Kim Sun-A, Borchardt Michelle R, Lee Kyuyoung, Stelow Elizabeth A, Bain Melissa J
1Clinical Animal Behavior Service, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea.
2William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.
J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2022 Mar 24;260(8):876-883. doi: 10.2460/javma.20.10.0547.
To determine whether a single dose of trazodone administered to dogs before a veterinary visit reduced their behavioral and physiologic signs of stress and owners' stress during veterinary visits.
20 dogs and their owners.
In this randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial, dogs with a history of anxiety during veterinary visits were scheduled for 2 veterinary visits 1 week apart and randomly assigned to receive a single oral dose of either trazodone (9 to 12 mg/kg) or a placebo 90 minutes before transport to the veterinary clinic for alternate visits between September 21 and November 3, 2019. For each visit, we collected and assessed owner-completed surveys of dog stress score (DSS) and owner stress score; various investigator-reported scores, including from video-recorded behavior analyses; and patient-related physiologic data.
Dogs treated with trazodone versus placebo had lower mean DSSs, assessed by owners for physical examination and assessed by video analysis for time spent in the examination room; lower mean SD of normal-to-normal intervals, root mean square of successive heartbeat interval difference, and respiratory rate; and higher mean heart rate. No meaningful differences were observed in other behavioral or physiologic outcomes, including serum cortisol concentrations.
A single dose of trazodone before transport reduced signs of stress during veterinary visits for dogs in the present study and may be useful as an anti-anxiety medication for similarly affected dogs, potentially resulting in higher-quality clinical examinations and improved patient welfare.
确定在兽医就诊前给犬单次服用曲唑酮是否能减轻其在就诊期间的行为和生理应激迹象以及主人的应激反应。
20只犬及其主人。
在这项随机双盲安慰剂对照交叉临床试验中，有兽医就诊焦虑史的犬被安排在相隔1周的时间内进行2次兽医就诊，并在2019年9月21日至11月3日期间，在送往兽医诊所进行交替就诊前90分钟，随机分配接受单次口服曲唑酮（9至12毫克/千克）或安慰剂。每次就诊时，我们收集并评估了主人填写的犬应激评分（DSS）和主人应激评分调查问卷；包括视频记录行为分析得出的各种研究者报告的评分；以及与患者相关的生理数据。
与接受安慰剂治疗的犬相比，接受曲唑酮治疗的犬，主人评估的体格检查时的平均DSS较低，视频分析评估的在检查室停留时间的平均DSS较低；正常到正常间隔的平均标准差、连续心跳间隔差异的均方根和呼吸频率较低；平均心率较高。在其他行为或生理结果方面，包括血清皮质醇浓度，未观察到有意义的差异。
在本研究中，运输前单次服用曲唑酮可减轻犬在兽医就诊期间的应激迹象，可能作为类似受影响犬的抗焦虑药物，潜在地导致更高质量的临床检查并改善患者福利。
