Canine Behavior Disorders - Severe conditions can be successfully treated.
By T.J. Dunn, Jr., DVM
Imagine the shock of coming home, letting your little dog out of his crate, and discovering that while you were away he suffered a torn and displaced eye.
That's what happened to Bruce Bachleda, of West Chicago, Ill. His Shih Tzu, Murphy, was so destructive when left alone that he needed to be kept in a spacious crate along with food, water, and toys. Nevertheless, Murphy's separation anxiety worsened.
No one knows how Murphy's eye was damaged, but the incident so troubled Bachleda that he sought help from John Ciribassi, a veterinarian experienced in treating canine behavioral problems at Chicagoland Veterinary Behavior Consultants, in Carol Stream, Ill. Murphy was treated with Clomipramine, and underwent desensitizing training at home. Today, the rehabilitated Shih Tzu couldn't care less when the Bachledas leave, and he no longer needs medication except for occasional storm phobia.
Other dogs aren't so lucky. There are hundreds of thousands of dogs in shelters and pounds across the country, most of them surrendered by owners who were unable to cope with their dogs' misbehavior. According the Humane Society of the United States, more than 4 million dogs find themselves in shelters every year, many due to behavioral problems.
Behavioral problems in dogs often stem from anxiety originating from fear, or expectation of a fearful event. Imagine how difficult it is to correct anxiety in a dog, when one considers that humans often need many months of counseling, and/or medication, in order to overcome an anxiety disorder.
How does one "counsel" a dog? Animal behaviorists often use a dual approach when attempting to achieve behavior modification in dogs. Skilled training, coordinating owner/dog interaction, persistent and patient repetition of training procedures, and positive reinforcement of good behaviors all are akin to human "counseling."
The second tool used to achieve behavioral modification goals is medication. Many of the drugs useful in animal behavioral modification are identical to those used to treat humans with similar psychological/behavioral disorders. Just as with humans, some dogs suffer from anxiety, phobias, hyperactivity, aggression, self-mutilation, and compulsive disorders. And just as in human psychotherapy, canine patients often require medications to assist in resolving those problems.
Research and practical experience in man and animals has clearly demonstrated the importance of specific brain chemicals that impact mood and behavior. The three most important chemicals are norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin; they are called neurotransmitters because they are required at the synapse (junction) between brain cells for the transmission of nerve impulses. Medications useful in affecting mood and behavior in dogs alter concentrations of one or more of these three chemicals.
In general, the more serotonin present in the nerve synapse environment of the brain, the more stable the dog's mood. Increasing serotonin levels at the nerve synapses in the brain of an aggressive dog levels out the dog's responses to aggression-stimulating events. Scientists have discovered drugs that allow serotonin to remain longer at the nerve synapses.
These drugs are called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs. They include drugs such as Prozac (fluoxetine), which is useful in treating anxiety, panic, phobia, and obsessive disorders. While at Cornell University, veterinary behaviorist Ilana Reisner, assistant professor of behavioral medicine and director of the Behavior Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, authored a study of dogs with severe owner-directed aggression. These dogs had lower cerebrospinal fluid serotonin metabolite levels compared to non-aggressive dogs. The inference is that drugs that increase serotonin levels, such as fluoxetine, may help control owner-directed aggression.
Two classes of drugs commonly used are the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) such as amitriptyline, and the serotonin-enhancing medications (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine. Clomicalm (clomipramine) is at this time one of two FDA-approved behavior modification medications for use in dogs; it is useful for aiding in the correction of separation anxiety. The second approved drug is Anipryl (selegiline), a product that is used to assist older dogs with cognitive dysfunction syndrome.
Other drugs, such as amitriptyline (Elavil) and doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), diazepam (Valium), and phenobarbital, although not officially approved for behavior modification use in dogs by the FDA, are commonly used to help correct certain behavioral disorders.
As useful as these drugs are, veterinary behaviorists caution dog owners not to rely on drugs as a sole source of problem resolution. As Reisner emphasizes, "Drugs are almost never used by themselves in an attempt to change undesirable canine behaviors. Generally the most often-prescribed medications are human antidepressants, used in dogs for anxiety rather than depression, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (fluoxetine/Prozac), and a veterinary drug Clomicalm (clomipramine). These are almost always used in association with behavior, management, and environmental changes. We also spend a great deal of time explaining safety strategies, e.g., risks of biting and the best way to avoid provocative situations. There is no 'cure' for aggression, especially through drug therapy. On the other hand, drug therapy is not a last resort, but rather a very rational part of the treatment plan for most dogs."
At Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, veterinary behaviorist Nicholas Dodman, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic, indicates that 60 percent of the clinic's behavior cases are aggression-related. "There are a number of kinds of aggressive disorders such as owner-directed aggression where the dog attacks the primary caregiver; prey or predatory aggression is triggered by small, moving animals (or children) who may then be attacked; fear aggression occurs when the dog reacts aggressively to a fear-inducing stimulus."
In his book If Only They Could Speak (W.W. Norton and Co., 2003), Dodman describes the use of Prozac and other medications that assist in correcting unacceptable and sometimes debilitating behaviors. He worries about the abandoned and euthanized dogs that have been shut off from their human companions due to behavioral problems that, in many cases, could be successfully corrected with a combination of training and medication.
Another alternative is pheromones. Pheromones are odor molecules that mimic natural odor-producing substances. The product D.A.P. (Dog Appeasing Pheromone), sold as a spray or diffuser through veterinarians or over-the-counter under the name Comfort Zone with D.A.P., has a soothing effect through its impact on specialized receptors in the dog's nasal passages. "This product is an excellent non-medicinal alternative that has demonstrated its ability to induce a reassuring effect on the dog through the use of pheromone technology," says Anne Robertson, public relations director of Farnam Companies, Inc. "It is one more tool the veterinarian can utilize in assisting with behavior modification efforts. It has no drug-induced effects such as sedatives and SSRIs have, so it has appeal for those situations where dog owners prefer a more natural option to assist with some undesirable behaviors."
Dodman admits that perhaps 1 or 2 percent of aggressive dogs cannot be rehabilitated, and do present a serious danger to people and other pets. But these dangerous "non-responders" are not the dogs filling the shelters.
The message is this: If you have a serious behavioral problem with your dog, there are encouraging treatment options. Behavior modification with intelligent retraining, and the use of available medications and products, may return rewards far exceeding your expectations. Your reward will be an improved quality of life for yourself as well as your dog.