New Drug For Canine Compulsive Disorder

[Jigsaw]

Radio interview here ABC Sound only at top of page (at the moment), I can't find any other link to paste, sorry and I'm not sure when the interview was done.

New drug, Reconcile for dogs with Canine Compulsive Disorder will be available shortly for dogs with obsessive behaviour, separation anxiety. It's stated that 1 in 5 dogs are depressed.

Although I'm slightly confused as the interviewee says that there is a genetic component to depression but when asked if it's a breeding problem she says no. Antidepressants have been used to treat dogs with problems such as anxiety in the past they were specifically for humans, this is the first time a drug has been approved for canine use for these behaviours.

Further news item: Telegraph

[GeckoTree]

I find it disturbing that there is so much mental health problems in people, and now dogs? 1 in 5? Bloomin heck whats going on?

[Christina]

No wonder drug companies make billions.

It seems that if any living thing is out of the scale of average/normal, who ever decides what that is.

The answer is Drug It.

Great :D

I wonder would the world survive if the only drugs available were for the physical things.

[poodlefan]

1 in 5 dogs probably needs more exercise and attention.

A prescription drug is a poor substitute for those.

[Vehs]

agree poodlefan - 1 in 5 dogs has a moron owner

[gundoglover]

Interestingly, the sudden alarming development of high levels of depression and anxiety disorders in dogs coincided with the expiry in 2001 of the patent for the human antidepressant fluoxetine, marketed as Prozac. With generic versions of fluoxetine taking so much of the profit formerly delivered by Prozac, finding a market for a new patentable version of fluoxetine, marketed as Reconcile for dogs, has provided a new source of profit for the pharmaceutical company.

[spottychick]

I agree with Christina and poodlefan

1 in 5 dogs are depressed!!! Really? Well that actually tells you more about the owners than the dogs. HOw about we tackle THE OWNERS behaviour instead and then just maybe the lives of the dogs will improve and they wont have to be zonked out on drugs while they live awful depressing lives.

Tango was left to rot in a backyard, fed absolute rubbish, given sod-all attention and never EVER taken for walks etc so when he started acting crazy his stupid owners couldn't work out why!!! Gee gosh! What could it be?

It couldn't be THEIR fault so it must be HIS, obviously he's just got some wierd mental issue. So we'll just put him on drugs rather than actually, you know, treat him decently, take him for a walk once in a while or give him the slightest bit of enjoyment or stimulation in his life.

Sorry this crap makes me mad.

[sandgrubber]

If there's a new, effective drug for obsessive-compulsive disorder in dogs, that's great news, particularly if it's affordable.

As for depression, I think one in five is a conservative estimate. The number that seem to prefer our boarding kennel to their home is greater than 20%. I'd say less than 50% of dogs get enough stimulation, socialisation and exercise. But I agree . . . drugs are not the solution for this problem.

[Nekhbet]

1 in 5 do not need medication. 1 in 5 dogs will now be drugged to the eyeballs to make a quick buck by the drug companies as they have done in humans.

A dog is a dog.

Feed it

train it

exercise it

all in proportion to its needs as that individual

if that fails seek GOOD help and advice. Honestly out of all the dogs I have trained only 2 from the same household I recommended they need something like Clomicalm. Every other dog simply needed some rules, training and more brain activity.

Dogs dont think anymore. We created a human generation of spoiled, TV zombies we are doing the same with our dogs. I see too many dogs that dont know how to learn, dont know dog body language, dont know how to do more then rotate in the spot and we wonder why they go crazy.