EC Veterinary Science

Complementary feeds are identified as an additional option to behavioural therapy and pharmacological treatments for the management of inappropriate behaviours in dogs. This study aimed to investigate the benefit of a combination of hydrolysed fish proteins and melon superoxide dismutase (Anxivet^®, MP Labo, France) formulated to reduce signs of fear in dogs. Fifty dogs were administered with the combination once daily for 28 days. Pet-owners completed a questionnaire before (D0) and after (D2, D7, D14 and D28) product administration. Results showed a significant improvement of 8 out of 24 behavioural signs (0.008 < p < 0.0425) and of the overall behavioural score (p = 0.0150) at D28 compared to baseline. The interaction with the surroundings and the inappropriate behaviours evolution were enhanced in more than 50% of the dogs as soon as D2 and continued to improve significantly over time (p < 0.05). Similarly, the owner satisfaction level was almost 6 on a scale of 1 to 10 at D2, and then significantly increased throughout the study period (p < 0.0259). In conclusion, this study suggests that the tested product demonstrates rapid beneficials effects on dogs with inappropriate behaviours, providing onset of activity to complete the previous data from a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study.

 Keywords: Dog; Behaviour; Interaction; Nutritional Supplement; Owner Survey

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