Measuring Health: A Guide to Rating Scales and Questionnaires

Heart rate variability as a measure of autonomic regulation of cardiac activity for assessing stress and welfare in farm animals -- a review.

Background The number of pet cats is increasing in most countries, often outnumbering pet dogs, yet cats receive less veterinary care than their canine counterparts.1 Clients state the difficulty o...

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1016/j.jfms.2011.03.012

AAFP and ISFM feline-friendly handling guidelines.

Brain aging is a degenerative process manifest by impairment of cognitive function; although not all pets are affected at the same level, once cognitive decline begins it is generally a progressive disorder Diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) is based on recognition of behavioral signs and exclusion of other medical causes that might mimic CDS or complicate its diagnosis Drugs, diets, and supplements are now available that might slow CDS progression by various mechanisms including reducing oxidative stress and inflammation or improving mitochondrial and neuronal function Moreover, available therapeutics may provide some level of improvement in cognitive and clinical signs of CDS

https://webinars.veteducation.com.au/wp-content/images/Cognitive-Dysfunction-Syndrome.pdf

Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome: A Disease of Canine and Feline Brain Aging

The secure base and safe haven effects of the attachment figure are central features of the human attachment theory. Recently, conclusive evidence for human analogue attachment behaviours in dogs has been provided, however, the owner’s security-providing role in danger has not been directly supported. We investigated the relationship between the behavioural and cardiac response in dogs (N = 30) while being approached by a threatening stranger in separation vs. in the presence of the owner, presented in a balanced order. Non-invasive telemetric measures of heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) data during the threatening approaches was compared to periods before and after the encounters. Dogs that showed distress vocalisation during separation (N = 18) and that growled or barked at the stranger during the threatening approach (N = 17) were defined as behaviourally reactive in the given situation. While characteristic stress vocalisations were emitted during separations, the absence of the owner did not have an effect on dogs’ mean HR, but significantly increased the HRV. The threatening approach increased dogs’ mean HR, with a parallel decrease in the HRV, particularly in dogs that were behaviourally reactive to the encounter. Importantly, the HR increase was significantly less pronounced when dogs faced the stranger in the presence of the owner. Moreover, the test order, whether the dog encountered the stranger first with or without its owner, also proved important: HR increase associated with the encounter in separation seemed to be attenuated in dogs that faced the stranger first in the presence of their owner. We provided evidence for human analogue safe haven effect of the owner in a potentially dangerous situation. Similarly to parents of infants, owners can provide a buffer against stress in dogs, which can even reduce the effect of a subsequent encounter with the same threatening stimuli later when the owner is not present.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0058475&type=printable

Human analogue safe haven effect of the owner: behavioural and heart rate response to stressful social stimuli in dogs.

Heart rate and behavioural responses of dogs in the Ainsworth's Strange Situation: A pilot study

Background

Interest in animal-assisted therapy has been fuelled by studies supporting the many health benefits. The purpose of this study was to better understand the impact of an animal-assisted therapy program on children response to stress and pain in the immediate postsurgical period.

Patients and Methods

Forty children (3n17 years) were enrolled in the randomised open-label, controlled, pilot study. Patients were randomly assigned to the animal-assisted therapy-group (n =...

/pdf/post-operative-benefits-of-animal-assisted-therapy-in-4x1sj4vdsu.pdf

Post-Operative Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy in Pediatric Surgery: A Randomised Study

Video analysis of dogs with separation-related behaviors.

Objective—To systematically review the scientific literature to identify, assess the quality of, and determine outcomes of studies conducted to evaluate the use of pheromones for treatment of undesirable behavior in cats and dogs. Design—Systematic review. Study Population—Reports of prospective studies published from January 1998 through December 2008. Procedures—The MEDLINE and CAB Abstracts databases were searched with the following key terms: dog OR dogs OR canine OR cat OR cats OR feline AND pheromone OR synthetic pheromone OR facial pheromone OR appeasing pheromone. A date limit was set from 1998 through 2008. Identified reports for dogs (n = 7) and cats (7) were systematically reviewed. Results—Studies provided insufficient evidence of the effectiveness of feline facial pheromone for management of idiopathic cystitis or calming cats during catheterization and lack of support for reducing stress in hospitalized cats. Only 1 study yielded sufficient evidence that dog-appeasing pheromone reduces fear ...

Systematic review of the use of pheromones for treatment of undesirable behavior in cats and dogs

Animal-assisted interventions are associated with positive effects on human psychological and physiological health. Although quality standards in animal-assisted interventions appear to be high, only few investigations have focused on potential welfare implications in therapy dogs. In the present study, we monitored behavioral measures and heart rate in a therapy dog that participated in animal-assisted therapy during postoperative awakening in a pediatric surgery ward. Work-related activity, behavior, response to human action, and heart rate were analyzed for more than 20 working sessions in an experienced therapy dog. No physiological or behavioral indicators of stress, fatigue, or exhaustion were present during animal-assisted therapy, suggesting that, with the limited generalizability of a case study, this activity did not negatively impact on the welfare of the dog. Further investigation into the effects of animal-assisted therapy on dogs' physiological markers and behavior is warranted.

/pdf/stress-level-evaluation-in-a-dog-during-animal-assisted-3fgv9r6mw4.pdf

Clara Palestrini

Papers

Heart rate and behavioural responses of dogs in the Ainsworth's Strange Situation: A pilot study

Post-Operative Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy in Pediatric Surgery: A Randomised Study

Video analysis of dogs with separation-related behaviors.

Systematic review of the use of pheromones for treatment of undesirable behavior in cats and dogs

Stress level evaluation in a dog during animal-assisted therapy in pediatric surgery