Separation anxiety afflicts thousands of dogs, and is one of the most common reasons that dogs are euthanized. The FDA approved the sale of Clomicalm, known chemically as clomipramine, on Dec. 10, but made the approval public late Monday. Clomicalm is made by Novartis Animal Health, which did not immediately return phone calls seeking a price.
Dogs are pack animals, behavior specialists explain.
Separation anxiety accounts for 20 percent to 40 percent of all dog visits to vets for behavior problems. Vets have experimented with giving dogs mixes of human drugs, such as antidepressants, to calm them down, but Clomicalm is the first drug ever proven to work in these dogs, Sundlof said. About 160 dogs were given either Clomicalm or a dummy pill in addition to their behavior therapy. The dogs took one or two pills a day, depending on their weight. Side effects were mild, Sundlof said, with about 20 percent of dogs experiencing some vomiting.