Anxiety disorders are among the most common and most undertreated welfare problems in companion dogs, significantly affecting quality of life.
Anxiety disorders cause chronic suffering that is frequently dismissed as 'behavioral problems' rather than welfare concerns requiring treatment. Dogs with separation anxiety spend hours in a state of acute distress every time they are left alone. Dogs with noise phobia experience terror during thunderstorms and fireworks that is physiologically comparable to acute PTSD responses in humans. The welfare impact of untreated anxiety disorders is substantial and continuous - these are not occasional inconveniences but chronic states of suffering. Effective treatment combining behavior modification with appropriate medication can dramatically improve welfare, yet many anxious dogs never receive treatment beyond being told to 'ignore the behavior'.