ResearchThe effectiveness of the Anxiety Wrap in the treatment of canine thunderstorm phobia: An open-label trial
Introduction
Canine thunderstorm phobia (ThP) is a condition that can result in hardship for both owners and dogs. Affected dogs display symptoms that can include panting, pacing, owner seeking, hiding, escaping attempts from crates (or even the home itself), inappropriate elimination, and vocalization (McCobb et al., 2001). Although there are efficacious pharmacological treatments for canine ThP (Crowell-Davis et al., 2003), not all owners want to rely on using medication. One nonpharmacological treatment option, Storm Defender, which has supposed antistatic properties, was already tested and found to be efficacious (Cottam and Dodman, 2009), but an additional efficacious nonpharmacological treatment for this condition would provide yet another option.
The Anxiety Wrap (Animals Plus LLC, Huntington, IN) is a product designed to apply pressure to a dog's torso, while allowing the dog to engage in unencumbered movement. The inventor of the Anxiety Wrap claims that the product reduces fear by 2 pressure-inducing methods: maintained pressure “swaddling” and acupressure. There is some evidence to suggest that tactile pressure produces a calming effect in humans (Blairs et al., 2007), pigs (Grandin et al., 1989), and dogs (Williams et al., 2003). The methods used to exert tactile pressure in these studies, and the degree to which these methods restrict movement, varied according to the pressure delivery system used (i.e., bed tuck-ins for humans, squeeze machine for pigs, and a grain-filled box for dogs). The amount of tactile pressure necessary to engender a calming effect in various species (with or without movement restriction) varies with the method used to induce tactile pressure. In an exploratory study on the effectiveness of deep pressure stimulation, a 30 pound weighted blanket was used to induce a calming effect on prone adult humans (Mullen et al., 2008), and Grandin's renowned squeeze machine delivers 60 psi or 95 pounds of air pressure (Grandin, 1992).
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the use of the Anxiety Wrap can reduce canine fear-related behaviors; however, it has not been scientifically tested for effectiveness. This open-label trial was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Anxiety Wrap in treating canine ThP.
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Participants and animals
The protocol for this study was approved by the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine's (TCSVM) Clinical Research Studies Committee (North Grafton, MA, USA). Subjects were found by placing an advertisement in one of the TCSVM's newsletters, Your Dog, in March 2010. Owners of thunderstorm wary dogs, living in 11 states with a high prevalence of thunderstorms (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee), were asked
Response rate
Twenty-one owners returned their TP and post-TP surveys by the end of the 2010 thunderstorm season. Of the 5 owners who did not return their surveys, one owner did not respond to follow-up communications, one dropped out because of a medical illness, one owner feared that her dog would be aggressive if she tried to fit the Anxiety Wrap, one owner thought her Anxiety Wrap was of the wrong size and did not use it, and one dropped out but did not give a reason.
Of the 21 owners who recorded their
Discussion
This open-label trial provides evidence that the use of the Anxiety Wrap can be effective in treating canine ThP. The mean TAS associated with the fifth recorded use of this product decreased by 47% from baseline, which could indicate an almost 50% decrease in the intensity, frequency, or duration of clinical signs associated with ThP. Eighty-nine percent of owners (17/19) reported that the Anxiety Wrap was effective to some extent in treating their dogs' ThP. No negative side effects were
Conclusion
These results provide evidence that the Anxiety Wrap is therapeutic for canine ThP and reduces the severity of clinical signs by almost 50%. No negative side effects were reported with the use of this product.
Acknowledgment
Twenty-six Anxiety Wraps were donated by the manufacturer (Animals Plus LLC, Huntington, IN) for use in this study, and salary support for the lead authors' time to collect and analyze the data was provided by Animals Plus LLC.
The sponsors of this study (manufacturers of the Anxiety Wrap) were involved neither in designing the specific protocols for this research study nor in collecting or analyzing the data.
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