Pets at risk of harming themselves are increasingly being prescribed antidepressants because they can’t discuss problems in their lives with others, a leading veterinarian tells The Telegraph.

Romain Pizzi, a zoo and wildlife medicine specialist with the UK’s Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, says more more pets are being prescribed Prozac and that tropical birds, such as parrots, seemed to have been the most affected by depression, which can occur when owners leave them alone for hours on end. However, he also says that antidepressants were only used in the most extreme of cases.

Recent research suggested that as many as 632,000 cats and dogs in the UK are affected. Symptoms include attacking furniture, loss of appetite, incessant scratching and aggression. This is, of course, a welcome news for Lilly, which last year launched Reconcile, which is a renamed version of Prozac specifically for dogs and markets it as a beef-flavored chewable tablet.

“Contrary to some people’s expectations parrots are very intelligent and sensitive animals,” he tells the paper. “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.”

“Firstly, we will change the environment of the animal and make sure it has more stimulation and toys,” Pizzi continues. “When we have ruled out underlying medical problems, we try to break the cycle by using Prozac…(which) is given to the parrots in liquid form. It doesn’t cure all animals, but around two-thirds respond to the treatment. In a small number of cases things will go well until we wean them off Prozac and the problems return.”