-via boingboing-

Fortune has announced the year's 101 Dumbest Moments in Business, including Prozac for dogs.

Thank God. We've been so worried since Lucky dyed his hair jet black and started listening to the Smiths.

Eli Lilly wins FDA approval to put Prozac into chewable, beef-flavored pills to treat separation anxiety in dogs.

It's not just dogs - cats are treated with SSRI antidepressants, along with psychotherapy. If treatment fails to calm behaviour, the next step is neutering. Imagine that veterinary approach integrating with current practices for humans. Patients who have trouble with adhering to prescribed meds might become more motivated in that scenario.

"I asked ''The feline Freud' Carole Wilbourn to ask: if Prozac might not the answer for [difficult cats], what about psychotherapy?

She pointed out that dogs with OCD respond very well to Prozac [as do humans with OCD], and sometimes owners mistake changes as negative side effects when in fact things like slackened muscles and a trance-like appearance are signs the cat is relaxing. And just as some humans become more agitated and suicidal from SSRIs, animals can turn more aggressive.

Also as in humans, drugs aren't the whole answer. "Sometimes drugs can work but I'd rather start on a behavioral program," said Wilbourne.

Via Mind Hacks
Read more about Carole Wilbourne's work
Also read the funny Barking at Prozac, with dogs speaking on their unique experiences with meds.