During a life together stretching back nine years, Sandra Sommerfeld’s two pet
dogs, Gertie, a basset hound, and Shadow, a terrier cross, had always got
along. Their personalities, though, could hardly have been more different.
Gertie was the placid, quiet one; Shadow was always on the move, chasing
rabbits and ceaselessly teasing Gertie by stealing her ball. So when Gertie
was put down in 2005 – she was suffering from an incurable tumour –
Sommerfeld expected Shadow’s high spirits to dip for a short while and to
return after a couple of weeks.
“For two weeks Shadow continued as usual,” says Sommerfeld. “But then she
seemed to realise that Gertie wasn’t coming back. Her whole personality
changed. She took no interest in her walks and went off her chews. She’d
just sit on the sofa all day with her head down. Really, she looked
depressed.”
To many of us, the idea that dogs can suffer mental health problems, such as
depression, and chronic anxiety, will raise an eyebrow. But a recent study
by Sainsbury’s Pet Insurance suggested that depression and anxiety are
widespread in our canine population; the report indicated that 623,000 dogs
and cats in the UK had suffered mentally in the previous year, while more
than 900,000 suffered loss of appetite because of stress or emotional
problems. Now, the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of the
antidepression drug Prozac, has launched a chewable beef version of the
medication in the US, under the name Reconcile, for anxious and depressed
dogs. So are we really, as some pet experts fear, facing a rising tide of
canine mental illness? And what should you do if you are living with an
anxious pooch?
“Shadow had lost his joie de vivre”
Sommerfeld says she began to think about Shadow’s behaviour as manifestation
of a depressive illness when it had still not improved three months after
Gertie’s death, in December 2005. Hers is more than a casual opinion; she is
a head nurse with the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), a charity
that provides free pet care to 4,650 animals every working day. “Shadow had
lost her joie de vivre,” she recalls. “She even started soiling indoors.
Elaine Pendlebury, a senior veterinary surgeon for the PDSA, says Sommerfeld’s
experience is far from unique. At the PDSA kennels she sees other cases of
apparent dog depression. “Lethargy and a worrying lack of appetite are
typical manifestations,” she says. “A dog owner faced with this should see a
vet; there are physical problems, from infections to age-related diseases,
that should be ruled out first.”
But what is at the root of all this doggy depression and anxiety? Are we, a
self-avowed nation of dog-lovers, partly to blame? “Where depression is
concerned,” says Pendlebury, “dogs are pack animals, and the trigger is
often a change in the pack. So the death of an owner or companion dog, or
divorce, leaving the dog with one partner, can spark depression, as can the
arrival of a new child. Constant arguments at home could also be a trigger;
dogs are sensitive to their emotional environment.
“There are a range of anxiety problems. Separation anxiety, for example, when
a dog becomes distressed when left alone, is fairly common and can be caused
by a simple lack of habituation or separation when a puppy. With more
general anxiety disorders, you’d again look to the family as to what has
changed, or perhaps to a chemical imbalance in the brain. The key is always
to see your vet. There’s certainly a case for the idea that increased stress
in our lives, longer working hours and noisier cities, is a contributor to
dog depression. Pet dogs need human interaction; we’re perhaps spending less
time with them than we once did.” But are we mistakenly viewing our dogs
through the prism of human feeling when we talk of canine mental health, and
not simply problematic behaviour? The Royal Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals has expressed concern that dog anxiety and depression
drugs such as Reconcile, licensed in the US, will create a population of
“pill-popping pets”.
Daniel Mills, one of the world’s leading experts on animal behaviour, is
professor of veterinary behavioural medicine at the University of Lincoln.
He states that two psychoactive drugs, Clomicalm and Selegeline, are already
licensed for anxiety disorders in dogs in the UK. “Clomicalm works on
serotonin in the brain and is most often used to treat separation anxiety,”
Mills says. “But it could be useful for depression, too. If a dog came to me
with separation anxiety or depressive symptoms, I’d first talk about
behavioural therapy (see box). But evidence from anxiety cases shows that
giving drugs speeds up the treatment recovery time.”
Pendlebury says that Clomicalm and Selegiline work broadly in the same way
that our equivalent antidepressant drugs work on us. Clomicalm is an SSRI
(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) like Prozac. Both drugs work by
regulating the presence of serotonin in the brain; in both dogs and humans,
serotonin plays a key role in mood.
But let’s cut to the chase: do dogs really have the emotional complexity
necessary to suffer from mental illnesses? Intriguingly, Mills says that our
understanding of the nature of emotion suggests that they do. “There’s been
almost no scientific research on the range of emotions that mammals such as
dogs can feel,” he says. “But there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence of
depressed dogs; ask 20 owners and you’ll find a case. Scientists believe
that emotional capability evolves in response to living in complex social
situations. Dogs, like us, live in such societies, so it would make sense if
they are capable of true depression. Anxiety problems are more widely
reported, but that’s perhaps because they manifest themselves more obviously
in behaviours such as chewing furniture and barking.”
“Suki was an anxious pup from day one”
A range of practitioners is seeking to raise awareness of canine mental
health. Tracy Gudgeon read psychology at the University of Central
Lancashire before deciding to work exclusively as a dog psychologist. In
October 2005, Pam Southworth, a dog owner from Preston, contacted Gudgeon
about her one-year-old Jack Russell, Suki. She was displaying aggression
when Gudgeon went to leave the house, was refusing to drink any water except
from the bath tap and was not responding to conventional training. “Suki
seemed an anxious puppy from day one, but I thought that, as she was a
puppy, she’d grow out of it,” Gudgeon says.
In fact, Gudgeon says, conventional training was aggravating an untreated
anxiety disorder, combined with an obsessive compulsive disorder related to
drinking. Southworth says that Gudgeon’s specially tailored behaviour
therapy course, which included strategic ignoring when Suki became
aggressive, together with an 18-month course of Clomicalm, have cured Suki’s
anxiety and compulsions.
Medication, however, isn’t always the solution when a dog is anxious or
depressed. In the case of Shadow, Sommerfeld’s dog, there was an altogether
different answer. “In March 2005 we got an eight-year-old German Shepherd,
Jake,” Sommerfeld says. “The change was immediate; from the moment Jake
arrived, the carpet stayed dry. Now, Shadow’s back to her old self.”
If you think your dog is depressed or anxious, first consult your vet.
However, you can find out more from the PDSA (www.pdsa.org.uk
) and the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (www.apbc.org.uk
)
Paws for thought
The foundations of good canine mental health, says Inga MacKellar, of the
Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC), lie in early life. The
first 12 weeks of a dog’s life are crucial,” she says. “You must habituate
your puppy to as wide a range of experiences as possible.
Separation anxiety is a common problem, so start leaving the room for
short periods and build up gradually.
Noise phobia is another classic problem. Now, you can buy CDs that
contain all the common noises that cause upset: fireworks, babies crying,
traffic. Play one to your puppy regularly.
To socialise your puppy, introduce it to a wide a range of people:
different sizes, different ethnic backgrounds, young children.
If you buy a dog that’s older than 12 weeks, ask what habituation and
socialisation has been done.
If you think your adult dog is suffering anxiety or depression, seek
help from a qualified behaviourist via the APBC. There are a few fundamental
rules. Don’t reinforce problem behaviours by giving more attention, such as
cuddling, patting. Instead, pick up a dog toy and start playing
with it; this will send the message that there is nothing to worry about.
Keep your dog adequately stimulated with walks and games. Ensure
house rules are consistent; it’s stressful for a dog if it gets different
messages on, say, whether it is allowed on the sofa. For more details, www.apbc.org.uk
Animal mad house
Elaine Pendlebury, the senior vet at the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals,
says that household pets can suffer a range of mental health problems . . .
CATS Prone to anxiety problems, often linked to their territorial
nature. A house move, or new cats in your area, could spark anxiety. Anxious
cats might stop eating, overgroom, and spray indoors. Cat pheromones
dispersers, such as those made by Feliway (feliway.co.uk), that act to calm
your cat, can be effective.
BIRDS Birds can suffer depression, anxiety and neuroses due to lack of
stimulation. Feather plucking is a common sign, and compulsive head bobbing
and refusal to eat. If you keep your bird in a cage, ensure daily exercise,
and access to toys.
RABBITS
Prone to anxiety, relating to their status as prey. Look for refusal to eat
and aggression. They also bond strongly, making them prone to depression if
a companion rabbit dies. Rabbits are sociable and you should ideally keep
more than one.
GUINEA-PIGS
These animals are shortsighted and feel secure in small spaces. If your pet is
in a large space, ensure that it has places to hide. A happy guinea-pig
makes a low purring sound; a stressed one makes a high-pitched squeal.
FISH
Fish are susceptible to stress, often triggered by territorial disputes and
lack of contact with other fish. A stressed fish may become lethargic, stop
feeding and become paler in colour. Ensure that there are numerous hiding
places.
timesonline.co.uk/health
Listen to Benjamin Fry, the author of How to be Happy, talking about his life
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