Trazodone as a mediator of transitional stress in a shelter: Effects on illness, length of stay, and outcome

Abstract

Companion dogs housed in animal shelters are subject to a great number of uncontrollable and unalterable stressors. To combat these stressors and the associated immunosuppression that can result in high rates of contagious disease in sheltered dogs, a large open admission municipal animal shelter in New York City introduced trazodone hydrochloride, a serotonin receptor antagonist and reuptake inhibitor, to help reduce their transitional stress. Dogs were given low doses of trazodone at intake (5 mg/kg), one to two doses within 48 hours of arrival. Prevalence of illness was calculated for two time periods at the Brooklyn and Manhattan Care Center locations (N = 1,766): November and December 2018, when trazodone was administered to the population, and a historical control in November and December 2017 and 2016, when no trazodone was administered. A statistically significant difference in the percentage of sick dogs was found when comparing the No Trazodone group (2016/2017) and Trazodone treatment group in 2018 (Chi2 [1, N = 1766] = 19.4, P < 0.001). An increased percentage of sick dogs was observed in the No Trazodone group (41%) compared with the Trazodone treatment group (29%). Moreover, a significant difference in the average length of stay (LOS) in the shelter was observed when comparing the two groups (t (1764) = 2.71, P = 0.007). The average LOS was longer for the dogs in the No Trazodone group (M = 10.47, standard deviation [SD] = 8.53) than that for those in the Trazodone treatment group (M = 9.23, SD = 6.57). Finally, a significant difference was observed in the percent of adoptions between the two groups (Chi2 [1, N = 1766] = 19.4, P < 0.001). A larger percentage of dogs were adopted in the Trazodone treatment group (42%) than in the No Trazodone group (30%). While correlational, the preliminary results of this study suggest that trazodone may be effective in reducing illness and increasing adoptions by decreasing transitional stress in dogs living in a shelter setting.