17-04-2025
‘Animals have feelings too': Why dogs are being put on anxiety medication
With 8.7 million Britons currently taking antidepressants, it's evident that modern life can be a struggle. And increasingly, it's not just humans who need help, but our hounds too. Over the past decade, the number of dogs prescribed 'puppy Prozac' has risen dramatically. Usually suggested for dogs suffering separation anxiety or uncontrolled aggression, the drug is intended to raise serotonin levels in the animal's brain, increasing feelings of calm and contentment.
It could be a godsend – as pets with unmanaged behavioural issues are not only stressed and stressful for owners, they also stand a far higher chance of being rehomed.
A study by the Royal Veterinary College in February found that owners of 'pandemic puppies' reported higher costs and more negative impact on their own lives. Those owners whose dogs displayed 'problem behaviours' such as anxiety or aggression reported feeling 'burdened', although after 18 months of ownership, 98 per cent had kept the dog.
Dr Rowena Packer, the senior author of the study, said, 'Impulsive acquisition of dogs based on short-term circumstances is an enduring challenge for the canine welfare sector.'
During Covid lockdowns, a common source of companionship was a puppy. According to the RSPCA, 3.2 million were acquired as 'pandemic puppies', with a marked increase in younger people owning one.
Since the cost-of-living crisis, however, far more owners have been forced into giving up their pets for financial reasons, leading to overstretched animal charities and rescue dogs that lack social skills or experience with families. The RSPCA disclosed last November that over the previous three years, the number of animals abandoned in England and Wales had increased by 51 per cent. For the lucky ones that manage to find a new home, many of these dogs will develop separation anxiety, a condition that their rescuers, should they arrive, will then need to manage.
According to a new study of 2.3 million dogs from the Royal Veterinary College, one in 500 is now on the drugs compared with only one in 10,000 according to a similar analysis a decade ago. Breeds forced into lifestyles that don't suit their nature, or that have a tendency towards anxiety, particularly border collies and lurchers, are more likely to be prescribed fluoxetine.
Caroline Allen is the chief veterinary officer of the RSPCA, and owns a rescue dog – a bull lurcher, two, that is also on 'dog Prozac'.
'We have got a lot better at recognising that animals have feelings too,' she says. Medications have also improved, and more are now licensed for animal use. 'Unfortunately, there is also more need, as more dogs are struggling. Not everyone can meet a dog's specific needs,' she warns. 'They don't want to be left all day, they are social animals, they need routines – they aren't here to entertain us.'
Vets are predominantly focused on animals' physical health, Allen explains, so often, a qualified dog behaviourist should be the first port of call. 'They will work with your vet to decide on the best path. Drugs on their own are not a panacea, it's about using them alongside positive behavioural and training techniques.'
The reason that antidepressants are so helpful, she adds, is the breathing space they offer the dog.
'My rescue dog had very severe anxiety,' says Allen. 'They can't learn when they are in that reactive state. If they can pause those feelings, they can start to learn, build relationships, and we can address training. The drugs helped her to be less reactive and fearful so we could get some building blocks in place. People do tend to think the drugs will fix behavioural problems, but in fact, they may simply be needed to help with that work.'
Vets will generally advise tapering the dose once the dog is responding to gentle training and has learnt new techniques to deal with emotional stress.
'Animals have a whole remit of feelings,' Allen says. 'They can't tell us, and that's where a behaviourist is fantastic and can interpret body language. Sometimes, it's as simple as not being allowed to sniff – perhaps they're taken on a long run daily, but they never get the chance to engage in really important dog behaviours.'
Understanding what dogs need is key, she says. 'Medication can be useful, but it's just part of the process of helping the dog.'
But as more meds are doled out, some professionals are worried that vets are overprescribing, at the urging of anxious or lazy owners. Joe Nutkins is a Kennel Club-accredited trainer and canine behaviourist, and is alarmed by the dramatic rise in medicating canine concerns. 'Putting puppies on to anti-anxiety medication without first looking into the cause of the anxiety means the dog is likely to be on tablets for life, without its owners ever tackling the triggers.'
Anxiety in dogs can often be misdiagnosed, adds Nutkins. 'I've seen a herding dog who kept lying down on walls. The owner assumed he was scared of traffic, but that's normal herding and chasing behaviour!' While Nutkins supports medication for advanced anxiety, 'it shouldn't become the instant answer to any type of worry a dog or puppy exhibits,' she says. 'There are so many ways to help boost a shy or under-confident dog, using play and positive training.'
Over-medicating can also mean side effects – 'and some kinds can dampen a dog's personality,' she adds. 'You don't want to take away a curious nature or natural instinct to interact.'
It's also possible that the drugs won't work. Lynsey Bleakley, who owns Bumble & Goose bakehouse in London, explains: 'My seven-year-old labrador, Rose, has cataracts and her eyesight is deteriorating. She started to display some anxious behaviours: crying and whimpering, being fussy with food, refusing to walk around certain parts of the house and stressing about going outside for a wee.'
Their vet suggested Prozac to help Rose cope, but Bleakley recalls, 'Although the crying and whimpering stopped, she was just so out of it, and seemed 'stoned' on the tablets. She lost her appetite and wasn't like our bouncy dog at all.'
Bleakley tapered Rose off the meds and tried longer walks and calming pheromone collars instead. 'So far, it seems to be working.'
But sometimes, says veterinary physiotherapist Lucy Miller, of Step Ahead Veterinary Physiotherapy in Cheshire, medication is needed for serious cases.
'I prescribe antidepressants for dogs whose behavioural problems are very severe and long-lasting,' she explains. 'Normally, it's fluoxetine or clomipramine, marketed as Clomicalm. They're routinely used in animals with separation anxiety, phobias of fireworks or thunderstorms, compulsive behaviours such as tail chasing, and generalised anxiety disorders,' adds Miller. 'These are not 'happy pills' – they redress neurochemical imbalance in the brain.'
Like Allen, she advocates a full behavioural assessment too, and a four-to-six-week course of pills. 'During this phase, we closely monitor for side effects such as lethargy, gastrointestinal upset or changes in appetite. Long-term use could be required,' she adds, 'when a long history of issues is present. My aim is always to help the animal feel safe and secure.'
For some animals, the change wrought by the drugs is miraculous, observes Heather Scott, who runs the Pug Snug, a 'doggy daycare and boarding house' in Bury St Edmunds.
'Rudie is a regular client,' she says. 'Three years ago, out with his owners, he was attacked by a much larger dog and lost most of his sight in one eye. He went from a very happy, cheeky pug to a reactive, frightened, barky dog who suffered terribly from separation anxiety.' During his first stay with her in 2023, Heather noted that Rudie was 'a bundle of nerves, extremely shy, would panic the moment I left the room and developed a horrendous urinary infection through stress'.
When his owners returned, Heather suggested the pug was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
'They mentioned that his reactive nature at home had become a problem, and decided to try the fluoxetine the vet had suggested.'
The next time Heather saw him, a few months later, 'It was a complete transformation. Rudie had become confident, played with the other pugs, he enjoyed being independent in the house and garden, he stopped panicking if I left the room, his barking had lessened and he thoroughly enjoyed his holidays.'
He remains on medication, and is much happier as a result, she adds.
Seemingly, while Prozac won't change many behavioural issues, it's often a miracle drug for dogs that are traumatised or suffering severe separation anxiety – a symptom for many dogs post-pandemic, when owners returned to work.
'In my experience, progress towards the dog feeling relaxed when home alone increases much more quickly with these drugs, alongside behavioural support,' says Jo Sellers, a certified separation anxiety specialist at Pippin Pets Dog Training in Surrey.
Her own dog, Reba, is a nine-year-old cocker spaniel/bichon frisé cross, and is not on anxiety drugs. 'She's so placid and gentle, and has been a visiting therapy dog for most of her life,' says Sellers. 'I don't need meds to keep her calm when she's home alone, as the behaviour modification plan I use teaches the dog to feel calm.'
Some dogs, however, are in greater need of support, which is when Sellers will suggest a combination of behavioural training and fluoxetine.
'Many of my clients are reluctant to try it, as they are worried that it will change their dog's personality,' she says. 'But what I see is that their dog is the same animal, but a less anxious, stressed version. In fact, they can finally become their full selves.'
