Noise aversion — particularly to fireworks — is among the most prevalent welfare problems in companion dogs, affecting approximately 40-50 percent of the population and often severely undertreated.
Noise aversion causes genuine acute fear responses that represent significant welfare suffering. Dogs left untreated during firework events experience the full physiological and psychological impact of extreme fear — elevated heart rate, cortisol release, panic behaviour — repeatedly throughout every firework season. The cumulative welfare burden over a dog's lifetime is substantial. The previous widespread use of acepromazine, which prevents the physical expression of fear without reducing the experience of it, represents a historically significant welfare failure. Current best practice combines environmental management, pheromone therapy, pressure wraps, and appropriate medication. Planning before firework seasons begins — obtaining medication in advance and implementing desensitisation — is essential for welfare-conscious management.