Journal of Veterinary Behavior-clinical Applications and Research最新文献

With the increase in research aimed at improving the welfare of animals raised in production systems and the recognition of sentience in decapod crustaceans, the welfare of shrimp has become a cause for concern. In shrimp farming, practices contrary to the principles of animal welfare are used and largely unknown to the consuming public. This study aimed to assess the views of Brazilians on the importance of incremental animal welfare improvements in shrimp farming, considering the social and cultural aspects of the respondents. To this end, 300 adult Brazilian participants answered questions on welfare, sentience, and eyestalk ablation of shrimp. Among the respondents, 75.7% expressed concern about the welfare of shrimp, believing that they can experience fear (63.0%), pain (84.0%), and pleasure (47.7%). The latter finding suggests a relative reluctance to recognize positive feelings in shrimp. Regarding eyestalk ablation, 81.7% of respondents were unaware of the procedure, but after a brief explanation, 81.3% considered it unacceptable, with 84.0% believing that shrimps suffer from the practice. Most respondents associated terms such as "painful, cruel, suffering, mercantilist, disrespectful, and mutilating" with the practice of ablation. Furthermore, by using Pearson's chi-square test, it was observed that gender, age, region, education, socio-economic status, profession, and frequency of consumption may be related to the respondents' opinions about shrimp welfare and their perception of shrimp sentience. Therefore, by recognizing that public concern drives changes in production methods, increasing knowledge about shrimp sentience and farming practices can help advance socially acceptable methods.

Successive negative contrast (SNC) occurs when there is a reduction in the quantity or quality of a reward that is expected according to the presence of contextual cues. This induces an emotional response of “frustration” that is similar to stress. While this phenomenon has been observed in several mammal species, findings in domestic dogs have been inconsistent, although this issue has strong relevance in dog training. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of SNC in two responses that had already been studied in this species, but with an increase in the methodological rigor and variations in the experimental conditions to examine the generalizability of the phenomenon. To this end, experimental dogs experienced a preshift phase in which they received a high-value reward (liver), followed by a postshift phase in which they obtained a low-value reward (dry dog food), and then a reshift phase in which the high-value reward was available again. Control dogs received dry food in all phases. The results show a contrast effect on the behavior of following human pointing to obtain food (study 1). On the contrary, there were no differences in problem-solving behavior after the de- and re-evaluation of the reward during a nonsocial task (study 2). The results support that SNC is not a consistent phenomenon in pet dogs. It is possible that certain characteristics of dogs such as the great availability of high-value rewards in their daily lives could attenuate the effects of a reduction in incentive value.

Domesticated horses are often housed in individual stables for long periods where physical contact with conspecifics is not possible. Although common, this form of stable design is known to be detrimental to horse welfare. This study investigated the impact of short-term stabling (1-hour bouts) on behavioral expression using three stable conditions: a full wall, a barred window wall, and a half wall between paired horses in a within-subjects design study (N = 18). A mixed model (restricted maximum likelihood) was used to account for both stable condition and individual horse within the model. Behaviors influenced by stable design were those relating to vigilance and social affiliation. Horses spent a greater proportion of the observation time standing alert when in the full wall stable compared to the half wall stable (P = 0.009). The opposite is true of time spent standing and resting (P < 0.001). Compared to the window wall alone, horses in the half wall stable performed significantly more contact-seeking behaviors (P = 0.021). Horse owners often perceive stable design unimportant if only used for short periods of time, with the majority of their time budget spent at pasture with conspecifics. These results indicate that, even during short bouts of stabling, horses were more relaxed when stable design allowed them to engage in social behaviors with conspecifics and more vigilant when stable design left them physically isolated from conspecifics.

Androstenone, which derived from boar pheromones, known as an interomone, has been documented to change behavior in dogs and horses. It could be a potential candidate for use in pheromonal therapy in horses. This study aimed to investigate the effect of androstenone treatment for improving the safety of horseback riding by reducing undesirable behavior of horses. In this study, fourteen horses were participated in a series of behavior tests with one rider to determine the effects of androstenone on behaviors. First, in the riding test without obstacles, the riding session lasted for 30 minutes with 5 minutes of walking, 10 minutes of trotting, 10 minutes of cantering, and 5 minutes of walking. The frequency of undesirable behavior during the riding sessions was monitored. Second, in the riding test with obstacles, the time to pass through from start line to finish line through an obstacle course was recorded. The course was organized with three consecutive blue tarps. Both tests used a cross-over design with 20 μg of androstenone. In the riding test without obstacles, horses exhibited a significantly reduced frequency of undesirable behavior when treated with androstenone (P < 0.05). During obstacle course test, the horses completed the course faster under the influence of androstenone (P < 0.05). The placebo treatment did not result in a significant behavioral change in either test. These preliminary findings, limited by the small number of horses and the rider, warrant further invesgitation to substantiate the efficacy of androstenone for pheromonal therapy in equine practices.

It is crucial to understand the effect of living in a shelter on dog's well-being. We hypothesized that mental states may indicate the presence of environmental stressors. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between specific emotional states of dogs and the quality of their physical environment. This study included 19 shelters, with dogs housed for at least two months. Management data were collected with the Shelter Quality protocol, and emotional indicators were evaluated with the Qualitative Behavior Assessment (QBA) methodology. By grouping the 12 QBA descriptors and the SQP indicator “barking level,” five profiles were obtained that describe the valence of the dogs’ emotional states: positive, interactive, hesitant, aggressive, and negative. These profiles were used in MCA, generating two principal components that each had two associative patterns; inverse correspondences with the management variables “population size,” “mortality rate,” “food management,” “number of dogs per pen,” and “walking routine” were explored. Positive emotional states were observed in shelters providing weekly or daily walks, housing dogs in individual pens, and feeding them twice a day. Feeding twice a day and lower numbers of housed animals were associated with lower mortality rates. Negative emotional states were more strongly associated with large populations, housing in individual pens, absence of walks, and ad libitum/once-a-day feeding, with high mortality rates observed. We conclude that depressive, hesitant, and aggressive emotional states in dogs kept in shelters for long periods may reflect a lack of environmental (especially social) enrichment and incorrect feeding management.

To reduce dog aggression against people, breed-specific legislation has been enacted in many countries that prohibit the raising of certain breeds or impose certain rules for dogs of these breeds. The aim of the study was to reveal the opinions of veterinarians on the aggression levels of dogs of various breeds against people and breed-specific legislation. A questionnaire targeting small animal veterinarians was applied via online or printed forms. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was applied to examine the relationship between the opinions of veterinarians about the prohibition/restriction of dog breeds and their opinions on the level of aggression of these breeds. While 29.23% of veterinarians approved the prohibition of dangerous dog breeds, 45.64% of veterinarians stated that dogs of these breeds should be restricted. However, 25.13% of the participants did not approve of breed-specific legislation for whatever reason. The Pitbull Terrier was the dog breed most approved to be banned (approximately 25% of the participants). It was followed by Dogo Argentino (15.17%), Bull Terrier (14.20%), Rottweiler (10.44%), American Staffordshire Terrier (7.74%), Japanese Tosa (7.69%), and Fila Brasileiro (7.63%), respectively. Perceptions of veterinarians about the severe aggression levels of Bull Terrier, Doberman Pinscher, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, Pitbull Terriers, and Rottweiler breeds are effective in adopting the “should be banned” opinion for these breeds instead of “should be free” (P < 0.05). As a result, veterinarians were of the opinion that individuals of dog breeds that can frequently exhibit aggression resulting in severe injury or death to the victim should be restricted instead of banning them. Furthermore, alternative methods focused on increasing the legal responsibilities of animal owners and educating society can be considered instead of breed-specific legislation.

It is well known that behavior problems in companion dogs affect the welfare of both the dogs and the owners. However, assessments of the prevalence of the problems vary greatly depending on the source of information and questions the study employs. The most accurate estimate of prevalence is likely to be obtained through study of a representative sample of dog owners. The aim of the current questionnaire study was therefore to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for dog behavior problems by analyzing the responses of a representative sample of Danish dog owners. To the authors’ knowledge, this kind of study, involving a representative sample of dog owners, has only been conducted once before in the state of Victoria, Australia. We found that 34% (n = 172) of Danish dog owners surveyed (n = 502) perceived their dog to have one or more problems related to behavior. The most common problems were related to fear (n = 90 dogs, 18%) and disobedience (e.g., jumping up at people and not coming when called n = 54 dogs, 11%). The most common fear problem was fear of noises (n = 51 dogs, 10%). Among aggression problems, the most common by far was inter-dog aggression (n = 40 dogs, 8%). We identified dog, owner, and management variables as possible risk factors for dogs with behavioral problems. Increasing dog age was associated with lower levels of problems connected with disobedience. Dog disease within the last year was associated with a higher risk of problems with fear and aggression. Living in an apartment, as opposed to a (sub)urban house or farm/house in the countryside, was associated with a raised risk of fear problems. Daily off-leash time on walks was associated with a lower risk of problems related to aggression and disobedience. Finally, a higher frequency of training with the dog, either at home or in dog training classes, was associated with a lower risk of problems related to all three of fear, aggression, and disobedience. Our data do not allow us to infer causality in the reported associations, and the results are discussed in light of this.

Sustainable and ethical equitation requires clear signals and timely pressure-release. This study aimed to determine the effect of elastic inserts in reins on the tension applied for normal riding and a walk-to-halt transition, and the ability to release rein tension. Thirty female, regular riders, age 22 ± 3.87 years, participated in this study. The Centaur Rein Tension Gauge™▲ was fixed to a solid structure, and reins with elastic insert (elastic) or standard leather (rigid) were attached. Both measured 20 mm x 6 mm x 1500 mm and weighed 350 g. Rein tensions (N) were measured for left and right hands, both rein types when taking up a normal riding contact and executing a walk-to-halt transition using a cross-over design. Significantly lower tensions were exerted with elastic reins (3.33 ± 1.97N) than with rigid reins (5.83 ± 1.17N; F1,16 = 5.54; P < 0.05) in the normal riding contact condition, whilst higher tensions were evident with elastic reins (21.3 ± 6.19N) than rigid reins (15.8 ± 4.4N) in the walk-to-halt transition. The time (s) for rein tension return to zero following complete release from 25N was significantly greater, and less consistent, with elastic reins (t58 = 5.63; P < 0.001; 3.85 ± 3.22 seconds) than with rigid reins (0.53 ± 0.27 seconds). Although elastic inserts in reins result in less tension during general riding, they may be detrimental to the effective application of negative reinforcement and the ability to accurately reward required responses during training.