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OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of a single dose of orally administered gabapentin in alleviating stress at a veterinary visit in privately owned dogs. Animals 22 healthy client-owned dogs (1.5 to 8.5 years old) were enrolled in this study. PROCEDURES Each dog received a 50-mg/kg oral dose of either gabapentin or placebo 2 hours before the beginning of each visit protocol. The dog’s behavioral responses were coded from recorded video clips during a 5-minute-long standardized physical examination and pre– and post–physical examination phases. The veterinary technician separately rated each greeting behavior at each visit. Physiological variables during veterinary visits (ie, eye surface temperature and salivary cortisol concentrations) were also compared between the pre– and post–physical examination phases. The owner was queried 24 hours after a visit to determine the incidence of adverse events. RESULTS The greeting test score, eye surface temperature, and cortisol concentrations did not differ substantially between the gabapentin and placebo treatment groups. Lip licking frequency during the physical examination phase was significantly lower in the gabapentin treatment group than in the placebo group (P = 0.001). Lip licking frequency during the pre– and post–physical examination phases was also significantly lower in the gabapentin treatment group than in the placebo treatment group (P = 0.004). No serious adverse events were reported by the owners following gabapentin treatment. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results showed that the 50-mg/kg dose of gabapentin was well tolerated without serious adverse effects in healthy dogs. Further studies are recommended of dogs with documented stress in response to a veterinary visit.

Separation anxiety is a common behavior disorder, but our understanding of its etiology and underlying neurochemical mechanisms remains limited. The purpose of this study was to compare serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in dogs with and without separation anxiety. BDNF, one of several neurotrophins, is prevalent in the limbic region and prefrontal cortex, which are key areas related to the regulation of mood, emotion, and cognition. Although an enriched environment increases BDNF levels, stress and glucocorticoid exposure decrease the expression of BDNF in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. As separation anxiety is associated with chronic stress, we hypothesized that BDNF levels in dogs affected by separation anxiety would be lower than BDNF levels in nonaffected dogs. A total of forty-eight dogs were classified by a board-certified behaviorist as affected (n = 15) or nonaffected (n = 33) by separation anxiety based on review of video clips of the dogs when left alone and owner reports of the dogs’ behavior. Groups did not differ in regard to age, body weight, body condition score, or sex, and most dogs were mixed breed. Fasted serum samples were analyzed with a canine BDNF ELISA. Nine (60%) dogs in the affected group and 12 (36%) dogs in the nonaffected group had a BDNF level

Physical rehabilitation (PR) is recommended following spinal cord injury to help improve and maintain muscle elasticity, joint mobility, and nerve health. It can also be used to relieve pain and improve cardiopulmonary fitness in an immobile patient. There is evidence, in human medicine, that PR plays a critical role in mental health and the psychological state of the patient. As part of the assessment phase, human physical therapists often identify psychosocial symptoms and barriers at the start of PR that ultimately may affect improvement in human patients suffering from injury and the loss of mobility. Patient psychological state plays an integral role in healing and outcome during treatment and rehabilitation. Specific interventions set to address these symptoms can better outcome. Arguably, one of the most emotionally traumatizing injuries suffered by a canine patient can be immobility secondary to spinal cord injury. Poorly understood is the role the canine cognitive state plays in the success of rehabilitation following spinal cord injury. Should breed, age, sex, physical fitness, personality, previous experiences and history or home lifestyle, affect the PR assessment of these patients? Do these factors affect eventual outcome following PR? The purpose of this manuscript is to explore psychosocial barriers encountered during injury rehabilitation in humans and determine if the similar barriers need to be considered when assessing a canine patient for spinal cord injury rehabilitation.

Since salivary chromogranin A (CgA) is one of the known sympathetic adrenomedullar system (SAM) stress markers in humans and pigs, this study aimed to investigate whether salivary CgA in dogs reflects SAM activation. Our hypothesis was that salivary CgA would increase when central noradrenaline was pharmacologically induced. A selective noradrenaline transporter blocker, atomoxetine, was orally administered without causing any aversive responses in nine laboratory dogs to see if it would increase salivary CgA. Three treatment groups (i.e., atomoxetine, placebo, and pre-administration of a selective alpha-2 adrenoreceptor agonist (dexmedetomidine) followed by atomoxetine) were prepared with a randomized crossover design. Saliva sample collection, heart rate measurement and behavior observation were performed at Time 0 (baseline) and at 30, 60, 90 and 150 min after each treatment administration. The results demonstrated that salivary CgA significantly increased at 90 min in the atomoxetine treatment (p &lt, 0.05), whereas it was not observed in the other two treatments. The present study showed that salivary CgA was increased by atomoxetine-induced SAM activation. However, this increase was blocked if dexmedetomidine was pre-administered. Overall, the results indicate that salivary CgA is a potential candidate for SAM-mediated stress markers in dogs. Further study to determine the dynamics of salivary CgA will be helpful in its practical use.

Along with the growing awareness of psychological stress in companion animals, several treatments have become available to address fear- and anxiety-related behaviors in dogs. To detect vulnerable individuals and apply effective treatments, reliable evaluations that can quantify individual stress responses are in high demand. To develop measurable variables that have clinical applications, more investigations are needed to increase our knowledge. When stress responses are activated by the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes, the immune system is also activated. Although the peripheral cortisol level is commonly used as a stress biomarker, it primarily reflects the HPA axis response and does not sufficiently reflect the complexity of the stress response. Thus, this review primarily focuses on the available salivary biomarkers that mainly reflect the acute stress response through the activity of the SAM axis and the immune system in dogs. We hope that this review will promote the validation of these biomarkers in dogs and aid in the development of future studies to evaluate stress responses in dogs.

The use of a standardized physiological measure in veterinary behavior evaluations would improve both accuracy of the diagnosis and monitoring of the treatment response. Infrared thermography (IRT) is a noninvasive, remote assessment tool used primarily in research to evaluate changes in surface body temperature resulting from underlying physiological processes. IRT has not been examined widely in a veterinary behavior clinic setting, and its clinical validity requires testing. In this pilot study, patient data were reviewed retrospectively from a veterinary teaching hospital's behavior clinic population to determine if surface eye temperature as measured by IRT differed in dogs with fear-based aggression compared to dogs with various other behavioral diagnoses. Forty-six dogs were subdivided into groups with fear-based aggression toward unfamiliar people (n = 32) or no fear-based aggression but with other behavioral diagnoses (n = 14) to compare surface eye temperature and behavioral responses in the clinic setting. The potentially provocative stimulus was the presence of unfamiliar people in the consultation room (clinician and student). The primary outcomes of interest were change in surface eye temperature and behavioral responses between 2 time points 45 minutes apart during the 60-minute consultation. It was hypothesized that in contrast to dogs with fear-based aggression, IRT-measured mean surface eye temperature in dogs without fear-based aggression would decrease between the 2 time points. Instead, surface eye temperature increased in both groups of dogs without significant difference between the groups (P = 0.16). Dog's posture and proximity to the owner in the consultation room at the start of the evaluation also were not significantly different between the 2 groups. However, 27% of the fear-based aggressive dogs compared with 0% of the dogs with other diagnoses exhibited aggressive reactions to unfamiliar people who stood up to leave the consultation room at the end of the visit. Study design factors likely contributed to the negative findings. First, the study population was derived from clinic behavior patients, and dogs in both groups had multiple behavioral diagnoses that may have impacted their response to stress in the clinic setting. In addition, all dogs were tethered during the consultation visit, and this may have triggered underlying anxiety in both groups of dogs. A future study that addresses these study design factors would be needed to determine whether IRT-measured surface eye temperature in a clinical setting is a helpful measure.

Separation anxiety has long been recognized as an anxiety-related disorder in dogs that is only observed in the owner's real absence or perceived absence. Over the past four decades, this condition has been the most commonly discussed disorder in published studies, but etiology, treatment, and prevention remain elusive. A review of the literature indicates a lack of comparative studies. Little progress has been made to build a new understanding beyond the clinical symptomology. Future research employing more rigorous designs and systematically building upon a clearly defined research questions is needed to advance our knowledge of this most common behavioral problem in dogs.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of two concurrent randomized controlled interventions based on social cognitive theory to increase walking. A second purpose was to compare the efficacy of the intervention between two distinct groups: dog owners and non-dog owners. Adult dog owners ( n = 40) and non-dog owners ( n = 65) were randomized into control or intervention groups. Intervention groups received bi-weekly emails for first 4 weeks and then weekly email for the next 8 weeks targeting self-efficacy, social support, goal setting, and benefits/barriers to walking. Dog owner messages focused on dog walking while non-dog owners received general walking messages. Control groups received a 1-time email reviewing current physical activity guidelines. At 6 months, both intervention groups reported greater increases in walking and maintained these increases at 12 months. The greatest increases were seen in the dog owner intervention group. In conclusion, dog owners accumulated more walking, which may be attributed to the dog–owner relationship.

Objective To determine the effects of brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution on sedation, heart rate (HR), respiratory frequency (fR), rectal temperature (RT) and noninvasive mean arterial pressure (MAP) in healthy cats. Study design Randomized, blinded crossover study, with 1 week washout between treatments. Animals Six healthy purpose-bred cats. Methods Brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution 0.1% (one or two drops; 58.6 ± 3.3 μg per drop) or a control solution (artificial tear solution) was administered to six healthy cats. Behavioural observations and measurements of HR, fR, RT and MAP were recorded before and at 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300 and 360 minutes after topical administration. Behavioural scores were analysed using Friedman’s test for repeated measures to evaluate the time effect in each treatment and treatment effect at each time point. Physiological variables (HR, fR, RT and MAP) were analysed using two-way analysis of variance for repeated measures to evaluate the time and treatment effects. The level of significance was set at p Results Dose-dependent behavioural and physiological responses were noted. A dose of two drops of brimonidine resulted in sedation in the cats and decreased HR and MAP. Significant sedative effects occurred between 30 and 120 minutes and for physiological responses up to 360 minutes. The most frequent adverse reaction was vomiting, occurring within 40 minutes in all six cats administered two drops and five of the six cats administered one drop of brimonidine. Conclusions and clinical relevance The results demonstrated that ocular administration of brimonidine 0.1% ophthalmic solution induced sedation in cats and some cardiovascular effects usually associated with α2-adrenoceptor agonists. Further studies should be performed to determine clinical applications for this agent in cats.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of two concurrent randomized controlled interventions based on social cognitive theory to increase walking. A second purpose was to compare the efficacy of the intervention between two distinct groups: dog owners and non-dog owners. Adult dog owners ( n = 40) and non-dog owners ( n = 65) were randomized into control or intervention groups. Intervention groups received bi-weekly emails for first 4 weeks and then weekly email for the next 8 weeks targeting self-efficacy, social support, goal setting, and benefits/barriers to walking. Dog owner messages focused on dog walking while non-dog owners received general walking messages. Control groups received a 1-time email reviewing current physical activity guidelines. At 6 months, both intervention groups reported greater increases in walking and maintained these increases at 12 months. The greatest increases were seen in the dog owner intervention group. In conclusion, dog owners accumulated more walking, which may be attributed to the dog-owner relationship.

Background: To facilitate physical activity (PA) adoption and maintenance, promotion of innovative population-level strategies that focus on incorporating moderate-intensity lifestyle PAs are needed. Objective: The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the Dogs, Physical Activity, and Walking intervention, a 3-month, social cognitive theory (SCT), e-mail-based PA intervention. Methods: In a longitudinal, repeated-measures design, 49 dog owners were randomly assigned to a control (n = 25) or intervention group (n = 24). The intervention group received e-mail messages (twice weekly for 4 weeks and weekly for 8 weeks) designed to influence SCT constructs of self-efficacy, self-regulation, outcome expectations and expectancies, and social support. At baseline and every 3 months through 1 year, participants completed self-reported questionnaires of individual, interpersonal, and PA variables. Linear mixed models were used to assess for significant differences in weekly minutes of dog walking and theoretical constructs between groups (intervention and control) across time. To test self-efficacy as a mediator of social support for dog walking, tests for mediation were conducted using the bootstrapping technique. Results: With the exception of Month 9, participants in the intervention group accumulated significantly more weekly minutes of dog walking than the control group. On average, the intervention group accumulated 58.4 more minutes (SD = 18.1) of weekly dog walking than the control group (p < .05). Self-efficacy partially mediated the effect of social support variables on dog walking. Discussion: Results indicate that a simple SCT-based e-mail intervention is effective in increasing and maintaining an increase in dog walking among dog owners at 12-month follow-up. In light of these findings, it may be advantageous to design dog walking interventions that focus on increasing self-efficacy for dog walking by fostering social support.