Viagra for Dogs

Not quite, but according to Matthew Philips's Newsweek article, The Pets We Love—and Drug (better, at least, in that order, I suppose) Pfizer anticipates that 17 million dog owners in the United States will be willing to try their new diet drug, Slentrol, on their pets. According to Philips, of the 74 million dogs in America, about one-third are overweight, and 5 percent are obese. But that's not all.

In 2006, 77 percent of dogs were given medication, compared with 52 percent in 2004. According to APPMA, spending on pets' surgical procedures and dental
care—including floss and teeth whiteners—has also risen. Pet products now make up more than half an animal-health market once dominated by products for livestock.

. . .


Not surprisingly, some of the world's largest drugmakers are pouring resources into their animal health divisions in hopes of capitalizing on this emerging market. The FDA has approved more than two dozen new drugs for pets since 2002 alone. Along with Slentrol, Pfizer has a drug to treat motion sickness in dogs that's due out in August. Eli Lilly just launched a new companion-animal division and plans to develop six drugs in the next four years, in part by reconstituting drugs developed for humans, targeting not physical but psychological ailments. Lilly's new flagship pet medication, Reconcile, approved by the FDA in January to treat separation anxiety in dogs, is the same compound as its antidepressant Prozac.

It can only be a matter of time before a dog is diagnosed with ADHD. What's the betting it's one of those little yappy fuckers?