Acute trazodone administration reduces behavioral and physiological indicators of travel-induced anxiety in dogs in a road travel model.

Introduction: Travel-induced stress and anxiety are prevalent in dogs resulting in behavioral changes that can negatively affect the overall well-being of dogs and their human travel companions. Although trazodone and gabapentin are not approved for use in dogs, they are commonly prescribed off-label for the management of situational fear and anxiety and both have demonstrated efficacy in alleviating stress during veterinary visits and noise fear. This study aimed to assess whether a single dose of gabapentin or trazodone could reduce or alleviate the physiological and behavioral signs of stress experienced by laboratory Beagles during road travel. Methods: Thirty-six dogs were selected for the study based on their baseline serum cortisol response to a single 10-min travel test in a van and were allocated to one of three groups ( Results: Administration of trazodone significantly reduced serum cortisol, lip licking frequency, lip licking scores, global anxiety scores, urination, yawning, and restlessness. However, mean heart rate was significantly higher following trazodone treatment compared to gabapentin both prior to and during the travel test and compared to control prior to the travel test. No differences were observed following gabapentin treatment relative to control on any of the physiological or behavioral assessment measures. Discussion/conclusion: These results support stress alleviating effects of trazodone for situational use, while demonstrating further support for the use of the travel test model for assessing the effects of therapeutic interventions on both physiological and behavioral signs of travel stress.