Companion Animal Behavioral Products

In the 1980s manufacturers of veterinary pharmaceuticals started to branch out into new areas, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and behavioural problems. Some 20 years later also the complementary or alternative products experienced an upsurge in public acceptance with regard to behaviour modification, where the root of a problem is often difficult to pinpoint.

The fundamentals of the behaviour of companion animals have remained remarkably similar to that of their respective ancestors. The ancestor of the dog was the grey wolf, a social and co-operative carnivore living in family-based groups. The main rationale for domesticating the wolf was to use the animal as a guard of property such as dwellings, land, or farmed animals. Consequently, many of the behavioural problems of the dog today are centred on aggression. In contrast, the domestication of the cat was a cultural matter, originally associated with religious issues, which resulted in an aesthetically pleasing household pet. Some of the main behavioural problems seen in this species are probably due to the intense line-breeding that has been carried out in many cat breeds. The role of the horse, the domestication of which began relatively late in human history, changed over time from a food-producing animal to a companion animal used for military, agricultural and transportation activities, and later increasingly for recreational and social purposes. Therefore, there is a completely different set of behavioural problems related to this species when compared to the carnivore companion animals, requiring different techniques and different product types in many cases.

In general, behavioural problems in companion animals are acquired disorders, which occur as a reaction to inappropriate husbandry conditions, isolation or deprivation of social interaction. Consequently, fears such as separation anxiety, and unruly, destructive or aggressive behaviour as well as house soiling are amongst the most common problems in dogs and cats. Other areas of behavioural therapy in companion animals are related to the diet, to pain or to ageing. Also, sexual behaviour of companion animals, even in cases in which it would be considered normal, can be undesirable or even dangerous for the owners and therefore require surgical or pharmaceutical intervention.

Primarily, behavioural disorders should to be addressed by removing or altering the causative agents or circumstances, and by applying behaviour modification techniques such as desensitisation and counter-conditioning. This process can be supported and accelerated by concomitantly employing medicinal or non-medicinal products. However, more and more products are becoming available for areas in which it is not possible or feasible to perform a complete behavioural, learning-based therapy. In such cases, therapeutic products can become the main pillar of the treatment.

The pharmaceutical products available for behavioural therapy include neurotransmitters, sedatives, anxiolytics, antidepressants, hormones and CNS stimulants, and in a wider sense also anticonvulsants, geriatrics and contraceptives. A considerable number of psychoactive, psychotropic and antipsychotic and tranquilising drugs have been available in the human field of psychiatric treatment, including monoamines, amino acids, neuroleptic drugs such as phenothiazines, sedative and hypnotic drugs such as benzodiazepines, antidepressants and hormones. Substances belonging to some these product segments have also been approved for use in veterinary medicine, and their number is growing steadily.

The segment of alternative of natural therapeutics for behaviour problems comprises of products such as herbs, certain amino acids, antioxidants, homeopathic remedies, flower remedies, essential oils and pheromones. Especially in the light of the growing interest in the so-called nutraceuticals, many manufacturers focus on the use of psychoactive herbs and antioxidants as nutritional supplements or on their inclusion in existing food product lines. The pheromones, synthetically derived substances that regulate behaviour by olfactory means, represent another product area that has been the subject of increasing attention in recent years.

This report looks at the latest market trends in the field of products for use in behaviour therapy, and at recent product developments. Furthermore, it presents company profiles of both major and niche players in this market, taking into consideration pharmaceutical manufacturers as well as producers of complementary products such as herbs or nutraceutical supplements.