Efficacy of alpha-casozepine in reducing dogs’ anxiety during veterinary visits: a randomized, fully-blinded, placebo-controlled study

Veterinary visits are necessary to safeguard dogs’ health, but they can be stressful and undermine the welfare of the patient and the accuracy of medical procedures. This randomized, fully blinded, placebo-controlled crossover study aims to evaluate the efficacy of alpha-casozepine as a situational anxiolytic for reducing the activation of the behavioral and autonomic stress responses in dogs undergoing a standardized veterinary examination. Twenty healthy privately owned dogs received alpha-casozepine at 15 mg/kg PO q24h or placebo for six days before the appointment. Each dog was examined twice, with a 2–4-week washout period. Veterinarians and owners assessed the behavioral response through systematic observations of behavioral categories and patterns, ease of visit, and stress. The autonomic responses considered were heart rate, respiratory rate, heart rate variability (SDNN, RMSSD), and rectal temperature. The administration of alpha-casozepine led to a significant reduction of low body postures (p = 0.003), lowered ears (p = 0.035), lowered tail (p = 0.023), and lowered head (p = 0.005), as well as a significant increase in olfactory exploration (p = 0.044). Dogs receiving alpha-casozepine also had a lower veterinarian stress score (p = 0.014). No significant differences were observed in the autonomic responses. Alpha-casozepine showed an anxiolytic-like effect by reducing stress-related behaviors and enhancing olfactory exploration in treated dogs. These results support the use of alpha-casozepine in relieving the behavioral stress of dogs with mild-to-moderate situational fear/anxiety during veterinary visits. However, further studies are needed to better understand its effect on the autonomic nervous system.