Retrospective analysis of the treatment of firework fears in dogs

THE efficacy of dog-appeasing pheromone (DAP) in the management of fear of fireworks in dogs in a controlled clinical setting was reported by Sheppard and Mills (2003). However, studies such as this, conducted within a university clinic, may not accurately reflect the effect obtained in a more general setting for a number of reasons. Within a controlled study, inclusion and exclusion criteria may be applied to produce a more homogeneous population without secondary conditions; in addition, the method of recruitment used may focus on involving more highly motivated owners and involve a more prescriptive treatment protocol. It is therefore essential that studies be conducted in practice, in order to appreciate what happens in that environment. Sheppard and Mills (2003) also reported on only one of several potentially useful treatment strategies available to the clinician (Shull-Selcer and Stagg 1991). Desensitisation using sound recordings of noise stimuli which elicit a fear response was one of the first behaviour treatment therapies to be reported for animals (Tuber and others 1974), and a wide range of psychoactive medications have been recommended since, either as an adjunct to such behaviour therapy or as an alternative (Shull-Selcer and Stagg 1991). However, there have been no reports on the outcome of any of these therapies in