A Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Compression Wraps as an Anxiolytic in Domesticated Dogs

Many domesticated dogs show signs of anxiety, negatively impacting their own and their owner's mental and physical health. A systematic review evaluating whether pressure wraps decrease clinical signs of anxiety in dogs was completed to identify relevant studies. The main outcomes of interest included behavioral and physiological measures. A total of 229 studies were identified, of which four met the inclusion criteria. Commercially available pressure wraps and a telemetry vest were used in the reviewed studies. Three experimental studies included brief exposure to recorded firecracker or thunderstorm sounds or separation from their owner as anxiety-invoking stimuli. A non-experimental study evaluated the use of pressure wraps for dogs with thunderstorm phobia living in their home environment exposed to naturally occurring thunderstorms. The risk of bias in domains related to the blinding of investigators or study participants was generally high. Domains with moderate risk of bias often reflected incomplete reporting of research methods and imprecision due to small sample sizes. Most studies reported minimal benefits on behavior or heart rate in the absence of adverse side effects. Our review suggests there is weak and limited evidence to support the beneficial effect of pressure wraps in reducing physiological or behavioral signs of anxiety. Confidence in the available literature is low due to the moderate-to-high risks of bias and inconsistent findings. Further studies are needed regarding the efficacy of these products.