Psycho-Behavioural Changes in Dogs Treated with Corticosteroids: A Clinical Behaviour Perspective

Methylprednisolone alone or combined with cyclosporine or mycophenolate mofetil for the treatment of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in dogs, a prospective study

BACKGROUND

Benefit of adding a second-line immunosuppressive drug to glucocorticoids for the treatment of non-associative immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (naIMHA) in dogs has not been defined prospectively.

HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES

Evaluate the effectiveness of different immunosuppressive protocols in naIMHA dogs.

ANIMALS

Forty-three client-owned dogs.

METHODS

Open label, randomized, clinical trial. Dogs were treated with methylprednisolone (M-group), methylprednisolone plus cyclosporine (MC-group) or methylprednisolone plus mycophenolate mofetil (MM-group). Dogs were defined as responders by disappearance of signs of immune-mediated destruction and hematocrit stabilization. Frequency of responders was compared between M-group and combined protocols (MC and MM-group evaluated together), and among the 3 different therapeutic groups at 14 (T14), 30 (T30), 60 (T60) days after admission. Frequency of complications, length of hospitalization and relapse were also compared. Death rate was evaluated at discharge, T60 and 365 (T365) days.

RESULTS

Proportion of responders was not significantly different between M-group and combined protocols (MC and MM-groups), nor among the 3 therapeutic groups at T14, T30, and T60 (P > .17). Frequency of relapse, complications, and length of hospitalization were not significantly different between M-group and dogs treated with combined protocols, nor among the 3 treatment groups (P > .22). Death was significantly more common only for MM-group compared with MC-group at T60 (+42.8%; 95% CI: 11.5-67.4; P = .009), and at T365 (+50%; 95% CI: 17.5-73.2; P = .003).

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE

Combined immunosuppressive therapy did not improve hematological response in naIMHA.

The Relationship Between Aggression and Physical Disease in Dogs

Aggression is a very common behavioral problem in dogs. Although aggression can be part of the normal behavior of dogs, medical conditions can either trigger aggression as in the case of intracranial tumors or aggravate an existing aggression problem as it happens with painful conditions. Therefore, it is essential to include an assessment of physical health in the diagnostic protocol of canine aggression.

Trait-Level Resilience in Pet Dogs-Development of the Lincoln Canine Adaptability Resilience Scale (L-CARS)

The concept of psychological resilience is well-explored in the human literature and is often described as the ability to 'bounce back' following adversity. However, it remains a neglected research area in dogs despite observations that like humans, dogs vary in their ability to cope with stress. This study aimed to develop the first canine 'resilience' scale. An on-line survey was developed for owners. This covered demographics, medical/behavioural history of the dog, and 19 potential resilience items assessed using a 5-point Likert scale; 1084 complete responses were received during the survey period, with 329 respondents subsequently completing the questionnaire a second time, 6-8 weeks later. Intra-rater reliability was assessed, and only reliable items retained. A principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was then performed with components extracted on the basis of the inspection of scree plots and the Kaiser criterion. Items were retained if they loaded >0.4 onto one of the components but removed if they cross-loaded onto more than one component. This resulted in a 14-item, 2-component solution. One component appeared to describe "Adaptability/behavioural flexibility" and the other "Perseverance", which are described in the human literature on resilience. Predictive validity was established for expected correlates, such as problem behaviour. The resulting instrument was called the Lincoln Canine Adaptability and Resilience Scale (L-CARS) and is the first to be developed for the assessment of resilience in dogs.

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.