January 20, 1999. Copyright, 1999, Graphic News. All rights reserved

DOGGIE DRUG SOOTHES HOME ALONE PETS
By Margot Nesdale

LONDON, January 20, Graphic News: A ÒProzacÓ for pooches Ð designed to stop them going barking mad Ð has been given the nod by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The move means the meat-flavoured anti-depressant, tailored to doggie palates, can be advertised as the latest canine drug to hit the U.S. market.
Called Clomicalm, the pill is designed to help dogs who go crazy when they are left home alone or, in vetspeak, suffer from Òclinical separation anxietyÓ.
Vets say the symptoms include incessant barking, soiling, excessive salivation and destructive behaviour, like tearing up their ownerÕs furniture.
Experts believe up to seven million dogs in the U.S. and one million in the UK (out of a total of 6.5 million dogs) suffer from the condition.
Psychologists at Warwick University say career-driven, absentee dog owners in the UK are largely to blame for their petÕs frantic behaviour.
Preliminary results from a study by the university showed nearly three quarters of the nationÕs vets had seen up to five dogs per month suffering from separation-related anxiety in the first half of 1998 Ð the rest had seen more.
In one case a German Shepherd nearly killed itself breaking down a kitchen door, apparently to escape after being frightened by a tumble-drier and in another case a Great Dane destroyed four sofas in four months.
Over 50 percent of vets thought the problem was on the increase. Full results from the survey are expected at the end of this month.
Dr Peter Neville, one of the UKÕs leading animal behaviourists said: ÒMany dog owners attach human emotions to their dogÕs actions. So when their dogÕs behaviour is antisocial or costly, their first reaction is often to punish it... this usually worsens the problem... Early diagnosis and treatment are therefore crucialÓ.
The FDA approval comes nearly nine months after Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis won clearance from overseas regulators to market Clomicalm in the 15-nation European Union.
It has been widely prescribed by vets in the UK since it was licenced in April, according to Novartis spokesman Arlo Guthrie. 
The drug is a derivative of the anti-depressant Anafranil, used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorders in humans.
In dogs it works to correct a chemical imbalance of serotonin and noradrenaline in the brain, which heightens distress Ð reducing the dogÕs anxiety and enhancing its ability to learn.
However the side effects, which include vomiting and diarrhoea, pose a further problem.
The FDA has also approved another canine drug, Anipryl, to control the symptoms of old age, known as ÒCognitive Dysfunction SyndromeÓ. They include disorientation, loss of house training and changed responsiveness to family members.
/ENDS.

Sources: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Novartis, BBC, The Economist, Reuters