Drug Therapy in Veterinary Behavior – Show me the Evidence

Psychotropic drugs and natural products can be useful for reducing the signs associated with phobic, panic or chronic anxiety and to improve trainability in situations where the pet is anxious, fearful, or aroused. Drugs may also have a dramatic effect when there is brain pathology, as with compulsive disorders, impulse dyscontrol or cognitive dysfunction syndrome. Drugs may also be useful for feline urine marking and some forms of aggression. However, drugs do not change the relationship with the stimulus so that concurrent behaviour modification will also be needed to desensitize, countercondition and train desirable responses.