Factors associated with dog behavioral problems referred to a behavior clinic

Undesirable behaviors are common in the domestic dog population. This study aimed to identify similarities and differences in characteristics underlying 2 major groups of behavioral problems, and their treatment outcome. The study focused on 335 dogs that visited a Behavioral Clinic in northern Italy between 2013 and 2016. These cases were categorized into 2 broad groups based on the diagnosis: an \u201caggressive\u201d group (behavioral pathologies involving aggression) and an \u201canxious\u201d group (behavioral pathologies not primarily involving aggression). Each dog underwent a behavior consultation made by a veterinary specialist who used a basic history questionnaire focused on all aspects of dog's behavior, management, and health issue. Several variables were selected from the questionnaires collected. We found a statistical association of the behavioral problem with factors such as size, sex, age, time of onset, dogs' resting place, family composition, and mounting behaviors involving people (P 64 0.05). Small- and medium-sized dogs were mainly \u201canxious\u201d instead of \u201caggressive\u201d; male dogs were mostly \u201caggressive\u201d and female dogs (neutered and intact) were mainly \u201canxious\u201d; dogs adopted from pet shops were all anxious. On average, \u201caggressive\u201d dogs exhibited the problem 4 months after adoption. \u201cAnxious\u201d dogs exhibited the problem within 1 week of adoption. The resting place and diagnosis were statistically related (P 64 0.05): the 20% of dogs that slept on owners' bed were mainly \u201canxious\u201d dogs (78% of these). Sixty-five percent of \u201canxious\u201d dogs and 33% of \u201caggressive\u201d dogs showed mounting behaviors toward people. Most (72.3%) (N = 242/335) of the dogs improved after behavior treatment. \u201cAggressive\u201d dogs (96%, N = 232/242) improved more than \u201canxious\u201d ones (4%; N = 10/242) (P 64 0.05). Moreover, owners of dogs with anxiety problems were significantly more prone to surrender the dog to a shelter or other people (P 64 0.05). Our work supports some previous findings and suggests some new information regarding factors associated with broad scale aggression and anxiety in domestic dogs. Anxiety problems appear more difficult and demanding for dog owners. A referral population is not likely representative of the entire population of dogs. To understand patterns of behavioral problems, we need more complete population data and we need data from dogs across their lifetime

Baseline and postprandial concentrations of cortisol and ghrelin in companion dogs with chronic stress-related behavioural problems: A preliminary study

Ghrelin has been proposed as an essential element regulating the stress response in both humans and rodents. The aim of this work was to study the relation between cortisol and ghrelin in companion dogs showing chronic stress-related behaviour problems and the effect of the administration of high energy palatable food on these hormones. Baseline and post-prandial serum concentrations of both hormones were analyzed in a group of stressed companion dogs (n¿=¿16) showing social conflict-related aggression (SCA, n¿=¿10) or separation anxiety (SA, n¿=¿6), and in a group of non-stressed control companion dogs (n¿=¿16). Significant differences (p¿<¿0.05) between groups emerged for post-prandial levels, with SCA dogs showing higher cortisol than the control group. The change in cortisol levels (%) after eating in this group was positive, differing from the SA and control groups, which decreased their cortisol after food consumption. Ghrelin also decreased significantly in SA dogs after eating. Taking together, these findings suggest that a parallel meal-induced decrease in both cortisol and ghrelin occurred in the SA group, but not in the SCA group, pointing towards a failure to suppress ghrelin (and cortisol) after intake in the latter. Thus, even though SCA and SA were considered chronic stress-related behaviour problems, their different nature may affect animals in their stress response to the administration of palatable food. The possible alleviatory effect of food consumption, particularly “comfort foods”, after the owner is back home in SA dogs, as well as the changes in dogs’ eating behaviour in response to emotional states or stress (“emotional eating”) will require further studies

Evaluation of Maine Coon cat behavior during three different management situations

Today, cats are one of the most widespread and beloved companion animals: they share their life with people and are perceived as social partners by their owner. The knowledge and understanding of cat-human communication and of the behavior exhibited in response to different emotions is essential to improve the management of housed cats. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the behavior of cats in three different situations that can occur in house cats' lives. Ten Maine Coon cats, four males and six females, ranging in age from one to 13 years, belonging to a single private owner and managed under the same conditions, were exposed randomly to three different contexts for five minutes (waiting for food, isolation in unknown environment, and brushing). All the situations were video-recorded and subsequently analyzed. The behaviors oriented to environment, oriented to food bowl, locomotion, active interactions, yawning, lip licking and swallowing, and salivation mainly characterized waiting for food, while isolation appears principally characterized by behaviors such as hiding, scratching, worried positions, and exploration. Withdrawal, passive interactions, aggressive behaviors, facial discomfort, and purring characterized brushing. Vocalizations were significantly more frequent during isolation and brushing than during waiting for food, but it is possible that the characteristics of the vocalizations in these two situations are different. Our principal finding is that cats showed different behavioral patterns in the three situations and, in particular, their behavior during brushing was very different than in the two other situations. It can be hypothesized that these different behavioral responses are due to the different emotional states elicited by each of the three challenging and potentially stressful situations. Further investigation is being carried out to better understand cats' behaviors and emotions to improve cats' management in the household

Gut microbiome structure and adrenocortical activity in dogs with aggressive and phobic behavioral disorders

Accompanying human beings since the Paleolithic period, dogs has been recently regarded as a reliable model for the study of the gut microbiome connections with health and disease. In order to provide some glimpses on the connections between the gut microbiome layout and host behavior, we profiled the phylogenetic composition and structure of the canine gut microbiome of dogs with aggressive (n = 11), phobic (n = 13) and normal behavior (n = 18). Hormones\u2019 determination was made through Radio Immuno-Assay (RIA), and next generation sequencing of the V3\u2013V4 gene region of the bacterial 16S rRNA was employed to determine gut microbiome composition. Our results did not evidence any significant differences of hormonal levels between the three groups. According to our findings, aggressive behavioral disorder was found to be characterized by a peculiar gut microbiome structure, with high biodiversity and enrichment in generally subdominant bacterial genera (i.e. Catenibacterium and Megamonas). On the other hand, phobic dogs were enriched in Lactobacillus, a bacterial genus with known probiotic and psychobiotic properties. Although further studies are needed to validate our findings, our work supports the intriguing opportunity that different behavioral phenotypes in dogs may be associated with peculiar gut microbiome layouts, suggesting possible connections between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system and indicating the possible adoption of probiotic interventions aimed at restoring a balanced host-symbiont interplay for mitigating behavioral disorders

SÍNDROME DA ANSIEDADE DE SEPARAÇÃO (SAS) EM CÃES ATENDIDOS NO HOSPITAL VETERINÁRIO DA UNICASTELO, FERNANDÓPOLIS, SP

A síndrome da ansiedade de separação (SAS) é definida como o conjunto de comportamentos exibidos por cães quando são deixados sozinhos. É considerada um dos problemas comportamentais mais comuns da espécie. Os sinais clínicos básicos da SAS são vocalização excessiva, destruição de objetos, defecação e micção em locais impróprios, acarretando prejuízos na qualidade de vida dos animais. Sendo uma das causas de abandono e eutanásia desses animais, a SAS foi pesquisada em cães atendidos no Hospital Veterinário da Unicastelo em Fernandópolis, SP, no período de dezembro de 2007 a dezembro de 2008, mediante levantamento realizado em 75 animais, compreendendo trinta (40%) machos adultos, nove (12%) machos jovens, trinta (40%) fêmeas adultas e seis (8%) fêmeas jovens. Os cães foram avaliados com base em informações fornecidas pelos proprietários, utilizando um questionário comportamental. Da população geral estudada, 35 cães (47%) apresentavam vocalização excessiva, 29 (39%) realizavam micção em locais impróprios, 17 (23%) defecavam em locais impróprios e 22 (29%) destruíam objetos nos períodos de ausência dos donos. A análise dos resultados obtidos permite concluir que, dos 75 animais estudados, 51(68%) apresentaram SAS, sendo 23 machos adultos (77%), 6 machos jovens (67%), 19 fêmeas adultas (63%) e 3 fêmeas jovens (50%).  PALAVRAS-CHAVES: Cães, comportamento animal, distúrbios de comportamento, SAS

Eroahdistus, äänipelko ja pakko-oireet : kirjallisuuskatsaus koirien käytösongelmien taustoista

Tässä kirjallisuuskatsauksessa tutustutaan koirien kolmen yleisen käytösongelman, eroahdistuksen, äänipelkojen ja pakko-oireiden taustoihin. Jokainen eläinlääkäri joutuu tekemisiin koirien käytösongelmien kanssa, mutta käytösongelmiin liittyvä opetus on eläinlääkäreiden perustutkinnossa hyvin vähäistä. Eläinlääkärit joutuvat kartoittamaan sairauksia käytösongelmien taustalta, vastaamaan asiakkaiden esittämiin kysymyksiin käytösongelmiin liittyen ja pahimmillaan lopettamaan koiria käytösongelmien vuoksi. Eläinlääkäreillä olisi siis merkittävä tilaisuus opastaa käytösongelmien ennaltaehkäisyssä ja hoidossa ja tätä kautta parantaa koirien hyvinvointia. Ehkäisemällä koirien lopetuksia käytösongelmien vuoksi säästetään koiran henki ja maksava asiakas. Ongelmien ennaltaehkäisy ja hoito lähtee aina taustojen ymmärtämisestä, mihin tarpeeseen tämän tutkielman tuottama tieto vastaa. Rotujen käyttäytyminen poikkeaa toisistaan merkittävästi ja lisäksi ympäristötekijät vaikuttavat aina sikiöajasta aikuisuuteen saakka. Ravitsemuksella, hormoneilla, varhaisella käsittelyllä ja sosiaalistamisella on vaikutuksia yksilöiden käyttäytymiseen ja ongelmakäytösten esiintyvyyteen. Kaikki kolme käytöshäiriötä liittyvät läheisesti toisiinsa. Äänipelko on yleistä sekä eroahdistuksesta että pakko-oireista kärsivillä koirilla. Lisäksi sekä eroahdistuksen että pakko-oireiden taustalla on serotonergisen ja dopaminergisen järjestelmän häiriöitä. Perinnöllisen komponentin vuoksi tietyt rodut ovat alttiimpia äänipeloille ja pakko-oireille, ja esim. pakko-oireisilta kupeen/peiton imeskelijöiltä on paikannettu riskialleeli. Sen sijaan eroahdistukselle ei ole todettu rotualttiutta. Luonteeltaan eroahdistuskoirien on todettu olevan pessimistisempiä ja pakko-oireisten arempia kuin terveet verrokit. Eroahdistuskoirilla muutokset omistajan kanssa vietetyssä ajassa olivat selvästi laukaisevana tekijänä, kun taas pakko-oireisilla käytöksen laukeaminen liittyy usein toimettomuuteen tai kiihtymiseen. Eroahdistus ja äänipelko ovat myös oireiltaan hyvin samankaltaiset. Koiran alkuperällä, rodulla tai sukupuolella ei näyttäisi olevan yksiselitteistä vaikutusta eroahdistuksen tai äänipelkojen syntyyn. Pakko-oireiden on todettu esiintyvän useammin uroksilla ja pentuajan hoivalla ja vieroitusiällä on havaittu olevan merkitystä. Samoin vitamiinilisät, erityisesti B6-vitamiini näyttäisi suojaavan pakko-oireilta. Eroahdistus- ja äänipelkoisilla koirilla steriloinnilla tai kastroinnilla ei ole havaittu olevan kiistatonta vaikutusta, mutta pakko-oireisilla nartun sterilointi saattaa suojata käytöshäiriöltä. Monet tärkeät asiat ovat siis tapahtuneet ennen kuin koiranpentu päätyy uudelle omistajalleen eli kasvattajan vaikutus pennun tulevaan elämään on merkittävä. Kasvattaja päättää jalostukseen käytettävän geneettisen materiaalin, valitsee emälle ja pennuille syötettävän ruuan ja on vastuussa pentujen kokemusten määrästä ja laadusta. Omistajalle jää vastuullinen valinta sopivan rodun ja kasvattajan löytämisestä sekä sosiaalistamisen jatkamisesta pennun saavuttua. Vaikuttavista ympäristötekijöistä, kuten ruokinnan ja varhaisen käsittelyn vaikutuksista ongelmakäytösten syntyyn löytyi yllättävän vähän tietoa. Nyt koottua tietoa voidaan kuitenkin hyödyntää kasvattajien ja omistajien neuvonnassa ja katsauksesta saa monipuoliset pohjatiedot kyseisten käytösongelmien tunnetuista taustoista

In the Eyes of the Beholder: Pet Owners’ Attitude Toward Animals and Perception of Their Pet’s Behavior

This study explored the relationship between pet owners’ attitude toward animals and perception of their pet’s behavior. Pet owners completed an online questionnaire regarding their pro-animal welfare attitude and pet’s behavior. The results indicate that gender and previous pet ownership are related to a person’s attitude toward animals