Fwd: DEPRESSION IN ZOO ANIMALS

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Sep 17, 2006 8:47 AM

DEPRESSION IN ZOO ANIMALS

journalistandanimals

 

http://www.slate.com/id/2149682/?nav=tap3

The Tears of a PandaWhat happens when a zoo animal gets depressed?

*By Daniel Engber

*Posted Thursday, Sept. 14, 2006, at 6:28 PM ET

 

*Download the MP3 audio version of this story

here<http://media.slate.com/podcast/Explainers/060915-SadPanda.mp3>,

or sign up for The Explainer's free daily podcast on

**iTunes<http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=923216\

57>

..*

 

A sleep-deprived panda inadvertently crushed her newborn cub to

death<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14726425/>at a zoo in China last

week. " Pandas who lose their young tend to be

depressed for a month or so, " said a zoo

official<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/08/panda_death/>.

" Yaya appeared to be so sad when she couldn't find her baby. … Tears could

be seen in her eyes. " What happens when a zoo animal gets depressed?

 

It gets special treats or psychiatric treatment. Keepers can tell

something's wrong when an animal becomes lethargic and unresponsive or stops

eating its food. Other warning signs include excessive grooming (like

picking fur or plucking feathers), rocking in place, and pacing in circles.

Zoo employees must first rule out physical ailments that could cause similar

symptoms. An animal with an ulcer or a broken finger, for example, might

mope around in the corner because it's in pain. A skin condition might

elicit a grooming response that looks something like OCD.

 

A sad-sack animal can sometimes be coaxed out of a funk with " enrichment

items " like toys and special foods. The pandas at the National Zoo get "

fruitsicles

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/schmorgie/205312648/> " —apple-juice-flavored

ices with embedded pieces of fruit. A blue period may also pass on its own,

given enough time.

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Some zoo veterinarians prescribe antidepressants as a last resort. Last

year, the Toledo Zoo admitted that it had been running an extensive

psychiatric

program<http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050912/NEWS38/509120\

12/-1/NEWS>:

One gorilla took Prozac for anxiety that seemed to be associated with her

menstrual cycle, zebras and wildebeests were given the antipsychotic Haldol

to relax in a new environment, and an agitated tiger was dosed with Valium.

 

It's not clear how well these drugs work for exotic animals—there aren't

many placebo-controlled studies of antidepressant use in gorillas, zebras,

and tigers. We've got more information on

dogs<http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/fearful%20dogs.htm>and

cats <http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?s= & threadid=508>: Both

SSRI<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_serotonin_reuptake_inhibitor>-class

drugs (like Prozac) and

tricyclics<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricyclic_antidepressant>(like

Anafranil) seem

to

work<http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2001.219.1557?cookieSet=\

1 & journalCode=javma>.

Researchers assess a pet's anxiety by counting anxious behaviors, like the

number of times it urinates in a stressful situation.

 

When veterinarians dole out antidepressants, they almost always go

off-label. That means they're prescribing a drug that's only been approved

for human use. (This is perfectly legal.) The Food and Drug Administration

has approved only one antidepressant for animal use—

Clomicalm<http://www.clomicalm.novartis.us/faq/en/index.shtml>,

which is the same drug as Anafranil. But the approval extends only to dogs,

and only to treat " separation anxiety. " Studies reveal that training an

anxious dog works just as well as giving it Clomicalm, but it takes a lot

longer.

 

*Bonus Explainer:* Are antidepressants tested on animals as they're

developed? Yes. Drug companies use animals to check both the safety and the

efficacy of new compounds. Antidepressants are deemed effective if they

extend the amount of time an animal—like a mouse—is willing to endure

unpleasant situations—like swimming in a pool of water. No one knows if this

really corresponds to the animal's " happiness, " but researchers have found

that it correlates with drug efficacy in humans. As the president of R & D at

Wyeth

explained<http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9804E5D61030F93BA15750C\

0A9629C8B63 & sec=health & pagewanted=1>to

the

* New York Times* a few years ago, " [W]e don't try to relate the behavior in

an animal to a human behavior. "

 

Got a question about today's news? Ask the Explainer

<ask_the_explainer.

 

*Explainer thanks Melissa Bain of the University of California and William

Xanten of the National Zoo.*