Treat Depression In Your Pet With Human Antidepressants?

Some pet owners, believing that Rover is suffering from depression or symptoms of hyperactivity, are getting together with their veterinarians to give antidepressants prescribed for humans to treat depression in their pets! Some veterinarians and pet owners have concluded that this proves helpful in dealing with undesirable pet behaviors, such as aggressive and obsessive compulsive tendencies. However, it should not come as a surprise that not every veterinarian agrees with this prescription to treat depression in pets.

Perhaps it speaks to modern society's demand for 'the quick fix'. While it's true that there are millions of people who are prescribed antidepressants by their physicians, these prescriptions are not handed out lightly. The responsible physician typically takes great care to interview their patient, considering a variety of factors before making a diagnosis and prescribing the particular antidepressant they feel will work best to treat depression for that individual. It should be noted that all of these name-brand antidepressants can have serious side effects.

Many pet owners, who have chosen to treat their pet's condition in this manner, claim that Rover, who used to bite or obsessively chase his tail, now behaves nicely, making him a much better pet.

How can a veterinarian possibly 'interview' a pet? How is a diagnosis of depression made? Is it known that the negative side effects manifest in an animal in the same way a human might experience these red flags? It's also surprising to learn that veterinarians are licensed to prescribe such drugs in their practice.

It surely seems that organizations like P.E.T.A. will soon become involved. This way to treat depression in animals smacks of the ultimate in animal testing programs.

Among the vets who disagree with this controversial treatment, the most common argument against treating depression in animals with human antidepressants is that misbehaving animals should be treated with behavioral modification training. If your dog is a biter, you can simply teach them not to bite! You may need to hire a professional trainer for effective behavior changes, but it's certainly a doable project.

As for obsessive compulsive behavior? While our dog is trusty and loyal, he's not really smart enough to realize that chasing his own tail is a 'bad' thing. As far as he's concerned, he's having fun. Most dog owners will tell you that their dog does something obsessive, be it chasing a Frisbee(R) until his tongue is on the ground or being an accomplished thief of foods left within his reach.

If he runs like crazy all over the house, jumping on furniture, it may be that his owner just neglected the basic training every dog should have. Some breeds are genetically hyperactive. Without sufficient opportunity for the exercise that animal requires, the result speaks for itself.

I'm on the side of the vets who promote obedience and training as the solution to behavioral problems in pets. If people experience adverse reactions to meds used to treat depression, it seems most unwise to prescribe such drugs to animals who cannot 'report' their experience to their vet.