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Animals
Special Issues
Behavior and Physical Health Integration in Companion Animals
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Behavior and Physical Health Integration in Companion Animals

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Companion Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2022) | Viewed by 20649

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Belén Rosado

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Patología Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: dogs; cats; behaviour; animal welfare; stress; comparative medicine: diseases in humans and animals; cognitive dysfunction; epilepsy; microbiota
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Sylvia García-Belenguer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Patología Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: dogs; cats; behaviour; animal welfare; stress; comparative medicine: diseases in humans and animals; cognitive dysfunction; epilepsy; microbiota
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ángela González-Martínez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Servicio de Etología y Medicina de Comportamiento Animal, Hospital Veterinario Universitario Rof Codina, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Interests: dogs; cats; behaviour; animal welfare; stress; comparative medicine: diseases in humans and animals; cognitive dysfunction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a Special Edition of the journal Animals, which endeavours to delve into the knowledge of the relationship between behavioural and physical factors in companion animals. Behavioural problems have been traditionally considered almost as diagnosis of exclusion. However, behavioural and physical health are not separate but interdependent entities. Behavioural medicine increasingly considers a much more diffuse boundary between medical and ethological aetiologies. In fact, a high incidence of comorbidities with medical conditions has been detected in animals showing behavioural problems. Moreover, stress, and even temperament, may predispose to some illnesses. Integration of these and other factors during veterinary consultation may allow a better understanding of behavioural problems and medical conditions, thereby improving the effectiveness of treatments. In this Special Issue, we would like to extend an invitation to publish the latest research on the topic of integration of physical–behavioural health in dogs and cats, and we hope it will make a major contribution to knowledge and practice. Also we would like to thank the sponsorship of Boehringer Ingelheim and Ceva for this special issue.

Dr. Belén Rosado
Dr. Sylvia García-Belenguer
Dr. Ángela González-Martínez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • behaviour
  • physical health
  • dog
  • cats
  • comorbidities

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 777 KiB  
Article
Serotonin and Dopamine Blood Levels in ADHD-Like Dogs
by Ángela González-Martínez, Susana Muñiz de Miguel, Noemi Graña, Xiana Costas and Francisco Javier Diéguez
Animals 2023, 13(6), 1037; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13061037 - 13 Mar 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 10918
Abstract
As with humans, dogs can suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder-like (ADHD-like) behaviors naturally and exhibit high levels of hyperactivity/impulsivity and attention deficit problems, making the domestic dog a potential animal model for ADHD. ADHD has a very complex pathophysiology in which many [...] Read more.
As with humans, dogs can suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder-like (ADHD-like) behaviors naturally and exhibit high levels of hyperactivity/impulsivity and attention deficit problems, making the domestic dog a potential animal model for ADHD. ADHD has a very complex pathophysiology in which many neurotransmitters are involved, such as serotonin and dopamine. The aim of the study was to evaluate serum serotonin and dopamine levels in dogs with ADHD-like symptomatology. Fifty-eight dogs were studied, of which, thirty-six were classified as ADHD-like after physical and behavioral assessments. Additionally, the dogs’ owners performed a series of scientifically validated questionnaires which included C-BARQ, the Dog Impulsivity Assessment Scale, and the Dog-ADHD rating scale. Serum from every animal was collected after the behavioral assessments and analyzed with commercial ELISA tests for serotonin and dopamine determination. Kruskal–Wallis tests and Lasso regressions were applied to assess the relationships between both neurotransmitters and the ADHD-like behaviors (as assessed by clinical evaluation and through the different questionnaires). The dogs clinically classified as ADHD-like showed lower serotonin and dopamine concentrations. Further, serotonin and dopamine levels were also linked to aggression, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Decreased serotonin concentrations were also related to fear, attachment, and touch sensitivity. Finally, it must be noted that our data suggested a strong relationship between serotonin and dopamine and ADHD-like behaviors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Behavior and Physical Health Integration in Companion Animals)
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9 pages, 620 KiB  
Article
Reasons for and Behavioral Consequences of Male Dog Castration—A Questionnaire Study in Poland
by Marcelina Kriese, Ewelina Kuźniewska, Andrzej Gugołek and Janusz Strychalski
Animals 2022, 12(15), 1883; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12151883 - 23 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5945
Abstract
In many Western countries, castration is the most popular surgical desexing procedure in dogs. The aim of the study was to identify the reasons for male dog castration and to determine the owners’ perceptions about changes in dog behavior before and after castration. [...] Read more.
In many Western countries, castration is the most popular surgical desexing procedure in dogs. The aim of the study was to identify the reasons for male dog castration and to determine the owners’ perceptions about changes in dog behavior before and after castration. An online survey was posted on social networking sites dedicated to dogs. A total of 386 respondents participated in the survey. The main reason (39%) for castration was undesirable behavior, including hyperactivity (8%), roaming (8%), mounting (7%), aggression (5%), marking (5%) and others (5%). This surgery did not change the prevalence of aggressive behaviors towards people, but it reduced aggressive behaviors towards dogs and other animals. Castration did not reduce the presentation of anxious behavior in fearful dogs. Castration increased the number of dogs that were fearful of unfamiliar dogs/humans, as well as dogs with sound phobias, while decreased the prevalence of hiding behavior. This procedure greatly decreased incidences of roaming, mounting and urine marking as well as the dog’s overall activity. Thus, it can be concluded that while castration can resolve many undesirable behaviors in male dogs, the arguments for and against neutering should always be considered on an individual basis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Behavior and Physical Health Integration in Companion Animals)
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12 pages, 1137 KiB  
Article
Sleep Characteristics in Dogs; Effect on Caregiver-Reported Problem Behaviours
by Carrie Tooley and Sarah E. Heath
Animals 2022, 12(14), 1753; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12141753 - 08 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2945
Abstract
Optimal sleep duration and quality is difficult to define. There are strong arguments for a relationship between sleep, in particular REM sleep, and emotional health and behaviour in a variety of species. This study aims to broaden the level of knowledge regarding canine [...] Read more.
Optimal sleep duration and quality is difficult to define. There are strong arguments for a relationship between sleep, in particular REM sleep, and emotional health and behaviour in a variety of species. This study aims to broaden the level of knowledge regarding canine sleep durations and characteristics and begin research into the relationship between behavioural responses and the duration and quality of sleep. A caregiver questionnaire was used to capture information regarding the duration and characteristics of canine sleep, how easily this cohort of dogs were disturbed from sleep, and caregiver perceptions of the severity of problem behaviours shown by this cohort (n = 1330). A quadratic relationship between canine sleep duration whilst a caregiver is in bed and severity of problem behaviour is shown, with less than 8 h sleep and more than 10 h sleep correlating with increased severity of problem behaviours in this cohort. Dogs which were more easily disturbed from sleep at times their caregiver was out of bed, showed increased reported severity of problem behaviours. Whilst it is not possible to determine an optimal canine sleep duration, sufficient evidence is presented to argue that problem behaviour should not be remedied by sleep deprivation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Behavior and Physical Health Integration in Companion Animals)
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