Animal shelters aim to reduce the fear, anxiety, and stress experienced by the animals in their care. This is not only crucial for the animals’ welfare but increases their chances of adoption. In addition to adapting the environment and providing behavioral training, shelters can also use psychoactive drugs and non-medication alternatives such as herbal supplements, pheromones, cannabinoid products, and dietary supplements (“nutraceuticals”). However, little is known about current practices in shelters, the reasoning behind them, and how effective they truly are.

To address this gap, this study investigates the causes of anxiety-related behavior in animal shelters, the measures taken to counteract it, and the decision-making processes involved. It also examines how effective staff members feel these measures are in improving animal welfare. The overarching goal is to help shelters make more informed decisions on how to reduce animals’ fear, anxiety, and stress while in care.

The researchers conducted an online survey, reaching out through social media and word of mouth to people working in animal shelters across Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Participants were asked about:

• What types of psychoactive medication and non-medication alternatives they use and how often they use them
• How effective they think these interventions are
• How comfortable they are administering psychoactive medication
• What they think are the causes of behavioral problems in shelter animals
• What factors play a role in choosing to use medication or non-medication alternatives
• What barriers they encounter in using psychoactive medication

A total of 233 responses were gathered from 148 animal shelters across North America. Most respondents were from the U.S. (70%), followed by Canada (24%) and Mexico (6%). The majority worked in private shelters (68%), while 18% were employed in municipal shelters and 11% were from foster-based organizations.

Psychoactive Medication Use

For most shelters, psychoactive medication wasn’t given by default when a cat or dog first arrived. Only 3% of shelters housing cats and 4% of shelters housing dogs stated they would give medication immediately. However, when animals showed fear or anxiety, dogs were more likely than cats to be given psychoactive medication.

The types of psychoactive medication used also differed between species. For cats, gabapentin (68%) was used most commonly, followed by fluoxetine (38%) and trazodone (19%). Trazodone (69%) was the most frequently used medication for dogs, followed by gabapentin (61%) and fluoxetine (53%).

Overall, staff reported feeling moderately to highly comfortable using these medications for both cats and dogs, and generally perceived them as effective in reducing fear and anxiety. Further, the top choice of medication for each species aligns with previous (though limited) research showing that gabapentin and trazodone help to reduce stress in shelter cats and dogs, respectively.

Use Of Non-Medication Alternatives

Non-medication approaches were also common among shelters. Pheromones (63%) were the most widely used — almost as much as the top choices of psychoactive drugs. Nutraceuticals were used by about 30% of shelters, while herbal supplements (16%) and cannabinoids (14%) were less common.

Although 59% of respondents believed that non-medication options have limited or uncertain efficacy, many still viewed them as useful, especially as a first step or when combined with medication.

Perceptions Of Behavioral Problems

Most respondents (93%) believed that the shelter environment itself was the main cause of animals’ behavior problems, more so than genetics, developmental issues, or experiences with previous guardians or environments.

Decision-Making And Barriers

Staff typically chose to use psychoactive medication when an animal’s welfare was clearly compromised or when fear prevented effective training. The main factors influencing medication decisions were:

• How safe and effective the drug is
• The veterinarian’s recommendation
• How easy the drug is to administer

Barriers to medication use included:

• Cost
• Uncertainty around the drug’s effectiveness
• Concerns about adoptability
• The drug’s potential side effects
• Limited staff time to administer the drug

Cost and lack of time were more of an issue for municipal shelters than private shelters.

Study Limitations

The authors note several limitations to this study. First, the use of a convenience sample may limit the generalizability of the findings. The responses may not fully represent all animal shelters in North America, especially given the low response rate from shelters in Mexico.

Second, because not all questions were mandatory, some sections of the survey had very limited data. For example, only 11 participants answered questions about whether psychoactive medication affects adoptability, even though this is an important consideration and needs further research.

Third, while the survey revealed differences between shelter types, the underlying reasons for these differences remain unclear. For instance, foster-based organizations seemed to favor non-medication alternatives, possibly due to restricted access to prescribed medications — another area for further research.

Ultimately, the findings highlight the need for evidence-based guidelines that support animal shelters in addressing fear, anxiety, and stress in both cats and dogs. Advocates can help by supporting research to determine which medications and non-medication options are most effective, encouraging shelters to adopt proven practices for managing fear and anxiety, and providing education and resources so staff can make informed decisions about when and how to use these approaches.