Is It Possible to Mitigate Fear of Fireworks in Dogs? A Study on the Behavioural and Physiological Effects of a Psychoactive Supplement.

Canine fear of fireworks is a common problem worldwide, with serious implications for the welfare of both dogs and their owners. Therapies for the problem are available, and herbal and nutraceutical agents are increasingly suggested by professionals; nonetheless, studies on their real efficacy in reducing firework fear are lacking. In a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study, 44 dogs (25 in the "supplement" group and 19 in the "placebo" group) completed a long-term continuous treatment with either a supplement made of tryptophan, valerian, and passiflora or a placebo, including two real exposures to fireworks (on 2020 Christmas and 2021 New Years' Eve, after 42 and 48 days of treatment, respectively).

Intratumoral (Poly-ICLC) Therapy for Dogs with Advanced Cancers: First Report on Clinical Effectiveness, Quality of Life, and Adverse Events.

Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid-poly-l-lysine carboxymethylcellulose (poly-ICLC) is a synthetic double-stranded viral RNA analog widely tested as a component of human therapeutic cancer vaccines and as a standalone agent for treating human cancers. However, there are no reports on the use of poly-ICLC for treating canine cancers. This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy, quality of life (QL), and adverse events of poly-ICLC treatment in dogs with advanced cancers.

Tramadol plus metamizole combined or not with anti-inflammatory drugs is clinically effective for moderate to severe chronic pain treatment in cancer patients.

Objective: To test the effectiveness and safety of tramadol plus metamizole combined or not with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for treating moderate to severe chronic neoplastic pain in dogs, and its impact on quality of life (QL).

Study Design: Prospective, uncontrolled, open-label, clinical study.

Animals: Sixty nine client-owned dogs with multiple forms of cancer and visual analog scale (VAS) pain score ≥ 40 after receiving NSAIDs for at least 7 days.

Validity of a health-related quality-of-life scale for dogs with signs of pain secondary to cancer.

Objective: To develop and validate a health-related quality-of-life scale for dogs with pain secondary to cancer.

Design: Questionnaire development.

Animals: 40 healthy dogs with no history or signs of pain, 20 dogs with dermatologic disease but no signs of pain other than mild pruritus, and 20 dogs with cancer.