Freudian Yip
July 3, 2006
The FDA approved a Prozac-type drug for dogs who are depressed. This is good, because it is hard for dogs to get therapy, since they’re never allowed on the couch.
Source: Colin Quinn on Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Posted by ASCDEAF under Counseling,Humor,Medication on | Comments (1)
July 13th, 2006 at 8:31 AM
My old dog had to go on “puppy prozac” (a sedative– Prozac was barely invented then) near the end of her life because circumstances changed and there was nobody home for hours on end, so she had to stay outside without AC. Horrible! And on top of that, she had been attacked by the dog next door who jumped the fence and attempted to play/pester her.
A shelter dog who always had an addiction to escaping, she broke into the house– repeatedly. We finally put in windows which she could not break through. But her panic attacks were real and not pleasant to watch. My dad even talked about putting her to sleep, but sedatives helped her, and she seemed to enjoy taking the pills.
It is very normal for older dogs to become more clingy to the “pack” as they realize they are less capable of defending the territory or themselves, and “holding it in” becomes harder. Also old issues from puppyhood come back suddenly and much more worse than ever as the dog’s personality changes.
Sedatives definitely have their place to help pets. Stress and panic can be worse than actual pain itself, and it can drive dogs to tremble, to crash through windows headfirst, chew through doors, and other drastic behavior.