Validation of modified open field behaviour as a measure of trait anxiety in the dog

Wormald, Dennis; Lawrence, Andrew J; Carter, Gabrielle; Fisher, Andrew

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2016.03.004

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Previous studies indicated that some dogs react to loud noise by decreasing activity, others with an increase in activity 45 . Besides the possible difference in active vs passive coping styles 45 , the diverging results of previous studies regarding changes in activity when dogs were exposed to noise recordings could possibly be explained by the novelty of the environment: In a novel environment (such as during open field tests 42,43 ), exploration would be expected in the beginning of the test. Consequentially, startling stimuli could be expected to inhibit exploration, and thus activity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Some experimental studies yielded conflicting behavioural results, reporting either a reduction in activity 41 , 42 or an increase in activity 43 – 45 in response to audio recordings of thunderstorms or fireworks. These different findings could potentially be explained by different coping strategies of dogs when exposed to fear-inducing noises, an active and a passive response: Landsberg et al 45 used separate scores for active (including aimless, repetitive or stereotypic pacing, running or circling; retreating to a hide, digging, climbing, jumping or barking) and passive (encompassing decreased activity, freezing against a wall, staying close to the door, crouching, tail between legs, ears back, panting, trembling, being alert/tense/vigilant, salivating, yawning, lip licking, lifting a foreleg and whining) responses to audio stimulation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fear expressions of dogs during New Year fireworks: a video analysis

Gähwiler

Bremhorst

Tóth

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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A high proportion of pet dogs show fear-related behavioural problems, with noise fears being most prevalent. Nonetheless, few studies have objectively evaluated fear expression in this species. Using owner-provided video recordings, we coded behavioural expressions of pet dogs during a real-life firework situation at New Year’s Eve and compared them to behaviour of the same dogs on a different evening without fireworks (control condition), using Wilcoxon signed ranks tests. A backwards-directed ear position, measured at the base of the ear, was most strongly associated with the fireworks condition (effect size: Cohen’s d = 0.69). Durations of locomotion (d = 0.54) and panting (d = 0.45) were also higher during fireworks than during the control condition. Vocalisations (d = 0.40), blinking (d = 0.37), and hiding (d = 0.37) were increased during fireworks, but this was not significant after sequential Bonferroni correction. This could possibly be attributed to the high inter-individual variability in the frequency of blinking and the majority of subjects not vocalising or hiding at all. Thus, individual differences must be taken into account when aiming to assess an individual’s level of fear, as relevant measures may not be the same for all individuals. Firework exposure was not associated with an elevated rate of other so-called ‘stress signals’, lip licking and yawning.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fear expressions of dogs during New Year fireworks: a video analysis

Gähwiler

Bremhorst

Tóth

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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show abstract

“…In dogs, diagnoses of fear- and anxiety-related behaviors and cognitive dysfunction are as complicated as in humans and the gold standards have not been established. Therefore, history taking and completion of validated questionnaires by dog owners as well as the performance of dog behavioral tests or observations and behavioral development assessments are used in combination as diagnostic procedures ( 84 , 85 ). In the present study, only validated online questionnaires were used to evaluate the behavioral comorbidities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of phenobarbital treatment on behavioral comorbidities and on the composition and function of the fecal microbiome in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy

et al. 2022

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Phenobarbital (PB) is one of the most important antiseizure drugs (ASDs) to treat canine idiopathic epilepsy (IE). The effect of PB on the taxonomic changes in gastrointestinal microbiota (GIM) and their functions is less known, which may explain parts of its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, especially its antiseizure effect and drug responsiveness or drug resistance as well as its effect on behavioral comorbidities. Fecal samples of 12 dogs with IE were collected prior to the initiation of PB treatment and 90 days after oral PB treatment. The fecal samples were analyzed using shallow DNA shotgun sequencing, real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based dysbiosis index (DI), and quantification of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Behavioral comorbidities were evaluated using standardized online questionnaires, namely, a canine behavioral assessment and research questionnaire (cBARQ), canine cognitive dysfunction rating scale (CCDR), and an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) questionnaire. The results revealed no significant changes in alpha and beta diversity or in the DI, whereas only the abundance of Clostridiales was significantly decreased after PB treatment. Fecal SCFA measurement showed a significant increase in total fecal SCFA concentration and the concentrations of propionate and butyrate, while acetate concentrations revealed an upward trend after 90 days of treatment. In addition, the PB-Responder (PB-R) group had significantly higher butyrate levels compared to the PB-Non-Responder (PB-NR) group. Metagenomics of functional pathway genes demonstrated a significant increase in genes in trehalose biosynthesis, ribosomal synthesis, and gluconeogenesis, but a decrease in V-ATPase-related oxidative phosphorylation. For behavioral assessment, cBARQ analysis showed improvement in stranger-directed fear, non-social fear, and trainability, while there were no differences in ADHD-like behavior and canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) scores after 90 days of PB treatment. While only very minor shifts in bacterial taxonomy were detected, the higher SCFA concentrations after PB treatment could be one of the key differences between PB-R and PB-NR. These results suggest functional changes in GIM in canine IE treatment.

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“…We observed anxiolytic activity also in dogs in a provoked open field sound-induced fear model, where reactions to noises were elicited by a sound recording of thunderstorms. While tests like these are considered to have a good test–retest reliability, the generalizability to patients relating to changes in locomotion and exploratory behavior observed under anxiolytic treatment underlies the general limitations of a model ( Wormald et al, 2016 ). We observed an increase in locomotion measured in distance traveled after imepitoin treatment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is not a surprising result as dexmedetomidine, and other α2-adrenoceptor agonists, are widely used as premedication to induce anesthesia ( Beckman, 2013 ) and sedative effects were already described for transmucosal administration in dogs ( Cohen and Bennett, 2015 ). For comparison, the effect of benzodiazepines in this model is associated with an increase in exploratory behavior, which is also measured as increase in total distance traveled ( Wormald et al, 2016 ). Due to the highly controlled conditions, the changes in behavior in the imepitoin or dexmedetomidine groups compared to baseline are most plausibly explained by the treatment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Imepitoin Shows Benzodiazepine-Like Effects in Models of Anxiety

Engel

Mašić²,

Landsberg³

et al. 2018

Front. Pharmacol.

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Imepitoin is a low affinity partial agonist for the benzodiazepine binding site of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptors, and is currently used as an antiepileptic in dogs. Here we tested imepitoin for anxiolytic properties. In an in vitro model, imepitoin was capable of preventing the effect of corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) on locus coeruleus neurons without suppressing the basal activity of these cells, an activity which is suggestive for an anti-stress effect of imepitoin. In addition, we applied a battery of standard rodent preclinical tests for anxiety behavior including elevated plus mazes in mice and rats, light-dark-box in mice and rats, social interaction test in rats, or the Vogel conflict test in rats. In all models, the observed profile of imepitoin appeared similar to benzodiazepines and typical for anxiolytic drugs. We also observed anxiolytic activity in dogs in a provoked open field sound-induced fear model, where reactions to noises were elicited by a sound recording of thunderstorms. Imepitoin caused an increase in locomotion measured in distance traveled and an ameliorating effect on cortisol levels in response to thunderstorm noises. For comparison, dexmedetomidine caused a decrease in locomotion and had no effect on cortisol. In all animal models the doses needed for an anxiolytic effect were not associated with sedation. In rodents, there was at least a factor of 10 between anxiolytic doses and doses with mild signs of sedation. In summary, imepitoin showed similar anxiolytic activities as benzodiazepines but without producing the known adverse reactions of benzodiazepines such as sedation.

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Validation of modified open field behaviour as a measure of trait anxiety in the dog

Cited by 8 publications

References 27 publications

Fear expressions of dogs during New Year fireworks: a video analysis

Fear expressions of dogs during New Year fireworks: a video analysis

The effect of phenobarbital treatment on behavioral comorbidities and on the composition and function of the fecal microbiome in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy

Imepitoin Shows Benzodiazepine-Like Effects in Models of Anxiety

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