Anxiety disorders are among the most common welfare problems in companion dogs. Licensed medications can transform quality of life for anxious dogs when used alongside behaviour modification.
Canine anxiety medication is a significant and underused welfare intervention. The reluctance of some owners and veterinarians to use psychoactive medications in dogs is often based on unfounded concerns about side effects or habituation, leaving millions of dogs suffering from treatable anxiety disorders. The evidence base for licensed veterinary anxiolytics is now well-established: fluoxetine and clomipramine reduce baseline anxiety in dogs with generalised anxiety disorder, separation anxiety, and noise phobias when combined with appropriate behaviour modification. Situational medications like dexmedetomidine gel provide acute relief for predictable events. The mechanism — modulating serotonin, noradrenaline, and alpha-2 adrenergic pathways — is well understood and the risk-benefit calculation strongly favours treatment in dogs with significant chronic anxiety. Untreated anxiety disorders reduce quality of life, damage the human-animal bond, and often end in surrender.