Maddie's Insights: Shelter Practices & Barriers in the Use of Anxiety Medications & Alternatives
Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 12noon Pacific / 2pm Central / 3pm Eastern (1-hour)
Register at: https://maddies.fund/MIwebcastsRegister
Fear, anxiety, and stress are common challenges for cats and dogs in shelter environments, yet little is known about how shelters use psychoactive medications and non-medication alternatives to address these welfare concerns. This presentation will include findings from a recently published study examining which psychoactive medications (such as gabapentin, trazodone, and fluoxetine) and non-medication alternatives (such as pheromones and nutraceuticals) are most commonly used in shelters in North America, how shelter staff perceive their efficacy and ease of administration, and the barriers such as cost, uncertainty about efficacy, and time constraints that limit their use, when warranted.
In addition to highlighting key differences between cats and dogs in reported treatment frequency, this presentation will explore how factors such as shelter type, intake volume, and staff roles influence anxiety-medication decision-making. Attendees will gain a comprehensive overview of current practices, perspectives, and challenges to support them in evaluating and applying this information within their own animal care. Based on the barriers identified, the session will conclude with a research-informed discussion on practical strategies to address these challenges and identify priority areas for future work.
Guest Speaker: Bailey H Eagan, PhD, MSC
Dr Bailey H Eagan, PhD, MSc, completed her PhD work at the University of British Columbia in Applied Animal Biology, and now serves as a Director of Research at the ASPCA. Dr. Eagan’s work focuses on understanding and improving shelter animal welfare through research, including topics such as sound impacts on shelter animals, drivers of shelter intake, anxiety-reducing medication and alternatives, behavior modification, and the use of accessible technologies like open-source computer vision. Dr Eagan’s work is dedicated to making animal welfare research both accessible and actionable for animal shelters.
Have questions on the topic? Engage with the guest speaker on this forum discussion thread:
https://maddies.fund/InsightsOctober2025
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