Maddie’s Insights: Shelter Practices & Barriers in the Use of Anxiety Medications & Alternatives - On-demand

Recorded On: 10/09/2025

Maddie's® Insights is our ongoing webcast series with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people. 

Presenter
Bailey Eagan, PhD, MSc, Director of Research, ASPCA

Program Description: 
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 includes 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. 

Earn continuing education credit from The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement towards 1.0 CAWA CEs. This webinar has also been pre-approved for 1.0 continuing education credits by the National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA). It has also been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit until 8/18/27 in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval. Complete the quiz to earn continuing education credit.

Visit Maddie's Pet Forum to comment, follow a discussion or ask questions: https://maddies.fund/InsightsOctober2025

keywords  Maddie's Insights, anxiety medications and alternatives for pets, Bailey H. Eagen


Bailey Egan, Phd

Director of Research

ASPCA

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.

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Maddie’s Insights: Shelter Practices & Barriers in the Use of Anxiety Medications & Alternatives
Recorded 10/09/2025  |  49 minutes
Recorded 10/09/2025  |  49 minutes
You must register to access.
Quiz
5 Questions  |  3 attempts  |  3/5 points to pass
5 Questions  |  3 attempts  |  3/5 points to pass Pass the quiz to receive attendance certificates for RACE, CAWA and NACA continuing education credit.
You must register to access.
Certificate - CAWA and NACA CE
1.00 CAWA CE, NACA CE credit  |  Certificate available
1.00 CAWA CE, NACA CE credit  |  Certificate available
You must register to access.
Certificate for RACE CE
1.00 RACE CE credit  |  Certificate available
1.00 RACE CE credit  |  Certificate available RACE CE
You must register to access.
Have questions or comments about this webcast?
Recorded 10/09/2025  |  60 minutes
Recorded 10/09/2025  |  60 minutes View resources and continue the discussion with the guest speaker on this thread in Maddie’s Pet Forum https://maddies.fund/InsightsOctober2025
You must register to access.