Treatment for Behavior Disorder

Animals Can Suffer From Some Of The Same Psychological Disorders As Humans.

These disorders can produce undesirable behavior in pets. The challenge is in diagnosing the problem, and that is where you need to turn to your veterinarian.

Many of the problems we experience with our pets are normal behaviors for them, that are inconvenient for us or occur in an inappropriate setting. As owners, we sometimes fail to appreciate the importance of environmental and social experience on our pet’s behavior, or we interact inappropriately with them. Understanding what behaviors to expect from our pets, what drives these behaviors, and how to re-direct them resolves many behavior problems. It is also helpful to attend to the pet's psychological and physical needs through exercise, diet, and their environment

"Puppy Prozac" is no joke

Using drugs to treat pets’ psychological problems is nothing new. Veterinarians have long used fluoxetine and amitriptyline to treat separation anxiety in dogs, and cats have been given diazepam, not just to calm then down, but to control their spraying inside their owners’ homes.

The biggest problem with using human medications for animals is coming up with the right dosage and being aware of possible adverse side effects. And though usually available from veterinarians, sometimes commercially produced medications are not appropriate, convenient, or available in the right strength or dosage form.

MYERS Medical Compounding Can Provide Alternative Treatments

Working with your pet’s veterinarian we can prepare capsules, flavored oral liquids (in water or oil bases), chewable treats, and transdermal medications that may help you administer just the right medicine to your pet.

Some of the ingredients we use include:

• Fluoxetine (generic for Prozac) is an SSRI used in dogs for treatment of canine aggression and obsessive-compulsive disorders. It is often used in cats as well.
• Clomipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant used in dogs for obsessive-compulsive disorders, noise phobias, and male dimorphic disorders (urine marking, inter-male aggression, roaming). It is used in cats for disorders such as spraying/marking, inter-cat aggression, and compulsive grooming.
• Amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant used in dogs for neuropathic pain, separation anxiety and generalized anxiety. In cats it is used for excessive grooming, spraying, and anxiety.
• Buspirone may be effective in treating certain behavior disorders in dogs and cats, principally those that are fear/phobia related.