Comments on: Reconcile, Prozac for dogs

By: Roy

Roy — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 02:54:34 +0000

Psychiatrists have little or no understanding of human psychology, let alone that of cats and dogs. Every time a drug is prescribed such as Prozac it is a human experiment, and the sale of a profitable overpriced drug. Or in the case of animals an animal experiment.

By: david M

david M — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 23:04:55 +0000

My dog suffers from SAD in the winter and I considered buying a light box for him. My vet didnt agree and suggested an anti-depressant. I’m not sure how safe this would be long term.

By: Timothy

Timothy — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 13:14:34 +0000

I had considered buying Reconcile for my dog. However I don’t know if I will be doing it more hard than good. The dog looks down, however it does not talk and so I cannot tell for sure. My vet told me there is nothing unusual with the dog so in the end I ended up not buying the Reconcile.

Timothy Cassar

By: David

David — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 00:40:15 +0000

“The experience of a human disease such as depression involves complex human attributes such as thoughts, emotions and language. To suggest that we can extend the concept of a specific human mental illnesses such as depression to dogs is to stretch the paradigm almost to breaking point”

Sure, I believe animals have some kind of emotions, however…

Some times new “diseases” and “pre diseases” terms are made up and of course must be medicated.

I would say it was about marketing. Eli Lilly would be looking for additional sub markets and decided to extend the drugs to the treating of animals.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:28:03 +0000

Prozac’s Old Skool. It’s all about Mindfulness now: http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=21322

By: Tony

Tony — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:20:24 +0000

Well that’s torn it! My dog was reading this with me and the look on his face said “you better get me along to the doctor real quick, I want some of those doggie pick me ups” I’m sure that’s what that look meant.

By: Ken Smith

Ken Smith — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:14:59 +0000

I think medication is the last resource to use in our dog, if your dog is suffering separation anxiety, is much better to take him out for a walk on a daily basis, so he gets his head thinking on other stuff than anxiety

By: Mark Browi

Mark Browi — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:05:55 +0000

After 4 years of battling an extensive allergy problem with my dog, she also developed and OCD licking/chewing issue (probably because her skin itched so much). With reluctance, we started her on Prozac generic. It has been 30 days and I RARELY see her traumatize herself to the point of bloody anymore.

I am not on any medications, go to a naturopath, believe that doctors over prescribe and patience over indulge in behavior modification. I truly believe that our society is not conducive to humans and the push to be “normal” is actually a push to adapt to abnormalcy. Either way, it is reality and I believe these drugs have their place due to… “it is what it is”.

Anyhow, the Prozac is there to aid us in finding a cure for her allergies. She is going to a Chinese Herbalist and we have drastically changed her food (raw). In the end, I hope that she will come off the Prozac when the allergies have been “controlled”. We will see…

If this plan is successful, I will be a supporter of Prozac as treatment to dogs. She seems to have zero side effects.

By: Blammo

Blammo — Sun, 16 May 2010 06:46:00 +0000

FP, I find it kind of absurd that you can’t conceive of animals having something approximating human emotions without attributing it to a “projection” by the owner.

Perhaps I’m biased. I have a dog that I love dearly, but let me put this to you from another angle: Do you agree that a dog can be excited? Start out in a calm state, then with the introduction of a stimulus that the dog finds desirable (for this example lets say their owner returning from a period of separation), that the dog could feel excitement? Having witnessed such behavior I certainly do.

Now, is it so hard to make the logical leap that the dog could feel anxiety at the prospect that this desirable stimulus could be removed permanently? I understand where you are coming from insofar as the dog has no idea what anxiety is, but I believe that an animal that has such a close relationship with humans as canines do that it is quite possible, if not certain, that a dog could feel the potential loss of this stimulus as undesirable, and therefore become anxious when confronted with separation from it.

Emotion is not exclusive to humanity. To think so is arrogant and naive at best.

By: Prozacville

Prozacville — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:57:09 +0000

Canine Separation Anxiety: file under Projective Identification methinks (anyone want to update the Wikipedia article?).

That said, tis a fine beefy flavour, Reconcile. I sometimes use it as a stock cube when making soup.

http://www.prozacville.co.uk/2010/01/got-kick-for-dog-begging-for-love-i.html