AN OVERVIEW OF BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS AND ITS

THERAPEUTIC MANAGEMENT IN DOGS AND CATS

Aruru Keerthana*1, U. Sunilchandra2, N. B. Shridhar3,G.Srinivasan4
M. Vijay Kumar5 and C.Ravikumar6
Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology
Veterinary College, Shivamogga
Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University
Karnataka, India
ABSTRACT
Many of the dogs and cats lives affected with behavioral disorders have been
ended either in euthanasia, relinquishment, chronic suffering or would have handed over
to shelters. Various types of behavioral disorders in dogs and cats include nonspecific/
idiopathic aggression, fear, phobia, anxiety disorder and stereotyping behavior. The goal of
therapy should be the modification of the abnormal behavior by environmental management,
training with pharmacological intervention being adjunct to the behavioral modification
training. Major classes of behavioral modifying drugs used in pets are selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (SSRI ), tricyclic antidepressants ( TCA ), monoamine oxidase inhibitors
(MAOI), antipsychotic agents, anticonvulsants and benzodiazepines. The mechanism
of action has been attributed to modification of the availability or function of various
neurotransmitters implicated in the behavioral disorders. Presently, the approved drugs for
veterinary> use has been limited to: selegiline, a SSRI, for canine cognitive dysfunction and
clomipramine, a TCA, for separation anxiety in dogs, with majority drugs being used on
extra label fashion with the extrapolation of human data. The article reviews about the
pathophysiology> of behavioral disorders, diagnostic approaches and drugs available for the
treatment of abnormal behavior caused by variation in neurotransmitter
Keywords: Behavioral disorder, Canine cognitive dysfunction, Separation anxiety,
SSRI, TCA
Received : 07.01.2022 Revised : 14.03. 2022 Accepted : 16.03.2022
^ Corresponding author, email : keerthanareddy6512@gmail. com Behavior means the way in which one
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Associate Professor way in which an animal/person behaves in
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Karnataka, India. (de Passille et al ., 1996).Abnormal behavior is

KVAFSU, Karnataka, India.

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combination of motivational factors and
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Associate Professor and Head Department of Veterinary
and Toxicology, Veterinary College Hassan,
stimuli. AllanimalsWerenotbehavedidenticallyJ
KVAFSU, Karnataka, India. when exposed with the same conditions. These
Ind. J. Vet. & Anim. Sci. Res., 51 ( 1) 1- 11, January> - February, 2022 1