Giving Prescription Drugs To Dogs Is Insane

Monday, July 14, 2008


This dog is on drugs. Image from kittyhell.com

Call me a pet lover who still thinks a pet is inferior to a human being - but who's still cute and cuddly - because when I read about stories in the NY Times about Pill-Popping Pets who take drugs which for all purposes are the same as human drugs (like the dog Max in the article who takes a pet form of the drug clomipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant) - I can't help but think to myself - are you kidding me?

I mean c'mon - dogs are supposed to wag their tails and chase after them because - well - they're dogs - that's what they do. And as much as I was up for "experimentation" back in what I like to call my "free and clear" days, I honestly think giving drugs like antidepressants to animals is kind of cruel because in a way it's like trying to make them into something they shouldn't be.

A dog is supposed to go wacko trying to chase his tail (and if you've had enough drinks, this should be fun for you as well). It's supposed to, without warning, hump the leg of someone you've only met once and then try to eat your shoe and the next day pee on the postman. This is what dogs sometimes do - and not just once or twice - but sometimes for their whole lives (and have people heard of something called a dog trainer?).

This is why a dog is your pet versus your accountant.

And I'm not saying pets shouldn't get good health care or take a vitamin - take care of your pet in that way - but I have to think that if you're giving your pet drugs for their psyche (and especially cats, because cats are just psycho anyway) - maybe your pet isn't the one that should be taking the drugs.

I blame this post on white people and Hello Kitty.