In 2000, I adopted a 4 yr. old mixed breed dog (golden retriever, border collie +). His life is based on terror. He is afraid of children, loud noises, buses, trucks, loud voices, adults, other dogs. He is intensely overprotective and territorial. At first, he did not respond to my voice unless it was a command, I could not approach him holding paper or a towel or a broom or mop. He belonged in puppyhood to a crack adict who was evicted from his apartment. His next owner died after two years. I have trained him, consulted a behaviorist, used dog whisperer principles and Amechian bonding. Everything helped but not enough. He would do well in a quiet neighborhood. I live in a dangerously high traffic area in New York City. He has been on prozac for 3 weeks. Is it a cure-all? No, but it is helping. I will continue to use it along with training rather than put him down.

M. Salamone, New York City, USA

I think it is an absolute disgrace that people are resorting to drugs for emotional problems in their dogs.

The problem is not with the dogs. It is with the humans. Dogs dont speak our language we need to learn theirs.

For all you people that think this cant be done, I can tell you yes it can be and it really is so simple to learn and you dont need drugs to do it.

I practice a method called amechian bonding. I have used this method of communicating with dogs over and over. I do volunteer work in a number of refuges in Perth Australia and this method provided success after success with each and every dog I have ever worked with. I have had success with at least 50 or more dogs with a variety of different problems including separation anxiety, agression, timidness, dogs who jump all over you, biters you name it. All dogs respond to this method of communication.

This site will give you more information:
http://www.janfennellthedoglistener.com. Do your dog a favour.

Lisa Hollands, Perth, Australia

Prozac for dogs is no worse an idea than Prozac for humans (which of course leaves it open for discussion!), as long as it is used responsibly and correctly, by appropriately experienced veterinary surgeons, as part of a behavioural modification programme where adequate resolution of the dog's unwanted behaviour cannot be achieved by appropriately skilled behavioural modification alone. Thus, in the vast majority of cases it will be unnecessary, but that is no reason to ban it from use in the few cases where it will improve the welfare of the individual dog. (Once again, this compares closely with human use.) Human formulations of fluoxetine have always been available to UK vets for "off-label" use in dogs, and have occasionally been prescribed with varying success; also other different neurotropic drugs for dogs are already licensed for veterinary prescription in the UK, and have been in use for many years. Prozac will be extensively tested for safety before any UK licence is granted.

Duncan, London, England

As someone who's has to deal with the effects of clinical depression at very close quarters, I find ignorant attitudes like those shown by Edmund Dantes from Connecticut deeply insulting.

Sufferers from clinical depression are not experiencing "normal emotions". They have a massively debilitating condition which affects every aspect of their day-to-day lives. It is a genuine medical condition which can be corrected by a variety of treatments, including in some cases the prescription of drugs to resolve measurable chemical imbalances.

The problem we have is that ill-informed people like Mr Dantes see the word 'depression' and immediately equate it to 'just feeling a bit low'. "Cheer up," they say. If only it was that simple - it's like telling a cancer patient to just "get better."

A little bit more time reading up on the subject rather than spouting your wildly inaccurate Armchair Psychiatrist views would do us all a favour, Edmund.

Phil Sawyer, Birmingham, UK

It would have been ironic if they had tested this drug on humans...

Colin, Norwich, UK

I've got a much cheaper solution!

If you have to leave it alone too long, don't get a dog.

starling, Lancaster,

I think the drugs are very much long overdue for our faithful knine friends. Actually that is the least we can do after we have subjected them to so much undue stress by labeling them with expressions like: a dog's breakfast, dog eats dog, dog tired, sick as a dog, put in the dog house etc. We are lucky that they haven't taken us to court for harassment otherwise they can collar the lot of us and we will all end up in the dock.

Wing, Poole, UK

"We're thrilled that our first product for dogs can help restore the human-pet bond."

How exactly? Surely if you can ignore your dog and prevent its 'annoying' cries for attention by medicating it, how will that restore the human-pet bond? This provides people with no natural insentive to look after their animals.

Tom, London, UK

Wow,

I've got a dog (7 years old) whose behavior has become increasingly unpredictable, to the point where my wife and I are considering having him put down. It's scary, because he's nice and mellow 99 percent of the time, but then there's that 1% where he'll bark aggressively at a young woman or an elderly man or whoever walking by doing nothing wrong. We're worried he's going to hurt someone, but he's like a son to us, and the thought of killing him makes me ill. If there's a drug out there that will modify his behavior, I'll give it a shot before the alternative. I wouldn't want to pass this unpredictable dog off to anyone else either(Like finding a different home for him); this is our problem, not anyone elses'(Yet!).

JA, Menomonie,

Just what is a 'small minority'? 5%? 10%? It could be that Eli Liily had better get ready for lawsuits when this 'small minority' has 'fits' and destroys property and perhaps attacks people. Prozac for dogs seems another case of using a chainsaw to cut butter.

pankaj seth, London, Canada

Clearly, Edmund Dantes, you've never suffered from clinical depression. What if "the problem" as you refer to it is not a lack of bunnies, hugs and sunshine, but an imbalance of serotonin in the brain? In other words, if most depression is caused by an organic problem that can be corrected, why should people amenable to taking drugs to correct it be denied them? Are antibiotics "disgusting"? Insulin? Pain medication for cancer patients? Meds for schizophrenia? (Maybe those people should just get over themselves and ignore the voices?) If you don't like antidepressants, don't take them.

T. Roth, Danbury, CT, USA

This is absolutely disgusting. Medicating people because they experience normal emotions is absurd. The main problem with the USA and GB is that most people are medicated and mentally unstable.
Here is a novel idea……let’s try to deal with the problem that causes the depression instead of ignoring the problem and popping a pill.

Edmund Dantes, Connecticut, USA

miracle at last¡¡¡¡¡ animals also feel and suffer the same as humas, it's already time to begin caring about them as they deserve. I hope this will serve right for a smooth and effective relief for their suffer, sometimes as an aftermath of contagion by their unfortunate owners. God bless this and more¡¡¡¡ If it is rightly used, at least it will be a good utility at home and vet's

Kevin Lowell, Newcastle, England

this is robbery and exploitation, drugging pets instead of caring for them

mini, gateshead, england