Increasing numbers of British pets are being given Prozac to help them battle against depression, a leading veterinary expert has revealed.
Tropical birds such as parrots are the worst affected by depression, according to television vet Romain Pizzi.
Mr Pizzi, who presents Creature Clinic on BBC3 and is a specialist in zoo and wildlife medicine for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, said pets are affected when owners leave them alone for hours on end.
He said: “Contrary to some people’s expectations parrots are very intelligent and sensitive animals.
“Typically if people go out to work all day their parrot will get very bored and frustrated and eventually develop depression.
“Symptoms often include plucking out their feathers or self-harming, which is obviously very dangerous.”When Cockatoos in particular are depressed they can start to self-mutilate and peck their own legs to the bone.”Mr Pizzi, the director of Edinburgh-based consultancy Zoological Medicine, said that the number of tropical birds requiring anti-depressants such as Prozac was rising.
However he added that the drug was only prescribed in “the most extreme cases.”
