Are pressure vests beneficial at reducing stress in anxious and fearful dogs?

<strong>PICO question</strong><br /><p>In fearful or anxious dogs does wearing a pressure vest, compared to not wearing one, result in reduced behavioural and physiological signs of stress? </p><strong>Clinical bottom line</strong><br /><p>Four studies of variable quality and limitations were identified that investigated the use of pressure vests, using various physiological and behavioural proxy measures of anxiety. Most behavioural outcome measures associated with a positive effect were subjective assessments, with unblinded assessors. Subjectively, many of the owners believed that pressure vests had a positive effect on their dogs’ anxiety levels.</p><p>The take home message for the veterinary professional is that pressure vests may have small but beneficial effects on canine anxiety <a href="https://ctt.ec/XrfoM" target="_blank">click to tweet</a> and that habituating the dog to the vest, assessing for comfort and using repeatedly may improve the likelihood of any benefit. However, the owner should be cautioned that they should not expect their dog’s anxiety to be fully alleviated or prevented, and it may have no beneficial effect at all. </p><br /> <img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/oa-icon.jpg" alt="Open Access" /> <img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/pr-icon.jpg" alt="Peer Reviewed" /

Are dogs that eat quickly more likely to develop a gastric dilatation (+/- volvulus) than dogs that eat slowly?

The available evidence is mixed and of variable quality. Most evidence indicates that rate of eating has no effect on risk of gastric dilatation – volvulus (GDV). Where significant effects occur, fast eating was implicated as a risk factor. No studies found that slow eating was significantly associated with an increased risk of GDV. Slowing the rate at which a dog consumes a meal will not increase risk of GDV but it may possibly reduce the risk. Based on the limitations and unreliability of the current relevant literature there is not enough evidence to make a conclusion either way

Are dogs that are fed from a raised bowl at an increased risk of gastric dilation volvulus compared with floor-fed dogs?

<p>There are only two studies that study the effect of raised feeders on the risk of Gastric Dilatation Volvulus (GDV) and their findings conflict. Only one study found a significant effect of feeder height, with large and giant breeds fed from a raised feeder being at an increased risk of GDV floor fed dogs. However, these authors found that, where the feeder was raised, the height of the feeder that increased the GDV risk was affected by the size of the dog. Large breed dogs were more likely to develop a GDV if fed from a bowl ≤ 1 foot tall, whereas giant breed dogs were more likely to develop a GDV if fed from a bowl &gt; 1 foot tall. No studies found that feeding from a raised feeder reduced the risk of GDV relative to feeding from the floor. Therefore, the safest option in the absence of further evidence is to advise that owners of ‘at risk’ dogs feed from a feeder on the floor. This may not reduce the risk of GDV, but there is no evidence to suggest that it will increase the risk. </p><br /> <img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/oa-icon.jpg" alt="Open Access" /> <img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/pr-icon.jpg" alt="Peer Reviewed" /

Is alpha-casozepine efficacious at reducing anxiety in dogs?

<p><strong>Clinical bottom line</strong></p><p>There is currently no evidence to show that alpha-casozepine is effective as an anxiolytic when administered to dogs shortly (minutes to a few days) before exposure to an anxiety provoking stressor. There is limited and weak evidence to suggest that it may have a role to play in reducing anxiety in dogs over the medium to longer term but the available evidence is of low quality and / or high risk of bias, with confounding variables providing alternative explanations for the findings. More research is needed in this area.</p><p><br /> <img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/oa-icon.jpg" alt="Open Access" /> <img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/pr-icon.jpg" alt="Peer Reviewed" /></p

Beyond Google: searching the deep web.

While Google may be the best–known place to search for information online and a prime go–to tool for most librarians, there are other search engines and websites that can be helpful as well. We\u27ll explore some of these in this session and suggest resources for keeping up with these options. Presented at the New Hampshire Library Association Conference, Bartlett, NH, May 19-20, 2009

Reviving Lucan : Marlowe, Tamburlaine, and Lucans First Booke

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