Ordinanza sirchia sui cani potenzialmente pericolosi: valutazione degli effetti nella città di Firenze

RIASSUNTO L’aggressività canina risulta essere un tema largamente dibattuto, soprattutto quando vede coinvolto l’uomo come parte lesionata. Il problema delle morsicature canine rivolte all’uomo deve essere affrontato ed analizzato in modo scientifico, al fine di permettere l’individuazione dei fattori di rischio. Lo scopo di questo lavoro è stato quello di valutare l’influenza dell’Ordinanza Sirchia del 9 settembre 2003 intitolata “Tutela dell’incolumità pubblica dal rischio di aggressioni da parte di cani potenzialmente pericolosi” sull’andamento delle morsicature canine rivolte all’uomo nella città di Firenze. Per questo studio sono stati raccolti 556 casi di morsicature verificatesi nel periodo compreso tra settembre 2002 ed agosto 2005, desunti dalle certificazioni dei referti medici dei vari D.E.A. di Firenze, dalle denunce effettuate all’ufficio dell’anagrafe canina e dalle schede di osservazione per la profilassi della rabbia. I dati sono stati inseriti in un database ed esaminati statisticamente grazie al test del 2. La presente ricerca ha dimostrato che la suddetta Ordinanza non ha provocato, nel campione preso in esame, significativi cambiamenti sull’andamento delle morsicature canine né a breve né a lungo termine. Infatti, anche se è stata evidenziata una diminuzione numerica di queste nel periodo successivo all’ordinanza (210 vs 172 morsicature), una tendenza alla diminuzione era già in atto dal 1986. Inoltre le caratteristiche dei proprietari, dei lesionati e degli animali coinvolti nelle morsicature sono rimaste invariate. I risultati del presente studio sembrerebbero dunque indicare che provvedimenti legislativi a carattere restrittivo in materia di cani potenzialmente pericolosi non si rivelano efficaci nel contenimento di tale fenomeno. Sirchia. SUMMARY Canine aggressiveness is a very discussed topic, especially when a person is the damaged part. The problem of canine bites towards human beings must be tackled and analyzed scientifically, in order to allow the identifying of risk factors. The aim of this research was to assess the effects of the Sirchia’s Ordinance of the 9th September 2003 called “Protection of the public safety against the risk of aggressions by potentially dangerous dogs” on the trend of canine bites towards people in the city of Florence. For this research 556 cases of bites, occurred from September 2002 to August 2005, have been gathered. They drew from the certifications of medical reports in different D.E.A. of Florence, from the denunciation done at registry office for dogs and from the observational reports for the prophylaxis of the rabies. Data have been inserted in a database and statistically examined with the 2 test. This research demonstrated that the above-mentioned ordinance has caused no significant changes on the trend of canine bites in the taken sample nor in the short-term neither in the long-term. In fact, even if a numerical decrease has been observed in the period following the ordinance (210 vs 172 bites), a trend of reduction was already in progress since 1986. Moreover characteristics of owners, injureds and animals involved in the events of bites remained unvaried. Therefore, results seem to show that restrictive legislative measures in point of potentially dangerous dogs are not effective for the control of such phenomenon

Brief note about plasma catecholamines kinetics and submaximal exercise in untrained standardbreds

Four untrained standardbred horses performed a standardized exercise test on the treadmill and an automated blood collection system programmed to obtain blood samples every 15 s was used for blood collection in order to evaluate the kinetics of adrenaline and noradrenaline. The highest average values obtained for adrenaline and noradrenaline were 15.0 +/- 3.0 and 15.8 +/- 2.8 nmol/l respectively, with exponential accumulation of adrenaline (r = 0.977) and noradrenaline (r = 0.976) during the test. Analysis of the correlation between noradrenaline and adrenaline for each phase of the test shows that correlation coefficient decreases as the intensity of exercise increases (from r = 0.909 to r = 0.788). This suggests that during submaximal exercise, the process for release, distribution and clearance of adrenaline into blood circulation differs from that of noradrenaline

Pinch-induced behavioural inhibition (clipthesia) as a restraint method for cats during veterinary examinations: preliminary results on cat susceptibility and welfare.

Cats are often subjected to minimally painful or forced procedures during routine clinical practice, which can be poorly tolerated, leading veterinary surgeons to need to offer physical restraint, usually aided by an assistant. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness and ultimate welfare implications of using clipthesia as a method of restraint during veterinary examination. This was carried out in a real clinical setting and compared to manual scruffing. Twenty-seven cats were restrained, during a veterinary examination, using two stationery clips placed on the skin along the cervical dorsal midline, whilst a group of 13 cats were restrained through gentle manual scruffing. Susceptibility to clipthesia (ie a positive clip score) was observed in 81.5% of cats, while a complete response was found in 40.7% of subjects. The presence or absence of a disease/condition did not affect the susceptibility. Heart rate and the number of cats showing mydriasis (pupillary dilation) was statistically higher during manual scruffing, whilst plasma cortisol did not differ between the two groups. The more responsive the cats were to clipthesia, the more they displayed kneading and purring. These preliminary findings suggest that clipthesia is not more stressful than manual scruffing in restraining cats during a veterinary examination. However, not all cats were found to be susceptible to this method of restraint. Further research is needed to clarify whether clipthesia should be implementated as a matter of course in veterinary practice from the point of view of welfare and safety

Plasmatic tryptophan/large neutral amino acids ratio in domestic dogs is affected by meal composition

Tryptophan (Trp) is involved in the synthesis of serotonin and melatonin and it competes with other large neutral amino acids (LNAAs) for its uptake into the brain [1]. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of three different diets on plasmatic Trp/LNAAs ratio. This study included five female Labrador Retrievers (2 spayed, 8.6 ± 3.8 years old) from the same bloodline, who were usually fed the same commercial dry food once a day. Each dog received three different diets for one single day each. Isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets, with a carbohydrates content of 47% and proteins content of 28% on dry matter basis, were provided in two meals, one in the morning and one after 12 hours. Dogs received the first diet (D1) and then they returned to their normal diet for 30 days. After that “washout” period, dogs were fed with the second diet (D2), and after 30 more days they received the third diet (D3). D1 was composed of a mix of puffed rice, minced meat and olive oil equally divided into the two meals. D2 was made up of two different meals. The morning meal was composed of puffed rice and olive oil, whereas the evening meal consisted of minced meat and olive oil. D3 consisted of two identical meals of the commercial dry food usually consumed by the sample dogs. Blood was collected right before the first meal (t0) and after 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 24 hours. Plasma samples were used for HPLC quantification of Trp and other LNAAs (isoleucine + leucine + phenylalanine + tyrosine + valine) using a method described in literature [2]. Their levels and ratios at t0 and after D1, D2 and D3 were compared using a mixed model for repeated measures (p<0.05). Trp concentrations showed no significant difference between D1, D2 and D3 samples at any sampling times. LNAAs levels were similar at t0 in the three experimental days, but they showed different trends depending on the composition of the meal provided. In particular, D2 led to a decrease in LNAAs levels and therefore to higher Trp/LNAAs ratios in the 6 hours period after the provision of carbohydrates. In detail, mean Trp/LNAAs ratio of D2 was statistically higher compared to both D1 and D3 at t2 (D1=0.224; D2=0.306; D3=0.217; p<0.001), t4 (D1=0.225; D2=0.327; D3=0.197; p<0.001), and t6 (D1=0.244; D2=0.303; D3=0.205; p<0.015). In addition, mean Trp/LNAAs ratio after D2 was higher than after D3 also at t8 (D2=0.280; D3=0.206; p<0.001) and t10 (D2=0.294; D3=0.224; p<0.001). The trend was different at t24, when Trp/LNAAs ratio was found to be significantly lower after being fed D2 compared to D1 (D1=0.210; D2=0.155; p=0.041). These results indicate that the diet affects Trp bioavailability. Therefore, it is worthwhile to investigate the effects of diet on Trp bioavailability at the brain level, serotonin and melatonin secretion and the real impact of Trp/LNAAs ratio on dog behaviour

Metodi di controllo delle popolazioni di colombo (Columba livia) in ambiente urbano

RIASSUNTO L’ambiente cittadino è divenuto un habitat ottimale per un considerevole numero di specie animali, variamente distribuite lungo la scala zoologica. Tra le specie sinantrope il colombo (Columba livia) è una di quelle che ha conosciuto in questi ultimi anni un vero e proprio boom demografico, raggiungendo in alcune aree del nostro paese, la densità media di 3000 individui/km2, con un numero di colombi che supera le 100.000 unità nelle grandi città. Scopo del presente articolo è stato quello di analizzare in modo critico i differenti metodi di contenimento numerico delle popolazioni di colombo urbano, ponendo particolare attenzione alla tutela del benessere degli animali. Allo stato attuale non esiste ancora un trattamento ottimale che sia efficace nel ridurre la fertilità del colombo per un tempo sufficientemente lungo (4-6 mesi) in modo da permetterne una somministrazione saltuaria, che sia innocuo o scarsamente tossico e privo di effetti collaterali sia nel colombo che in altre specie (uomo compreso) che potrebbero accidentalmente venirne a contatto, che rispetti il benessere dell’animale, non solo non arrecando sofferenze fisiche all’animale, ma non alterandone il repertorio comportamentale, soprattutto nell’ambito riproduttivo e sociale ed infine che abbia un costo contenuto e di facile somministrazione. La nicarbazina (4,4 dinitrocarbanilide, 2 idrossi-4,6 dimetilpirimidina) è un coccidiostatico impiegato nei polli in cui interferisce profondamente con l’attività riproduttiva. Alla dose di 400-800 ppm non provoca effetti indesiderati né risulta tossica, esercitando un’attività negativa sulla maturazione dell’uovo, conseguente all’aumento di temperatura interna corporea, causato dall’incremento del metabolismo dell’organismo. Un recente studio condotto nelle provincie di Parma, Modena e Forlì ha evidenziato un calo medio del 48,26% del numero degli animali dopo otto mesi di trattamento quotidiano con nicarbazina. La riduzione della popolazione di colombi si è realizzata soprattutto a carico dei “novelli”, attestando un forte impatto sulla capacità riproduttiva degli animali. Per quanto riguarda la mortalità, essa si è mantenuta su valori normali e non ha manifestato cambiamenti nelle rispettive condizioni ambientali. In base a questi dati si può affermare che allo stato attuale la nicarbazina costituisce l’unico trattamento farmacologicamente valido ed applicabile per il controllo delle popolazioni di colombo in ambiente urbano, anche se la necessità di ricorrere a somministrazioni giornaliere richiede un impegno economico notevole da parte delle amministrazioni pubbliche. SUMMARY Urban environment has become an excellent habitat for a wide range of animal species. In Italy the pigeon (Columbia livia) in the last years showed a demographic explosion reaching, in some places, a density of 3000 animals/Km2. Aim of this review is to verify the different methods of demographic control of pigeon populations, with a particular attention on the animal welfare. At the present, chemical agents reducing pigeons fertility for a long period (4-6 months) are not yet found. In fact these drugs should be innocuous, very low toxic avoiding any side effects in other animal species including humans. Moreover these substances should not alter the pigeon behaviour profile, especially in reproductive and social patterns. Finally these drugs must not be expensive with an easy administrating protocol. The 4.4 dinitrocarbanilide, 2 idrossi-4.6 dimetilpirimidina (nicarbazine) is a cocciodiostatic used in chicken breeding. This substance, at the dose of 400-800 ppm, does not cause side effects interfering with the reproductive activity by inhibiting the maturation of eggs triggered by the increase of body temperature raised by an enanching of the animal metabolism. A recent research made in the districts of Modena, Parma and Forlì has showed a reduction of pigeons population of approximately of 48% after 8 months of a daily administration. The population reduction interested mainly young animal, confirming a strong impact on the reproductive capacity of this drug. Togheter these data are confirming that nicarbazina is the only available pharmacological treatment capable to control to pigeons populations in urban environment altough daily administration is necessary

Italian breed-specific legislation on potentially dangerous dogs (2003): assessment of its effects in the city of Florence (Italy)

Canine aggression is a very discussed topic, especially when a person is injured. The problem of dog bites towards human beings must be tackled and scientifically analysed, in order to address the policy makers to effective measures. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of Italian breed-specific legislation on potentially dangerous dogs (Sirchia’s Ordinance issued on the 9th September 2003 called “Protection of the public safety against the risk of aggressions by potentially dangerous dogs”) on the trend of dog bites towards people in the city of Florence (Italy). Data for the current study were collected by the Veterinary and Urban Health, Local Sanitary Enterprise 10 in the city of Florence (Italy). Reports drew from the certifications of medical reports coming from different Hospital Emergency Departments in Florence, from the denunciation done at the canine registry office, and from the observational reports carried out at the observatory for the prophylaxis of the rabies. Reports referred to dog bites occurred in the city of Florence from September 2002 to August 2005. In total, 556 cases were gathered. The characteristics of injuries, dogs, owners and victims involved in dog bites in the year preceding the Sirchia’s Ordinance were compared to the same characteristics in the two years after the issue of such Ordinance (short and long-term effects) using the c2 test (p<0.05).The findings suggest that the above-mentioned ordinance has not caused any significant change on the trend of dog bites in the taken sample, nor in the short-term neither in the long-term. In fact, even if a numerical decrease has been observed in the period following the ordinance, a trend of reduction was already in progress since 1986. In addition, the characteristics of owners, injured people and dogs involved in the aggressive episodes remained unvaried, apart from a decrease in minor injuries. Finally, after the Ordinance the number of dog owners whose personal details were unknown increased. These findings suggest that restrictive legislative measures regarding potentially dangerous dogs are not effective for the control of canine aggression towards people

Dog attention and cooperation with the owner: preliminary results about brachycephalic dogs

Neoteny is one way of achieving paedomorphosis, where somatic development is slowed down, but sexual maturity stays on ancestral time-course, resulting in a sexually mature descendant adult that is relatively juvenile with respect to its immediate ancestor. The neoteny thus interferes on many aspects of the biology of the dog, giving rise to many canine breeds differing in physical and behavioral characteristics. Dogs with brachycephalic or dolichocephalic morphology are considered less trainable than mesomorphic breeds. Brachycephalic breeds are considered neotenic because the development of the muzzle is blocked at a very early stage with respect to the final result of the wolf. The aim of the research was to determine whether there is a difference between brachycephalic and dolichocephalic breeds with regard to the motivation to cooperate with the owner. For the research have been used 17 dogs, divided into 2 groups (brachycephalic and dolichocephalic). The two groups of dogs were subjected to two behavioral tests. The first consisted in the recovery of food from a container fitted with a cap, while the second was to recover the food tied to a rope and positioned in a wire mesh cage. Statistical analysis of the data showed a significant difference between the dogs of group 1 and group 2. The dogs in group 2 turn a greater number of glances to the owner in test 1 (Z=2.39; p=0.017) and in test 2 (Z=2.39; p=0.017). Regarding the latency of the gaze, a statistically significant difference is detectable in test 1 where the dogs of group 1 take more time to turn the gaze to the owner (Z=2.26; p=0.024) than those of group 2. Instead a statistically significant difference with respect to the latency of the look in the second test between the two groups of animals (Z=1.88; p=0.060) does not exist. The results of the present study seem to support the hypothesis that brachycephalic dogs show a different behavior compared with dolichocephalic ones; they in fact turn a lower number of glances to the owner and have a longer latency to look him when unable to complete the task. The dog trainability seems, therefore, to be affected by the morphological selection conducted in the past on different breeds. However, given the small number of subjects tested, further researches will need to provide new evidence to support the hypothesis that the brachycephalic dogs are less trainable than dolichocephalic, at least with regard to the execution of specific tasks

Determinazione quantitativa dei dipeptidi istidinici nel cervello bovino mediante metodica HPLC

RIASSUNTO La Carnosina (b-Alanil-L-Istidina) e i dipeptidi ad essa correlati (Omocarnosina e Anserina) sono molecole largamente distribuite nei tessuti degli organismi vertebrati, soprattutto in quelli eccitabili come il tessuto muscolare e il sistema nervoso. Nel tessuto nervoso dei vertebrati inferiori (osteitti, anfibi e rettili) sono presenti soprattutto l’Omocarnosina e in misura minore la Carnosina. Scopo della presente ricerca è stato quello di determinare mediante metodica HPLC le concentrazioni dei dipeptidi istidinici e loro componenti nella corteccia cerebrale e nel cervelletto di 15 bovini (10-12 mesi di età) di ambo i sessi. I dati ottenuti dimostrano che l’Omocarnosina risulta più concentrata (nmoli/g di campione ± E.S.) nella corteccia (3506,33 ± 447,45) rispetto alla Carnosina (102,82 ± 16,18) ed alla L-Istidina (2616,93 ± 116,07). È stata inoltre osservata una correlazione positiva tra Carnosina ed Omocarnosina (r = 0,57, p < 0,02) e correlazioni negative tra la Carnosina e la L-Istidina (r = 0,484, p < 0,05) e tra la Omocarnosina e la L-Istidina (r = 0,61, p < 0,01). La loro distribuzione % nella corteccia cerebrale è risultata la seguente: 2% Carnosina, 42% L-Istidina e 56% Omocarnosina. Nel cervelletto la presenza di Carnosina è stata dimostrata solamente nel 25% degli animali presi in esame mentre l’Omocarnosina (517.17 ± 55,10) e la L-Istidina (2093,96 ± 281,43) sono state determinate in concentrazioni minori rispetto a quelle osservate nella corteccia cerebrale. Nel cervelletto sono state osservate correlazioni negative tra le concentrazioni di Omocarnosina e L-Istidina (r = 0,676; p < 0,01) e tra le concentrazioni di L-Istidina presenti nella corteccia e nel cervelletto (0.64; p<0.01). La distribuzione % di queste due molecole nel cervelletto era: 20% Omocarnosina e 80% L-Istidina. Infine i livelli di Omocarnosina rilevati nella corteccia e nel cervelletto risultavano essere inversamente correlati (r = 0,486; p < 0,05). Nessuna differenza significativa era osservata tra maschi e femmine; con questa metodica di analisi in HPLC, è stato possibile determinare le concentrazioni di questi dipeptidi e della L-Istidina in animali giovani di ambo i sessi appartenenti alla specie bovina. I dati ottenuti, in questi giovani soggetti, mostrano come l’Omocarnosina sia presente in concentrazioni maggiori nella corteccia rispetto al cervelletto dove è presente in concentra- zione minore di circa sette volte. La Canosina risulta invece praticamente assente nel cervelletto mentre la concentrazione di L-Istidina in questo compartimento si riduce di appena il 20%. Questa distribuzione è in accordo con studi effettuati sul ratto (De Marchis et al., 2000) dove è stata osservata mediante metodica di immunoreattività una localizzazione della Carnosina nel cervelletto dipendente dall’età del soggetto, probabilmente a causa di una evoluzione dell’attività metabolico enzimatica delle cellule gliali e dei neuroni. In conclusione la determinazione quantitativa in HPLC di questi Dipeptidi nel bovino associata a metodiche immuno istochimiche in giovani e vecchi animali potrebbero essere utili per meglio comprendere la distribuzione quantitativa e il ruolo che questi Dipeptidi hanno in relazione allo sviluppo del sistema nervoso. SUMMARY Carnosine (b-Alanyl-L-Histidine) and other related dipeptides, such as Anserine and Homocarnosine are widely distributed in tissues of vertebrate organisms particularly in muscle and nervous tissue. As to cellular localisation of Carnosine related dipeptides in central nervous system of reptiles and amphibians, studies show high concentrations of Homocarnosine and lower concentrations of Carnosine. The aim of this research was to evaluate by HPLC method the concentrations of Histidinic Dipeptides and their components in 15 samples of bovine’s cerebral cortex and cerebellum (male and female, 10-12 months of age). Our data show that in cerebral cortex the concentration (nmol/g of sample ± E.S.) of Homocarnosine (3506.33 ± 447.45) is higher respect to Carnosine(102.82 ± 16.18) and to L-Histidine (2616.93 ± 116.07). In addition, a positive correlation has been founded between Carnosine and Homocarnosine (r = 0.57; p < 0.02) and negative correlations between Carnosine and L-Histidine (r = 0.484; p < 0.05) and between Homocarnosine and L-Histidine (r = 0.61 p < 0.01). The distribution of these dipeptides and their components in cerebral cortex is: 2% Carnosine, 42% L-Histidine and 56% Homocarnosine. The presence of Carnosine in cerebellum has been detected only in 25% of all animals and the concentrations of L-Histidine (2093.96 ± 281.43) and Homocarnosine (517.17 ± 55.10) are lower respect to cerebral cortex. The % distribution of these components in cerebellum was: 80% L-Histidine and 20% Homocarnosine. Our data show that in cerebellum a negative correlation exists between Homocarnosine and L-Histidine (r = 0,676; p < 0.01). In addition a negative correlations were observed between Homocarnosine concentrations in cerebellum and cerebral cortex (r = 0.486; p < 0.05). This negative correlation was relieved also for L-Histidine distribution between these compartments (0.64; p < 0.01). No significative gender related differences have been founded. From this study has been possible to find the Histidinic Dipeptides and L-Histidine concentrations by a very simple and rapid HPLC method in young bovine animals. Our data show clearly that Homocarnosine concentration was higher respect to Carnosine levels in cortex and that Carnosine was practically absent in cerebellum. In cerebellum Homocarnosine concentrations in all subjects were reduced respect to cerebral cortex (about 7 times less) and also in cerebellum L-Histidine levels were reduced about 20 % respect to cerebral cortex. These differences of Histidinic Dipeptides distribution could be do probably at the progressive metabolic activity of glial cells and neurones that has been reported in rat brain study 34 ANNALI FAC. MED. VET., LVIII (2005) (De Marchis et al., 2000). In this research it has been demonstrated by immunohistochemical method that the brain’s concentration of Carnosine increases with age. In conclusion a quantitative HPLC detection of these Dipeptides in bovine, associated with immunohistochemical methods, in old and young animals could be useful to understand the quantitative distribution and role of these dipeptides in relation to nervous system development

La fobia nel cane: valutazione delle tipologie e dell’efficacia dei protocolli terapeutici

RIASSUNTO La paura nel cane è uno stato emozionale, necessario alla sopravvivenza della specie, che diviene patologico quando la manifestazione comportamentale è eccessiva rispetto alla situazione. In tal caso si parla di fobia. Il presente studio, effettuato su 98 cani condotti ad una visita presso il Centro di Consulenza Comportamentale del Dipartimento di Anatomia, Biochimica e Fisiologia Veterinaria di Pisa, ha avuto lo scopo di valutare l’efficacia terapeutica dei diversi protocolli utilizzati per i cani fobici. A fronte di una reale prevalenza della fobia del 64,3%, solamente il 24,5% dei cani è stato condotto alla visita per questo motivo. Questi soggetti, costituenti un campione disomogeneo per sesso, età e razza, mostravano in prevalenza una fobia generalizzata (62,5%), seguita per importanza numerica dalla fobia dei rumori (25,0%) e dalla fobia dei rumori associata alla fobia delle persone (12,5%). Il trattamento ha previsto sempre una componente di terapia comportamentale, mentre solo nel 20,0% dei casi si è avvalso anche della terapia con farmaci psicotropi; alla quasi totalità dei pazienti sono stati invece somministrati medicinali non convenzionali quali feromoni (50,0%), rimedi omeopatici (16,7%) e fiori di Bach (83,3%). Dal follow up è risultato che i protocolli terapeutici utilizzati hanno determinato un miglioramento della fobia nel 73,3% dei casi, con una risoluzione completa corrispondente al 33,3%. Questi dati suggeriscono che è possibile, attraverso un’adeguata diagnosi e terapia, ridurre la paura nei cani fobici, renderli più gestibili e salvaguardarne il benessere psicofisico. SUMMARY Fear in the dog is an emotional state, indispensable for the survival of the species, that becomes pathological when behavioural displays are extreme as regards the situation. In this case we talk about a phobia. The present study was carried out on 98 dogs brought to a visit at the Center of Behavioural Counselling in the Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology at the University of Pisa. The aim was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of different protocols used for phobic dogs. Against a real prevalence of the phobia of 64.3%, only 24.5% of dogs were leaded to the visit for that reason. These subjects, forming a unhomogeneous popolation for sex, age and breed, showed mainly a generalised phobia (62.5%), followed for numerical importance by the phobia of noises (25.0%) and the phobia of noises associated with the phobia of people (12.5%). The treatment always provided for a component of behavioural therapy, while only in 20.0% of the cases psychoactive drugs were used; instead, to almost the whole of patients non conventional medicaments were instead administrated, such as pheromones (50.0%), homeopathic rescues (16.7%) and Bach’s flowers (83.3%). In the follow up resulted that the therapeutic protocols we used determined an improvement in the phobia in 73.3% of the cases, with a complete resolution corresponding to 33.3%. These data suggest that it’s possible, through a correct diagnosis and therapy, to reduce fear in phobic dogs, to make them more manageable and to safeguard their psycho-physical wellbeing

Following human-given cues or not? Horses (Equus caballus) get smarter and change strategy in a delayed three choice task

tTo date, horses have seemed capable of using human local enhancement cues only when theexperimenter remains close to the reward, since they fail to understand the communicativemeaning of the human as momentary local enhancement cue (when the human is notpresent at the moment of the animal’s choice). This study was designed to analyse theability of horses to understand, remember and use human-given cues in a delayed (10 s)three-choice task. Twelve horses (experimental group) had to find a piece of carrot hiddenunder one of three overturned buckets after seeing the experimenter hide it. The resultswere then compared with those of a control group (twelve horses) that had to find thecarrot using only the sense of smell or random attempts. At the beginning, the experimentalhorses made more correct choices at the first attempt, although they took more time tofind the carrot. Later the same horses were less accurate but found the carrot in less time.This suggests that the value of the proximal momentary local enhancement cues becameless critical. It seemed, in fact, that the experimental and control group had aligned theirbehaviour as the trials proceeded. Despite this similarity, in the second half of the trials,the experimental group tended to first approach the bucket where they had found thecarrot in the immediately preceding trial. Our findings indicate that horses are capable ofremembering the location of food hidden by the experimenter after a delay, by using thehuman positioned close to the target as valuable information. The same horses are alsocapable of changing their decision-making strategy by shifting from the accuracy inferredfrom human given cues to speed. Therefore, horses are able to decide whether or not to usehuman given-cues, depending on a speed-accuracy trade-off