Physiology of Stress. Cortisol in Stress Response Increases Ca 2+ in nerve cells: excited Helps brain cope with stress in the short-term

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1 Managing Stress in a Shelter Environment Meghan E. Herron, DVM, DACVB The Behavioral Medicine Clinic The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine Physiology of Stress Cortisol in Stress Response Increases Ca 2+ in nerve cells: excited Helps brain cope with stress in the short-term Sympathetic Nervous System Prepares body for quick defense or escape

2 Sympathetic nervous system arousal: Manifests as the 4 F s in dogs Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fidget Cortisol in Stress Response Chronic stress Sympathetic Nervous System Effects of chronic stimulation: o Digestive problems ulcers, diarrhea o Malnutrition o Weight loss o Organ dysfunction DOGS: Kennel environment can be stressful! Abrupt environmental change Noise/Barking Unfamiliar animals, people, surroundings Confinement Many pets in one room Minimal mental stimulation Limited physical activity Lack of cleanliness in some These effects are cumulative Behavioral effects of long term kennel or shelter stay Stress Boredom Overstimulation Understimulation Attention-seeking behaviors Stereotypies Cage aggression Attention-seeking behaviors: Jumping, barking, mouthing

3 Exaggerated when a dog is nervous or stressed Normal part of communication, but not acceptable for human interactions Often reinforced Important to teach and reward appropriate behaviors Need to provide mental and physical stimulation Jumping Treat buckets hung outside cage o Ask me to sit! sign Take away all attention for jumping o Eye contact, talking, touching Barking Train a dog in adjacent cage o Reward for 5 seconds of quiet Repeat Repeat Repeat Provide oral enrichment o Can t bark with something in your mouth! Do not approach cage of barking dogs Stereotypies: Repetitive, constant behaviors that serve no apparent purpose Spinning Tail chasing Staring Barking Flank sucking Sucking/licking Need to give these dogs appropriate means of dealing with conflict of confinement and boredom (see enrichment slides) Stereotypy development after long term shelter stay: VIDEO Stereotypy development after long term shelter stay: VIDEO Aggression FEAR! (people, dogs, feel cornered) Barrier frustration Resource guarding Threshold for aggression often low Perceived threats o Eye contact, reaching, bending, approaching o Sometimes best defense is good offense! Barrier frustration VIDEO Reducing stress will reduce behavior problems

4 Identify stressed body language Interact in a low-stress manner Mitigate the kennel environment o Inanimate enrichment o Animate enrichment Be aware of the dog s body language Ears back? Tail tucked? Showing teeth? In corner? Freezing? Dilated pupils? Avoidance? Less obvious stress body language: Displacement behaviors Yawning Lip licking Sniffing Wet-dog shake Head scratching Eye squinting Panting Be aware of your own body language Canine vs. human communication o Dogs greet each other more indirectly lateral approach, polite sniffing, averted gaze, play bow o Dogs who approach other dogs with forward, direct behavior are perceived as threatening and may elicit fear +/- aggression o As humans, when we communicate directly, many dogs find it threatening Change your body language Turn body to side Approach from the side of dog Bend at knees NOT waist Avoid prolonged, direct eye contact Light-hearted voice Mitigate the environment to reduce stress Provide access to outdoor kennel if possible (Spangenberg study, 2005) o Increased investigative activity behaviors o Normal physiologic parameters Avoid high traffic areas for stressed dogs Dog-aggressive dogs should be housed with least amount of dog traffic o May need visual barrier for kennels facing each other

5 Inanimate enrichment Toys Music Pheromones Olfactory Resting platforms Toys Kongs stuff em! Gumabone or other chews o Dogs will spend up to 24% of time using toys (Hubrecht 1993) Suspending toys in cage may increase positive perception of dog adoptability (Wells & Hepper 1999) Music Wells et al. 2002: Compared classical music, pop music, heavy metal, human conversation, and control o Classical music led to more time resting and more time quiet o Heavy metal led to increased barking Through a Dog s Ear Pheromones/olfactory o D.A.P Dog appeasing pheromone o Reduced barking, increased resting o Lavender and chamomile o Reduced barking, increased resting Enriched kennel: Animate enrichment Social contact with people Social contact with other dogs Cage behavior training Social contact with people Brings dogs to front of cage Daily grooming sessions Petting

6 Play Training Social contact with dogs Pair housing? o Compatibility and disease control issues Visual contact? o Again, compatibility o Brings dogs to front of cage Cage behavior training Classical conditioning: o People approaching cage = good things Operant conditioning: o Reward for desirable behavior (sit) o Use kibble as rewards OK to give treats to shelter dogs!! Diarrhea is typically related to stress or parasitism! CATS Kennel environment can be stressful! Abrupt environmental change Noise/Barking Other cats Confinement Multiple species in one room Minimal mental stimulation Limited physical activity Lack of cleanliness in some These effects are cumulative Behavioral effects of stress Decreased food intake o Dangerous if prolonged o Hepatic lipidosis Decreased grooming Escape attempts Cage bolting Immobility/withdrawal Activity Changes Increased alertness Must maintain higher state of vigilance Difficulty resting/sleeping Resting behind litter box Behavioral effects of stress in cats - VIDEO Fear related aggression

7 Dilated pupils piloerection, hissing, spitting, swatting, ears back, growling Reducing stress for cats Visual and auditory separation from dogs very important! Separate intake Separate housing o Cat Ward o Quiet, low-traffic area Always avoid placing carrier on floor Consistent management Feed on a schedule Clean cage at same time every day Wet and dry food available Avoid cage transfers o Cat Den Gentle handling Petting on head and neck only Avoid physical contact with aggressive cats Talking to cats through cage and during cleaning and feeding Minimal restraint Hiding places Cat Den, box Cover half of cage May need to cover entire cage hrs Hiding options significantly reduce stress scores and do not decrease adoption rates (Kry & Casey 2007) Soft bedding Will use litter box if only option to rest or hide Inanimate enrichment High resting places o Perch/shelf o Platform o Keep new arrivals o and/or fearful cats in o upper cages Inanimate enrichment Puzzle toys SlimCat Toys - Ball and log study (Monte 1997) o Maintain interest in ball, increases play activity Bottle tops, pipe cleaners, crumpled up paper, dangling items from cage door

8 Kongs o Stuffed with treats, canned food, tuna Olfactory/pheromone enrichment Catnip o Dried or fresh catnip o Scented cloths Increased play-like response (Ellis & Wells 2010) Feliway o F3 fraction of facial pheromone o Signal of comfort and contentment o Diffusers and spray Visual enrichment Television o Most effective with prey items and linear movement across screen o Habituate to it over time Outdoors o Windows to observe wildlife o Exposure to natural sunlight Enriched cage - VIDEO Animate enrichment Play sessions o Morning** and Evening o Bubbles? Grooming, petting Counter-conditioning o Human approach to cage Group housing Better welfare for long-term stay Must be cat-friendly cats 2-3 compatible adults or 2-4 juveniles in a 4 x 6 enriched run (Griffin 2010) References Bear M, Connors B, Paradiso M. Neuroscience, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore: Beerda, B, et al. Manifestations of chronic and acute stress in dogs Appl Anim Behav Sci 1997:52: Hubrecht, R. A comparison of social and environmental enrichment methods for laboratory housed dogs Appl Anim Behav Sci 1993;37: Loveridge G. Evironmentally enriched dog housing Appl Anim Behav Sci 1998;59: Mench J, The Biology of Animal Stress. New York, CABI Pub: Stahl S. Essential Psychopharmacology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge:2000.

9 Spangenberg E, Bjorklund L, Dahlborn K. Outdoor housing of laboratory dogs: Effects on activity, behaviour, and physiology Appl Anim Behav Sci 2006;98: Tod E, Brander D, Waran N. Efficacy of dog appeasing pheromone in reducing stress and fear related behaviour in shelter dogs Appl Anim Behav Sci 2005;93: Wells D, Hepper P. The influence of environmental change on the behaviour of sheltered dogs Appl Anim Behav Sci 2000;68: Wells, D. A review of environmental enrichment for kenneled dogs, Canis familiaris Appl Anim Behav Sci 2004;85: Wells D, Graham L, Hepper P. The influence of auditory stimulation on the behaviour of dogs housed in a rescue shelter Anim Welfare 2002;11: THE END