Noise anxiety in dogs at New Year's Eve - An empirical survey in Austrian veterinary practices and an online survey in German-speaking countries

Publikationen als Autor:in / Herausgeber:in der Vetmeduni

Troxler, Josef; Tichy, Alexander

Abstrakt

Introduction New Year's Eve is a very stressful time for dogs with noise anxiety, as well as for their owners. We aimed to determine the prevalence of noise anxiety in Austria, the type and duration of responses, the methods of treatment and their effectiveness and the share of untreated dogs. Material and Methods We conducted a direct survey at 72 Austrian veterinary practices (paper/pencil version, n=1613) in 2017 and a more detailed online survey in German-speaking countries in 2018 (n=1918). Results The direct survey gave a prevalence of noise anxiety of 68 %, a higher rate than in comparable international studies. The majority of affected dogs (around 60 %) remain untreated. The higher the dog's level of stress, the more the owners are affected and the more likely the dog is to be treated. The most frequent responses are seeking the proximity of owners (direct survey) and seeking out enclosed spaces (online survey). Most responses only last a short time but in roughly a quarter of the cases they last for a day and in 2-15 % several days. Mixed-breed dogs are affected significantly more frequently; we found no differences between dogs in urban and rural areas. The direct survey shows that owners largely seek help from veterinarians (85 %); the online survey reveals that they seek help primarily on the internet (70 %), from friends/acquaintances (57 %) and from veterinarians (57 %). Veterinarians specialized in behavioural health are consulted in only 11 % of the cases. The most effective treatments were medication, compression shirts, deep relaxation by sound modules and reducing visual stimuli. The dog owners tend to have a critical attitude to fireworks. Conclusion Raising the awareness of dog owners of the seriousness of noise anxiety would contribute to improving animal welfare. Therapeutic strategies are individually adaptable and there is a high need for veterinarians who have undergone behaviour-specific training.

Dokumententyp

Originalarbeit

Open Access Type

Diamond

DOI

10.5680/wtm000004