HomeoPet in Australia:
This trial has not yet been unblinded, but some initial data is already the subject of a submitted paper for publication, adding to the current bank of knowledge in relation to fear and anxiety symptoms in dogs as a result of exposure to storms particularly thunderstorms.
Data collection for this trial has been ongoing over five years, during those five years every bottle that has been sold has a record from HomeoPet® to the distributor, from the distributor to the clinic and from the clinic to the consumer. HomeoPet® has collected that consumer response and filed each response with the APVMA. This means that for the five years required HomeoPet® has collected data on every bottle sold. HomeoPet® is confident in the safety of the product as there have been no adverse events reported during the entire period.
The Australian Triple Blind Research Program:
HomeoPet® enrolled over 300 dogs in a rolling triple blind study with the only trible board certified behaviorist in the world. The first report was presented at the AVA conference in Darwin July 17th 2009. An abstract has been filed with the IVBM conference for October 2009, this can be read below. The paper will be produced to allow HomeoPet® products to be sold in the OTC market, again a global first for HomeoPet®.
Results for these trials are not yet in the public domain, but publication of the data is pending.
The following is an abstract to be presented at the IVBM in Scotland, it outlines the methodology of the trial, as well as it goals:
Characteristics of Australian dogs affected by storm fears and phobias
Jacqui Ley and Kersti Seksel
Sydney Animal Behavior Service, Sydney, N.S.W Australia
sabs@sabs.com.au
Fearful and phobic reactions to storms are not a common reason for dogs being presented to behavior clinics. For owners of affected dogs this condition can be frustrating to manage. There are a wide range of treatments for storm fears and phobias, however, very little has been reported about the dogs that are affected. This study reports the demographic details of 170 Australian dogs affected by storm fears.
The participants are part of a double blinded placebo controlled study investigating the effectiveness of a homeopathic remedy for relieving anxiety and distress caused by storms in domestic animals. Participants were screened for the health of the dog, current medications, vaccination status and exposure to substances with a reported homeopathic effect before being admitted to the trial. 318 dogs were admitted to the trial and data from 170 was available for analysis. Due to the selection procedure, there are limitations on the conclusions that can be drawn from the data, however, given the lack on information of Australian dogs affected by storm fears, these results are important.
The dogs were drawn from around Australia with all states bar Tasmania being represented by at least one dog. Dogs lived in the suburbs (60%), country properties (20.6%), country towns (14.7%) and inner city (4.7%). Over half the dogs lived with two people (52.4%) with the size of families ranging for 1 person up to 7 people.
Of the dogs in the study, 92 were female (93.5% spayed), 74 were male (82.2% neutered). Mean age was 7.6 years (SD 2.7) and mean weight 20.5kg (SD 12.9). Representatives from all seven Australian National Kennel Council breed groups were included in the trial along with 71 mixed breed dogs. The most common breeds were golden retrievers (11, 6.5%), border collies (10, 5.9%) and Staffordshire bull terriers (10, 5.9%). These are common breeds in Australia but these appear over represented in the trial.