Animal Madness

How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Parrots, Gorillas on Drugs, and Elephants in Recovery Help Us Understand Ourselves

By: Laurel Braitman

Narrated by: Madeleine Maby

**“Science Friday” Summer Reading Pick**
**Discover magazine Top 5 Summer Reads**
**People magazine Best Summer Reads**

“A lovely, big-hearted book…brimming with compassion and the tales of the many, many humans who devote their days to making animals well” (The New York Times).

Have you ever wondered if your dog might be a bit depressed? How about heartbroken or homesick? Animal Madness takes these questions seriously, exploring the topic of mental health and recovery in the animal kingdom and turning up lessons that Publishers Weekly calls “Illuminating…Braitman’s delightful balance of humor and poignancy brings each case of life….[Animal Madness’s] continuous dose of hope should prove medicinal for humans and animals alike.”

Susan Orlean calls Animal Madness “a marvelous, smart, eloquent book—as much about human emotion as it is about animals and their inner lives.” It is “a gem…that can teach us much about the wildness of our own minds” (Psychology Today).

Wow I learned so much

What did you love best about Animal Madness?

This book was full of stories and information that I had not completely understood

What other book might you compare Animal Madness to and why?

Can not think of any at this time

Have you listened to any of Madeleine Maby’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No it is too long for that

If you love animals.... you will love this book

If you could sum up Animal Madness in three words, what would they be?

We're not alone.

What other book might you compare Animal Madness to and why?

I am not sure there is a book that compares the kind of writing this book has. It moves from animal treatment - pet, zoo and wild - to the pharma industry pretty seamlessly.

What about Madeleine Maby’s performance did you like?

She read the book like it was her own. In fact, I thought she WAS Ms. Braitman.
However, one thing that bothered me was she mispronounced the word "supposedly" several times. Suppos-ob-ly. Yikes. When you listen to books, word pronunciation is so important. I have not liked a couple of books solely based on the readers, and that is unfortunate.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Come into the world of synapses, mania, depression, prozac, fido and zoos.

Any additional comments?

I did not want this book to end! It was so full of great stories and information. I picked it up because of a pet who has had some "issues." I found out that we are not alone. Then I found out that there is a world out there that is so much bigger when it comes to these kinds of things. It made me think about brains, mental illness and all animals in an entirely different way. I have never been a fan of caged animals but this gives a whole new meaning to the word.

Really - cannot say enough good about this topic, writing and book.

I would have liked end notes, footnotes, etc. I contacted both Audible and the author. When there are so many things referenced in a non-fiction book, a file of some sort should be included. A paper book is easily flipped through but not so with audibles.

Fascinating book!

This book will touch you deeply and leave you believing there is hope in the world. Laurel Braitman begins with the story of her own adopted dog Oliver, who was clearly emotionally disturbed (at some point diagnosed with separation anxiety, phobia of thunderstorms and a form of animal OCD). Her interest in the plight of Oliver eventually led her to start combing the records for stories of other animals who had strange behaviors, not always understood by their owners, to see if there were indications that other animals have emotional illnesses, much as humans do.

The stories she tells, of dogs, cats, elephants, gorillas, etc...who exhibited unusual, sometimes frightening behaviors, have often resulted in tragic outcomes. But she is able to trace many of the conditions described to similar backgrounds for the animals--such as too early separation from a mother, abusive care from humans, being uprooted from familiar surroundings. She talks with animal behavior specialists and human psychiatrists about treatment for such animals.

There is extrapolation from the suffering of animals to the suffering of humans--in both cases leading to mental illnesses (and in more recent times the knowledge and ability to treat them). But she is very careful not to anthropomorphize (project our human beliefs and conditions onto the other animals). This book is fascinating to listen to. If you love animals it should be a "must read" (listen) on your list. It reminded me, in some ways, of the very moving book by Virginia Morell, "Animal Wise," in which she shows repeatedly how our fellow animals have a wisdom in life that we often miss.

The narration is very good, but in books of this sort, I often find myself wondering why they are not read by the author. Nevertheless, this book is wonderful. I stayed up late into the night listening to it. Highly recommend!

outstanding book

just an outstanding gut wrenching heart breaking book. for anyone who has a pet, this book is for you.

mental illness and pharmaceuticals for animals

I never would have imagined these things to be true. Animals with mental illness and animal flavored Prozac. are just a couple of the things that shocked me in this book.