Behavior modification in pets: How to tell if a product is worth the money.

Some pet products are excellent, and others are limp imitations. How do you know which is which? If you want to know whether a pet product is good, ask a pet expert—your veterinarian. For example, how would veterinarians evaluate pheromone products marketed to modify behavior?

Veterinarians would ask four questions:

1. What is in the product?
2. How much or what is the concentration of active ingredients?
3. Where’s the research that shows this particular product at this concentration is useful in the species it’s being marketed for.
4. Who’s using it? Are they veterinarians I respect?

Comfort Zone DAP is marketed as a calming product. It contains a pheromone released when dogs nurse their puppies. The pheromone is present in a 2% concentration. Comfort Zone DAP has been on he market many years and is backed by clinical research that shows it relieves stress in shelter situations and in private homes. Many veterinarians use Comfort Zone DAP it in their clinics to relax hospitalized dogs. They also use a similar product, Comfort Zone Feliway, which contains a feline pheromone, to calm hospitalized cats. Both products are recommended by veterinarians specializing in behavior medicine.

Let’s evaluate another pheromone product, Pet Ease Plus. This product is similar to DAP in that it comes in an atomizer that is plugged into the wall to disperse through the room. It contains 3% of the pheromone nursing mothers release. It also contains lavender, St. John’s Wort, and valerian combined to be 2% of the product. Because lavender, St. John’s Wort, and valerian have been shown to be calming, the first impression might be that this product is even better than DAP, but is it?

Where’s the research to show these herbs are calming when atomized? Where’s the research to show these herbs work when used together and when used with a pheromone? There is research in dogs and cats to show lavender calms pets when atomized, where’s the research to show St. John’s Wort and valeriana work when atomized or have then only been shown to work when taken internally?

With this particular product, the biggest question is: Where’s the research to show that all these ingredients work together and have synergy? Synergy is what makes Coke and ice cream better than just Coke or just ice cream. It’s what makes coffee good with milk. What happens though, if we combine coffee, milk and Coke? While each is good on its own, or in some combinations, they are not good together. Has the research been done to show that lavender, St. John’s Wort, valerian, and pheromone are good together?

Is this product recommended by veterinary behaviorists?

Don’t assume that similar products are equally useful, and don’t assume that products been proven by veterinarians to be good for dogs and cats because “Vet” is part of the product’s name. Instead, ask your holistic veterinarian to evaluate it for you so that you can spend your money wisely.