Anti-Anxiety Medications For Pets
Depression and senility affect animals as well as humans, but, as always, there are possible postive aspects and negative side effects of anti-anxiety medication to take into consideration. Mitch Wilder explains.
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Step 1:
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The Theory
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Medications that treat depression and anxiety are commonly prescribed for humans. But now, drugs like Prozac and Clomicalm are gaining acceptance in the veterinary community. That's right, your pug could be put on Prozac as some mediication, in many cases, is able to give them extended life and better quality of life.
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Step 2:
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The Drugs
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For those of you thinking that putting your pet on anti-depressants is a bit too much, research has proven that these drugs can be effective. One of the more common drugs is called Clomicalm. It's the only drug approved for the treatment of separation anxiety. It can be effective in the treatment of destructive behavior, and thunderstorm phobia. Anipryl is another behavior modification drug that is used to treat cognitive disorders. Anipryl is good for older pets who might be suffering from canine senility. One of the most common anti-depressants for people is now being used for pets. You guessed it, it's Prozac, and it's being used for separation anxiety.
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Step 3:
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The Side Effects
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But along with the good comes the bad. All of these behavior modification drugs have side effects. Many of these drugs can cause nausea and lethargy, mood swings and aggression are also a possibility. It's important to realize that drugs aren't the only answer. Most medications must be used along with a behavior modification program as there's a lot of problems that simply just need a little bit of training to fix, that doesn't necessarily need a lifetime of drug treatment to fix.
