We present analytical and numerical evidence for the validity of an effective S=1/2 approach to the description of random field generation in S>=1, and especially in an S=1, dipolar spin glass models with strong uniaxial Ising anisotropy and subject
to weak external magnetic field Bx transverse to the Ising direction. Explicitely Bx-dependent random fields are shown to naturally emerge in the effective low-energy description of a microscopic S=1 toy model. We discuss our results in relation to recent theoretical studies pertaining to the topic of Bx-induced random fields in the LiHo$_x$Y$_{1-x}$F$_4$ magnetic materials with the Ho$^{3+}$ Ising moments subject to a transverse field. We show that the S_{eff}=1/2 approach is able to capture both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the physics at small Bx, giving results that agree with those obtained using conventional second order perturbation theory.
