to develop a canine-specific drug, or to run clinical trials testing human drugs for dogs or cats. But as more and more Americans view their pets as family members that is changing, and a new market is opening up: medications are being reformulated and sold in animal-friendly forms, and drugs that never quite made it through the human testing process are being revived. "I think the human-animal bond has changed in the last few years," says Dawn Boothe, a veterinary internist and clinical pharmacologist at Auburn University in Auburn, AL. "People are starting to say, 'My animal is a member of the family, and I am willing to pay the cost of drugs that were developed for humans.' I think the pharmaceutical companies have picked up on that." Two other pet drugs were approved early this year: the first diet drug for dogs, Slentrol, and the first motion-sickness drug for dogs, Cerenia. Both are being sold by New York-based Pfizer. Unlike Reconcile, neither drug has ever been prescribed for humans. Dirlotapide, the generic form of Slentrol, was originally tested for human use, but its side effects were deemed intolerable. (Compounds in the same class are being tested for their cholesterol- and triglyceride-reducing properties in humans.) Veterinarians are excited about the prospect of drugs that have been tested specifically in pets. "Prozac is a drug we've used for years," says Boothe. "But having it approved in dogs gives us a level of confidence regarding safety and efficacy in that species." Although scientists have tested different drugs in cats and dogs, Boothe and others say it has been difficult to get pharmaceutical companies interested in developing them. Nicholas Dodman, an animal behaviorist and veterinarian at Tufts University in Medford, MA, says a drug currently used to treat dementia in humans is helpful in treating an animal form of obsessive-compulsive disorder, but so far no pharmaceutical company has opted to develop it for the pet market. Lilly's companion-animal division is testing molecules from its vast library of compounds to treat obesity and other conditions in pets, a process they hope will produce some returns on the original investment in those molecules. "Even if you assume only two million of the dogs with anxiety disorder get treated," says Dodman, "with owners paying $50 per month, that's a viable market." |
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Comments
MartinLee on 03/30/2007 at 3:11 AM
1
It is like that you leave your kid alone at home, and then give him/her a pile so your kid can feel better without his/her parents. How could that be so?
Why people take more time to hang out with their pets?
I prefer to have a virtual pet at www.chatany.com, but give my real dog a pile instead of playing with it.
mkogrady on 03/30/2007 at 2:38 PM
64
Rather than doping up the pups, why not take them out of their cages once in a while, play with them (like Stick Chase or Tug of War), getting a play mate (most animals have social behaviors - especially dogs) and just walk them. If the drug companies need to increase market share this way -they're in the wrong business.
mightybob on 04/01/2007 at 2:42 PM
6
Korosion on 04/17/2007 at 12:35 PM
1
There are some dogs that are left alone for too long and will bark or chew stuff out of boredom, but that is not separation anxiety.
Medication is not the first choice, there are behaviour modification programs that are often effective. But what if they aren't? The article does state that this medication is to be used in conjunction with behaviour programs.
There may be times that this drug will be used as an easy way to try to solve your dogs problems. But I don't think it should be condemned because of that.
annestacey on 04/25/2007 at 7:47 PM
2
Sunnie on 04/27/2007 at 1:05 PM
1
The 'berzerks', which can easily be observed by video cameras, have a completely different motivation. They express a mixture of frustration and anger for being left alone, which in most cases is symptomatic for a conflict in the human-animal relationship. In the eyes of the dog the person must not leave the house without the dog and so the dog revolts.
To treat these dogs with downers means complete neglection of the source of the problem.
mthysell on 11/26/2007 at 4:23 PM
2
I think you made a great point about the Prozac we are considering this method for our dog. She is a pure Breed Bull Terrier. We have had her for about 12 months and she has been threw training and now we are going to look into taking her to a behaviorist. Our trainer says that she is at her teenage stage and she has to learn she cannot be the dominate alpha female but after training and training and spending time with her. I am beginning to think that she just has seperation anxiety from my husband. Sometimes she is just the happiest dog in the world and then snaps or freaks out when my boyfriend leaves. She tries to dominate everyone and it is getting out of control no matter how we approach the situation. We love our dog and we have tried so many things but now it has come down to option of possible medication. How old was your dog when you resulted to medication? Its a hard decision but I will leave it up the behaviorist. If anyone has any other suggestions I am open to hearing them.
marchywka on 04/21/2007 at 3:44 PM
1
Thanks.
annestacey on 04/25/2007 at 7:45 PM
2
Here is the ugly truth about Prozac.
From the beginning, patients experienced psychotic and manic episodes, and made people commit suicide, but Eli Lilly covered it up by recoding and removing the negative reports. That was the only way Prozac got approved, was by
covering up the truth and lying to the public about the dangers of this drug.
Within one decade, there were 39,000 adverse reports about Prozac sent to Medwatch. It was estimated that the actual number of people who suffered such problems was 100 times as many, or roughly four million people. This makes Prozac
the most complained about drug in America.
The FDA received a flood of adverse event reports. but never told the public. It took a decade for the FDA to begin to acknowledge the increased suicides and the violence it can trigger in some people.
It has been demonstrated that suicide related to Prozac is two to three times higher than any other anti-depressant.
Prozac's maker, Eli Lilly not only knew their star drugs were more dangerous than alternatives, but they actively sought to suppress the release of that information in order to protect profits. They have frantically fought any change in the prescribing guidelines for antidepressants even after allegations linking the drug to suicides, murders, murder-suicides and mass murder-suicides because of financial greed.
When Prozac came to market, Eli Lilly's value on Wall Street, its capitalization, was around 2 billion dollars. By the year 2000, the time when Prozac was its number-one drug, its capitalization reached 80 billion dollars -- a forty-fold increase.
The con of pharmaceutical-based medicine is the biggest con ever perpetrated on the American people. Virtually the entire profession has been bought out and participates in this scheme. On average, every physician in the country gets $13,000 per year from the drug companies. Some get about $500,000 a year, and it has been so successful that no one within academic medicine can speak out. Everyone gets rich -- the drug companies, the psychiatrists, the researchers, the advertising agencies -- It's all a big gravy train. And the clients get drugged out of their minds and damaged for life.
Now that Eli Lilly has lost patent protection on Prozac, they need a new revenue stream. People pamper their pets now more than ever and Eli Lilly is going to take full advantage of it.
As a side-note, if your dog has anxiety or depression, there are plenty of natural herbal remedies that work better than pharmaceutical drugs and have no side effects at all. They work just as well for people too.
Sources and additional information:
Eli Lilly Knew Prozac had 1200% higher suicide rate than other antidepressants
http://www.newstarget.com/003086.html
Experts say antidepressant drugs cause suicides instead of preventing them
http://www.newstarget.com/019342.html
Eli Lilly lied about Prozac, hid suicide evidence, charges Harvard psychiatrist
http://www.newstarget.com/003201.html
Psychiatric Drugs: Chemical Warfare on Humans - interview with Robert Whitaker
http://www.newstarget.com/011353.html
Neurologist Dr. Fred Baughman talks about the fraud of ADHD and the poisoning of U.S. children.
http://www.newstarget.com/020227.html
MaryNeumann on 10/10/2007 at 3:59 PM
1
mthysell on 11/26/2007 at 4:29 PM
2
that is the same problem I am having as well. Now it has become a tough decision. She bites and is aggresive. She is a bull terrier. Was your dog agressive after the prozac? Did you keep your dog on it? We are considering it as well even though I am having a little bit of problems trying to make the right decision. But I guess you will never know till you try.
SF51 on 03/30/2008 at 3:26 PM
1
By and large it's either some variations of "that's terrible", "you dont love your dog", "hugs and classes are the only acceptable therapy" and other similar prejudices.
All of those are false - the facts are that:
1- The brain is an organ
2- Like other organs, it sometimes malfunctions
3- Treating it is as acceptable as treating, say, a kidney.
4- Not treating it is as unacceptable as not treating a kidney
5- Limiting therapy options to only classes and hugs is as foolish as limiting your kidney therapy options to diet changes, classes and petting.
The simple way to avoid such prejudices is to say to yourself "liver" instead of "brain" when you are reviewing the therapy options available for your dog.
It may very well be that, say, a diet change is the best approach to treat your dog, but it may be that medication is the better approach.
Heart,
SF51
PS Regarding separation anxiety, it's a very real issue with some dogs, and it goes well beyond being uneasy or longing for companionship.
There are physical symptoms, including drooling, elevated heart rates, blood pressure, dilated pupils, shivering and urination.
The best human analogue for it is a full-fledged panic attack, lasting multiple hours. In addition to producing traumatic suffering, it is also very unhealthy physically.
Behavior modification can often break the association between separation and anxiety/fear, particularly early on.
Once the anxiety is entrenched, it becomes far harder to break as the expectation of suffering produces anxiety, which in turn produces suffering; the cycle is self-reinforcing.
Rob8008 on 04/07/2008 at 1:04 PM
1
Besides, no chemical tests are done on dogs (or people's brains) to determine what chemical is missing so the correct drug can be used.
That is merely a theory.
So, who is really ignorant here?
Chales Antoine on 04/07/2008 at 8:53 PM
1
Chris777 on 04/08/2008 at 12:37 PM
2
Chris777 on 04/08/2008 at 12:38 PM
2
Gordon3Coro on 04/09/2008 at 5:26 PM
1
Firstly an understanding of the psychology of the dog-human relationship is needed, and methods of managing this. Here are some good links to start with:-
http://www.denes.com/advice/fact_sheets/valerian.php
http://www.isabellevets.co.uk/health_advice/dog/info/destructivedog.htm
http://www.gsdhelpline.com/dap.htm
Then some of the herbal alternatives to Prozac:-
http://www.pet-helper.com/prodailment.php?a=44
http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/petcalm-cat-dog-separation-anxiety-herbal.html
http://www.enaturalremedies.co.uk/pet-remedies/petcalm-cat-dog-separation-anxiety-herbal.htm
Try searching through Google for "herbal treatment dogs anxiety separation" and see the wealth of information available.
luckygwen on 04/16/2008 at 6:31 PM
1
I have tried natural remedies and taken her to a behavior specialist. I'm certainly did not put my dog on Prozac for an easy way out, but because I felt like it was our last option. I love my dog and have given her the happiest and healthiest life I can.