Chewed-up carpets and pillows? Incessant howling? Maybe all Fido needs is a beef-flavored anti-depressant pill – just approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Clomicalm is the first drug to fight the depression dogs suffer when they are left alone, authorities said.
Its manufacturer claims 15 percent of dogs suffer from this “separation anxiety,” a mental disorder that afflicts all breeds and pedigrees.
“The dog has such anxiety when its owner leaves that it will chew up the owner’s favorite chair, pillow or bedding,” said Dr. Lewis Berman, director of the Park East Animal Hospital in Manhattan.
“The dog is not trying to be mean. But it drives the pet owners crazy.”
Until now, many owners have tried human anti-depressant drugs – like Prozac or Elivil – to perk up their pooch.
“These drugs do work,” said Berman, who has a 4-year-old patient – an English toy spaniel named Gracie – who emerged from her depression after daily doses of Elivil.
“Gracie” had been leading a life of terror – hiding under owner Judy Kern’s bed and venturing out only for food and walks.
“It was like I didn’t have a dog,” said Kern, who works for a publishing company and lives on the Upper East Side.
But after six weeks on Elivil, Gracie became a new doggie.
“She has a better life now,” said a happy Kern. “There are people on anti-anxiety drugs forever. Why shouldn’t a dog?”
But there is a downside to medicating your mutt.
“Anti-depressant drugs are very addictive and, like a human, a dog can get hooked,” Berman said.
Along with taking Clomicalm, depressed dogs should undergo behavioral counseling to reduce anxiety, said Dr. Karen Aiken, of the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan.
A pet owner has to condition a dog that the jingle of keys, the putting on of an overcoat, or the retrieval of a handbag does not mean the owner will never return home.
Aiken said dog owners should walk around their homes with a coat on for 20 minutes, or leave the house and come back in five minutes, to show the dog that these actions don’t mean abandonment.