At the heart of a dog's veterinary experience: Heart rate responses in dogs vary across a standard physical examination

Effects of single- or pair-housing on the welfare of shelter dogs: Behavioral and physiological indicators

Dogs are often housed alone in shelter settings to reduce injury and disease spread. However, social isolation can be a stressor for dogs. Prior studies have suggested that cohousing can produce behavioral and physiological benefits. These studies have typically focused on laboratory dogs or shelter dogs that have been kenneled for several months. Thus, those results might not necessarily generalize to shelter dogs, many of which have shorter lengths of stay than those dogs studied to date, and might be cohoused soon after intake. In fact, being pair-housed could, in the short term, be more stressful as dogs have to navigate novel social situations in small spaces. We investigated the behavioral and physiological effects of single- or pair-housing shelter dogs, most of which had recently entered the shelter. We collected behavioral data on 61 dogs (30 single-housed; 31 pair-housed) daily across seven days; we also collected urine for cortisol:creatinine analysis on a subset (22 single-housed; 18 pair-housed) for eight days (each day of the seven-day study plus a baseline sample on Day 0, prior to dogs' enrollment). We found pair-housed dogs engaged in three stress-related behaviors (lip licking, whining, and ears back) significantly less frequently than single-housed dogs. When we analyzed the change in urinary cortisol:creatinine (Days 1-7 values minus Day 0 value), we found that pair-housed dogs generally showed a greater decrease in cortisol:creatinine levels than single-housed dogs. Pair-housed dogs also had significantly shorter lengths of stay, but we did not detect any effect on dog-dog skills. Overall, we found well-matched pair-housing can have both proximate and ultimate welfare benefits for shelter dogs.

Use of Infrared Thermography and Heart Rate Variability to Evaluate Autonomic Activity in Domestic Animals

Most of the responses present in animals when exposed to stressors are mediated by the autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system, known as the one responsible for the "fight or flight" reaction, triggers cardiovascular changes such as tachycardia or vasomotor alterations to restore homeostasis. Increase in body temperature in stressed animals also activates peripheral compensatory mechanisms such as cutaneous vasodilation to increase heat exchange. Since changes in skin blood flow influence the amount of heat dissipation, infrared thermography is suggested as a tool that can detect said changes. The present review aims to analyze the application of infrared thermography as a method to assess stress-related autonomic activity, and their association with the cardiovascular and heart rate variability in domestic animals.

Effects of Changing Veterinary Handling Techniques on Canine Behaviour and Physiology Part 1: Physiological Measurements

Signs of distress in dogs are often normalized during routine veterinary care, creating an animal welfare concern. We sought to test whether targeted interventions during veterinary visits affect physiological indicators of stress in dogs. Some 28 dogs were examined within four visits across 8 weeks. All dogs received the same care during the first visit and were then randomized into control and intervention groups for visits 2-4. In the intervention group, 14 dogs underwent procedures designed to reduce stress and to enlist their collaboration during examination. The 14 dogs in the control group received routine care. At each visit, heart rate (HR), serum cortisol (CORT), neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and creatine kinase (CK) were measured. A composite stress index based on the summed standardized scores for these markers was constructed. No differences in HR, NLR, and CK parameters between groups were found, and both groups had a decrease in CORT by visit four. However, the intervention group showed a greater overall decrease in CORT between the first and fourth visit than the control group (p < 0.04). The composite stress index differed between the first and fourth visits for the intervention group, but not for the control group (Intervention p = 0.03; Control p= 0.288). There was a tendency for the composite stress index to worsen at visit four vs. visit one for the control group. The findings suggest that dogs that participated in adaptive, collaborative exams and procedures designed to minimize fear had a greater reduction in stress over time compared to those receiving standard care.

Effects of a Novel Gel Formulation of Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) on Behavioral and Physiological Stress Responses in Dogs Undergoing Clinical Examination

Simple Summary

Safeguarding the health of dogs presupposes undergoing regular veterinary visits (VVs). However, the VV can be emotionally challenging, thus impairing the welfare of the patient, also reducing dog and owner compliance. The fear and anxiety experienced by the dogs evokes behavioral and physiological stress responses for adaptive purposes. It is therefore desirable to lower the stress from the visit. With this intent, we tested a gel formulation of a synthetic analogue of the appeasing pheromone secreted by bitches, the dog appeasing pheromone (DAP), as a situational support to improve the perception of the stay in the waiting room and the physical examination. In the waiting room, the dogs exposed to DAP exhibited changes in their behavior, namely significant decrease in lip licking, increase in panting, and nearly significant reduction of low body postures. On the examination table, neither behavioral nor physiological differences were found. DAP did not alter markedly the stress behavior and physiology of dogs during a VV, maybe due to a stress level exceeding the potential efficacy of the product. However, the change of a few stress-associated behaviors suggests that DAP could contribute to improving the welfare of dogs staying in the waiting room before the physical examination.

Abstract

The veterinary visit is necessary for safeguarding the health of dogs, but it can be stressful and threaten both the welfare of the patient and the accuracy of the examination. This randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study aims at evaluating how dog appeasing pheromone (DAP) in a novel gel formulation influences the behavioral and physiological stress responses of 28 dogs undergoing a standardized clinical examination, while staying in the waiting room (WR) and visited in the examination room (ER). Behavioral responses were studied through behavioral categories and subjective scales (WR and ER). Autonomic response considered heart rate (WR and ER), blood pressure (WR and ER), respiratory rate (ER), and rectal temperature (ER). Neuroendocrine response considered salivary cortisol (WR and ER). In the waiting room, the use of DAP was associated with a significant reduction of lip licking (p = 0.0189), an increase in panting (p = 0.0276), and a reduction close to significance (p = 0.0584) of low body postures. No significant differences were observed within the physiological responses. In the examination room, neither behavioral nor physiological differences were found.