Pooches On Prozac? Canines Who Snap, Growl And Bite Might Need Anti-Depressants: Study

Click to join our Facebook Fan Page and follow us on Twitter!


By Rosemary Black for Daily News Staff Writer

Pooches on Prozac? Canines who snap, growl and bite might be sad rather than angry and could be helped by a doggie anti-depressant, according to research reported in the Daily Mail.

Aggressive and poorly behaved dogs often have lower levels of serotonin, the feel-good brain chemical, than better adjusted pets, according to a new study. In humans, decreased serotonin levels are often associated with anxiety, mood swings and depression.

The research, out of Zaragoza University in Spain, could lead to new medications for doggie aggression. Zaragoza University’s Belen Rosado, who led the research, said that a dog’s most frequent behavior problem is aggression – especially when it is aimed at humans.

For the study, researchers tested blood samples from 80 aggressive pooches and compared the samples to samples taken from 19 normally behaved dogs. The aggressive animals had lower levels of serotonin. The most aggressive dogs also displayed higher levels of cortisol, known as the stress hormone. The study, which appears in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science, may help vets more readily diagnose and hopefully treat depression in dogs.

What makes dogs depressed? When they are left alone for hours a day or don’t get enough physical exercise, according to veterinarians.

Some 800,000 Americans seek medical attention each year for dog bites, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and half of these are children. Children ages 5 to 9 are at the highest risk for dog bite-related injuries. But there’s at least some medicinal relief.

In 2007, Eli Lilly, the drug company, introduced doggie Prozac for pooches suffering from separation anxiety. The flavor? Beef, of course.


Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Lynn
Lynn
13 years ago

My dog is currently on prozac for anxiety after unsuccessfully trying all of the recommended training methods. He is pretty well on it. I found that they actually make “doggie prozac” interesting, and that it comes in a beef flavor. I get a prescription from my vet, fill it at Target for $4 and put it in a pill pocket each morning He happily takes it. I discussed, with my vet, taking him off the Prozac. Unfortunately, he was quivering in terror as I was having the discussion. We decided, for his quality of life, it was better to continue with it, at least for now.

SUBSCRIBE TO
DOG FILES

Top Posts

More Articles...

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x

Why haven't You Signed up For our Newsletter?

Find out why over 8000 Dog lovers have already Joined!

Receive our newsletter, get special deals & stay updated.