When Belinda Keehn’s newly rescued Maltese shih-tzu Sammy was prescribed a “calmative” to treat his debilitating anxiety, she was surprised to learn she would need to fill it at the pharmacy down the road.
Even more of a surprise was that the diazepam, or valium, was identical to what would be used to treat anxiety in humans.
“He [the vet] said it was similar to valium, and then I filled the script, and it was valium,” she said. “I started off from a really small dose, built it up a little bit, and then I just weaned him off slowly. It definitely served its purpose.”
Belinda Keehn at home with her Maltese shih-tzu, Sammy. Credit: Nick Moir
Sammy, now 16, was only on valium for three months, but Keehn credits the medication for helping him trust humans again after a turbulent and abusive start to life.
Sammy is part of a trend of pets who regularly visit a human pharmacy (with their humans) for medications ranging from over-the-counter antihistamines to prescription benzodiazepines to treat anxiety.
And while prescription medications for humans are tracked through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, vets and pharmacists say there is no way of knowing how many dogs and other pets are taking them.
Andrew O’Shea, an animal behaviour specialist who runs a clinic in Camden, south-west Sydney, said having statistics on the number of prescriptions would help give the emerging field insight into prescribing practices and protect against the small chance the drugs were misused by their owners.
“We would like somebody to be monitoring it,” he said. “It’s unlikely, but if somebody was abusing the medication, they may be able to get access to a significant amount of it before anybody realised it.”
Kate Strong, a pharmacist who founded online pharmacy PetPA two years ago, said fluoxetine, or Prozac, was the online chemist’s second-highest selling product.
She attributed the surge to COVID “lockdown puppies” developing anxiety as their owners returned to work.
“There’s that big separation anxiety, where they’ll rip up the house because they were so used to having people at home for such a long time,” she said.
Most popular products at PetPA online pharmacy
- Apoquel (immune modulator used to manage itchiness caused by airborne allergies)
- Fluoxetine (sometimes sold under brand name Prozac, for treating anxiety)
- Meloxicam (anti-inflammatory used to treat arthritis)
- Antibiotics (Tricin powder, doxycycline)
While the total number of prescriptions isn’t known, dogs experience anxiety at similar rates to humans. Dr Isabelle Resch, president of the Australian Veterinary Behavioural Medicine group, said about 80 per cent of dogs will suffer anxiety at some point, and 20 to 30 per cent will have an anxiety disorder requiring treatment.
At her practice in Canberra, complete with a plush couch akin to Freud’s chaise longue, Resch spends hours getting to know a dog and their owner. Treatment will often involve medication (Resch prescribes antianxiety medications every day) alongside environmental changes and ongoing therapy to reduce their anxiety.
Resch questioned who would take responsibility for tracking pet medications, but said doing so “would be great for the future of veterinary science”.
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