Plasma Proteomic Profiling of a Group of Anxious Dogs by LC‐MS/MS: A Case–Control Study

Previous mass spectrometry (MS) studies have found proteomic profile differences in other diseases and other animal species. This is to our knowledge, the first unbiased and comprehensive clinical in-depth proteomic profiling of plasma from dogs suffering from anxiety disorders. These findings have an impact on animal health as they set the foundation to elucidate the pathophysiology of canine anxiety so that in the future novel candidate biomarkers can be established and validated, furthering the potential development of new drugs and guiding patient-specific therapeutic interventions based on biomarker profiles. In the clinic, novel biomarkers could allow for a more effective and objective diagnosis of anxiety disorders, even when not phenotypically apparent. Detection and measurement of early stages of anxiety disorders as well as treatment monitoring in pet dogs would allow patients to be treated quicker, before the potential onset of aggression, and a faster recovery, thus improving the welfare of companion animals.