Behavioural changes in dogs treated with corticosteroids

Notari, Lorella; Burman, Ohp; Mills, Daniel S.

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.08.041

Cited by 33 publications

(34 citation statements)

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“…Both these results could reflect that friendly and encouraging relationships are related to less stress in the dogs. Play interactions including affectionate behaviour have earlier been shown to have a direct decreasing effect on cortisol levels in dogs 34 , and dogs treated with corticosteroids are also less playful 35 , which both are in line with our findings on long-term cortisol secretion. These results may be important for understanding the physiological consequences of different types of human-dog relationships.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Hair cortisol varies with season and lifestyle and relates to human interactions in German shepherd dogs

Roth

Faresjö

Theodorsson

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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It is challenging to measure long-term endocrine stress responses in animals. We investigated whether cortisol extracted from dog hair reflected the levels of activity and stress long-term, during weeks and months. Hair samples from in total 59 German shepherds were analysed. Samples for measuring cortisol concentrations were collected at three occasions and we complemented the data with individual scores from the Canine Behavioural Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ). Generalised linear mixed model (GLMM) results showed that hair cortisol varied with season and lifestyle: competition dogs had higher levels than companion, and professional working dogs, and levels were higher in January than in May and September. In addition, a positive correlation was found between the cortisol levels and the C-BARQ score for stranger-directed aggression (r = 0.31, P = 0.036). Interestingly, the factor “playing often with the dog” (r = −0.34, P = 0.019) and “reward with a treat/toy when the dog behaves correctly” (r = −0.37, P = 0.010) correlated negatively with cortisol levels, suggesting that positive human interactions reduce stress. In conclusion, hair cortisol is a promising method for revealing the activity of the HPA-axis over a longer period of time, and human interactions influence the cortisol level in dogs.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Hair cortisol varies with season and lifestyle and relates to human interactions in German shepherd dogs

Roth

Faresjö

Theodorsson

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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“…In this retrospective study, no specific behaviour problem was found to be linked with a history of corticosteroid drug treatment, while in previous surveys owners reported changes in specific aspects of their dogs’ behaviour (Notari and Mills 2011, Notari and others 2015). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…Psychiatric side effects of corticosteroid drugs have been reported in humans and laboratory animals (Warrington and Bostwick 2006, Mikics and others 2007, Drozdowicz and Bostwick 2014), and behavioural changes related to corticosteroid treatments have also been reported by dog owners (Notari and Mills 2011, Notari and others 2015). Direct testing of dogs also showed that dogs receiving corticosteroids were less explorative compared with control dogs (Notari and others 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Direct testing of dogs also showed that dogs receiving corticosteroids were less explorative compared with control dogs (Notari and others 2015). The literature indicates that corticosteroid therapies might negatively influence the behaviour of both human and non-human animals; therefore, it is worthwhile investigating what proportion of dogs presenting with different behaviour problems have a history of treatment with corticosteroids and whether corticosteroids appear to increase the risk of any complaints associated with sensitivity to aversion, for example, fears and anxieties.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is there a link between treatments with exogenous corticosteroids and dog behaviour problems?

2016

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Possible side effects of exogenous corticosteroids have been described in both humans and laboratory animals, with recent studies highlighting this issue in dogs. In this paper the behaviour of 345 dogs drawn from the caseload of a behaviour clinic based in the north of Italy between February 2012 and November 2014 were analysed. Possible relationships between dogs that received treatment with corticosteroids versus dogs that received treatment with drugs other than corticosteroids and positive or negative affective states, aggression towards people, other behaviour problems apart from aggression, occurrence of severe bites, and prescription of psychoactive drugs were initially assessed using a Pearson's chi-squared test. Regression analysis was then performed in order to evaluate the best predictors of the investigated items. The goal of this retrospective survey was to investigate possible relationships between the affective states associated with the behavioural complaint of dogs and their previous history of treatment with corticosteroids. Results showed that a history of corticosteroid treatment was a significant predictor of a range of behaviour problems associated with negative affective state, but this result may be confounded by age-related effects.

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“…Although this has not been studied in dogs, behavioural change is commonly identified as an early indicator of the disease. Iatrogenic effects of cortisol administration have been reported, and include reduced playfulness, increased fearfulness and restlessness, and aggression around food [39,40].…”

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confidence: 99%

Making the Case for Multi-Axis Assessment of Behavioural Problems

Fatjó

Bowen

2020

Animals

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The systematic classification of human mental health disorders and behavioural problems in companion animals face the same challenges. These disorders and problems are complex, multi-factorial, and can interfere with the individual’s ability to function within society, a social or family environment. Classification systems are reductive, they discard a lot of critical information, and can be overly focused on the presenting problem, inflexible and obstructive to new research. As a result, human psychiatry is moving away from classification systems and toward a clinical and research model based on dimensional characteristics that encompass the full range from normal to abnormal, and include multiple sources of influence from genetic, to environmental and psychosocial. In this paper, we set out a multi-axis model for the collection and organisation of information about companion animal behaviour problem cases that avoids some of the limitations of classification systems, is aligned with the current research approach in human psychiatry, and assists the clinician in making a complete and thorough assessment of a case.

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Behavioural changes in dogs treated with corticosteroids

Cited by 33 publications

References 33 publications

Hair cortisol varies with season and lifestyle and relates to human interactions in German shepherd dogs

Hair cortisol varies with season and lifestyle and relates to human interactions in German shepherd dogs

Is there a link between treatments with exogenous corticosteroids and dog behaviour problems?

Making the Case for Multi-Axis Assessment of Behavioural Problems

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