Barking at Prozac

Barking At Prozac: How the Drug Changed Some Dogs' Lives is a dead-on parody of issues surrounding SSRIs. It even gets into neuroethics and "cosmetic canine pharmacology." Written in 1995 by Mitch Lemus, the only thing different in 2006 is barking from yet more polarized groups.

The drug has been useful in treating obsessive compulsive disorders, as well. Dot, a Dalmatian, would spend hours trying to scratch her spots off. But after just five days on Prozac, her nervous habit ceased. "I spent a fortune on trainers, therapy, and new-age diets, but nothing ever worked until my vet suggested I share my Prozac with Dot. All I can say now is that she's better than well," raved Dot's owner.

But not everyone endorses the practice of dispensing drugs designed for humans to pets. When one owner sought Prozac to keep her Beagle from licking his testicles, her vet threw her out of his office. "It's disturbing how some people insist on meddling with normal animal behavior," says Dr. Murray Muzzleman. "Yes, dogs lick their balls. Why? Because they can."

Dr. Muzzleman shares his bias against psychotropic drugs with the Church of Zooinology. Zooinologists charge that Prozac can unleash violent tendencies in otherwise passive pooches...

Winki, President of Pooches Union of Prozac Poppers (PUPP), feels the decision to take mood-lifting drugs should be left up to the individual animal. "As a Chihuahua, I used to be shy and easily intimidated, yapped the diminutive five-pounder. "But on Prozac, I feel like top dog. Now I don't take crap from nobody, be it a Doberman, Pit Bull Terrier, or authoritarian human being."

Perhaps the controversy is best put into perspective by Dr. Barkowitz, the animal psychiatrist, who asks, "What does it mean to live a dog's life, anyway?"