In the UK an ever increasing number of cats and dogs are being given antidepressants because they are being left alone for hours at a time by their owners.
This information comes from veterinarians. They said that it was becoming increasingly common for owners to administer drugs to their cats and dogs to treat separation anxiety, excessive noise and aggressive/destructive behavior.
The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) found that more than 25 percent of dog owners in the UK left their pet alone for at least five hours during weekdays. In addition, 250,000 dogs never went for a walk with their owner.
The fear is that too many pets are living isolated lives which could lead to serious problems.
Vets are prescribing drugs such as Clomipramine and Selegiline both of which treat aggression and anxiety. Clomipramine was created for humans to treat: depression, phobias and obsessions and ‘cataplexy’ (sudden loss of muscle control perhaps triggered by anger). I don’t see this drug as suitable for a lonely dog. As for Selegiline, this is for humans who have Parkinson’s disease. It helps to control it. How is this suitable for cats and dogs?
Perhaps I am being naive but this all seems very wrong to me. The answer is not to sedate and zombify our cats and dogs because they are forced to live in an unsuitable environment created by people. This is starting off with a human-created bad situation and then compounding the problem with bad treatment.
The common sense answer is to remove the cause of the so called behavior problem, which on the face of it looks easy: spend more time with your cat or dog and if you can’t find someone who can.
I believe that this snippet of UK cat and dog news is a case of the UK following the USA. That may be unfair but until I read this news I felt that mood enhancing drugs were used more often in the US than in the UK but if I was correct, the UK appears to catching up. They say the UK follows the USA. This may be an example.
A neat analogy and so very true. We have to work on our relationships to make them prosper.
I agree with your slightly cynical assessment of vets prescribing mood enhancing drugs. You aren’t as cynical as me 😉 .
I agreed too about medication for behavioral problems should be the last resort but they are becoming a convenient quick fix.
I think that is a good point. Perhaps there is a section of society which has sort of given up and lack aspiration and ambition and have a pet to help support themselves but the person does not have the self-discipline or desire to interact sufficiently.
Your last sentence touches on a major societal problem in a percentage of people, in the UK, it seems to me. Laziness is it? Or lack or aspiration. Something like that.
i believe that these drugs r useful WHEN USED & PRESCRIBED APPROPRIATELY. some animals DO need them, but certainly NOT simply due 2 an owners lack of responsibility, & compassion 4 their animal. i CAN understand how animals can b left alone 4 over 5hrs a day(weekdays)as most people work 8hrs a day. the problem isnt how long they r away its what they do when they r at home. if an owner isnt spending time with their pet by playing with it & showing it affection of course there will b problems. if u r married & u ignore ur spouse(or kids, if u have any)the same thing will happen. we call them “behavior problems” cuz the animal cant tell us whats wrong like people can, & that makes it easier 2 justify them being given these meds. what NEEDS 2 happen is BEFORE the meds r prescribed there needs 2 b a questionnaire & a serious dialogue between the vet & owner about what goes on n the home, the time they spend together, & the owners expectations. which as im sure some have noticed is the same thing people r asked when they get a pet from the shelter as a screening process so pets r not given 2 people that have unreal expectations, no time 2 spend, or potentially dangerous living conditions 4 the animal. unfortunately, many vets seem 2 b lazy n this regard, or they get a little extra 4 how much they prescribe per quarter. cynical, i know, but what other real reason could it b? when i was n the mental health field doing direct care i was always taught that u go from the least 2 the most restrictive n terms of how u deal with behavioral issues. medication, like putting “hands on”(i.e. restraints)is always 1 of the last things u do. its NEVER the 1st. it appears, by this article, that they r doing the opposite. times r different though. maybe im missing something…but i dont think so.
If my pet needing calming, I would try homeopathics or flower essences before drugs. They don’t have the side effects, and can be very helpful.
Yes, there are many people who have pets (and children) that don’t care for them very well. The problem is the ease of which conception takes place, and of course with animals it’s never just one kitten or puppy, so we have multitudes of shelter animals, who would be euthanized if they weren’t adopted by people who don’t really know how to care for them. Probelms everywhere you look.
Education is the key, and willingness to learn is a primary factor.
Also, depressed and drugged humans will most likely have depressed animals. When people can’t take care of their children, they won’t take care of the pets, or even themselves.
I’m strongly opposed to the use of anti-depressants to treat behavioural problems. Not only do they have some horrendous side effects, but they only ever treat the symptoms and never the underlying cause of the behaviour.
It’s a disgrace that 250,000 dogs are never taken for a walk by their owners! Those people should not be allowed to have a dog as they clearly cannot provide the mental and physical stimulation required to keep a dog happy and healthy.
As the PDSA was the source of this information, can we assume it was based on their patients? If so, that is even more worrying because to qualify for PDSA vet care one has to be in receipt of certain government benefits not usually available to those in full-time employment. Which means that some people are at home all day with their pets, but still never take them out for a walk 🙁