The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pet behavior and human-animal interaction: a longitudinal survey-based study in the United States.

Introduction: Although multiple studies have explored behavioral changes in pets during the strict lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic between May and July 2020, this longitudinal study uniquely investigated the phases beyond strict lockdown. The primary objective of this research was to evaluate the pandemic's impact on pet behavior.

Methods: To achieve this goal, we conducted an online survey, completed by pet owners residing in the United States between June 2020 (including retrospective data for February and April 2020) and December 2021.

Veterinary Psychopharmacology.

The stress response affects the central nervous system and multiple other systems in the body. Chronic mental and behavioral pathologies are associated with inflammation, dysfunctions in the immune response and an increased risk for other chronic inflammatory and metabolic diseases. Psychiatric treatments alleviate fear, stress and anxiety, increase the qualify of life and lifespan for dogs and cats.

Temporal patterns of owner-pet relationship, stress, and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the effect of pet ownership on mental health: A longitudinal survey.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us in numerous ways and may consequently impact our relationships with pet dogs and cats. We conducted a longitudinal survey to examine the temporal patterns of owner-pet relationship, stress, and loneliness during four phases of the pandemic: 1) pre-pandemic (February 2020), 2) lockdown (April to June 2020), 3) reopening (September to December 2020), and 4) recovery (January 2021 to December 2021). We also investigated the effect of pet ownership on stress and loneliness, by considering a set of a priori causal assumptions.

Effects of a single dose of orally administered gabapentin in dogs during a veterinary visit: a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of a single dose of orally administered gabapentin in alleviating stress at a veterinary visit in privately owned dogs.

Animals: 22 healthy client-owned dogs (1.5 to 8.

Salivary Chromogranin A (CgA) Response to the Noradrenaline Transporter Blocker Atomoxetine in Dogs.

Since salivary chromogranin A (CgA) is one of the known sympathetic adrenomedullar system (SAM) stress markers in humans and pigs, this study aimed to investigate whether salivary CgA in dogs reflects SAM activation. Our hypothesis was that salivary CgA would increase when central noradrenaline was pharmacologically induced. A selective noradrenaline transporter blocker, atomoxetine, was orally administered without causing any aversive responses in nine laboratory dogs to see if it would increase salivary CgA.

Salivary stress markers in dogs: Potential markers of acute stress.

Along with the growing awareness of psychological stress in companion animals, several treatments have become available to address fear- and anxiety-related behaviors in dogs. To detect vulnerable individuals and apply effective treatments, reliable evaluations that can quantify individual stress responses are in high demand. To develop measurable variables that have clinical applications, more investigations are needed to increase our knowledge.

A Canine's Behavior and Cognitive State as It Relates to Immobility and the Success of Physical Rehabilitation in the Non-ambulatory Spinal Cord Patient.

Physical rehabilitation (PR) is recommended following spinal cord injury to help improve and maintain muscle elasticity, joint mobility, and nerve health. It can also be used to relieve pain and improve cardiopulmonary fitness in an immobile patient. There is evidence, in human medicine, that PR plays a critical role in mental health and the psychological state of the patient.

Defining the PTSD Service Dog Intervention: Perceived Importance, Usage, and Symptom Specificity of Psychiatric Service Dogs for Military Veterans.

Research suggests that psychiatric service dogs may be an effective complementary treatment option for military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although this practice continues to increase in popularity and research has reached the rigor of clinical trials, the components of the PTSD service dog intervention remain largely undefined. This research aimed to (1) quantify the importance, usage, and PTSD symptom specificity of service dog trained and untrained behaviors, (2) explore how PTSD severity, time since receiving the service dog, and the veteran-dog relationship relate to outcomes, and (3) compare expectations of veterans on the waitlist to experiences of veterans with service dogs.

Military Veterans and Their PTSD Service Dogs: Associations Between Training Methods, PTSD Severity, Dog Behavior, and the Human-Animal Bond.

Psychiatric service dogs are increasingly being sought out by military veterans as a complementary intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). After receiving a service dog, many veterans continue training their service dog at home. Our objective was to explore the associations between training methods, PTSD severity, service dog behavior, and the veteran-service dog bond in a population of military veterans with PTSD.

Sedative and physiological effects of brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution in healthy cats.

Objective: To determine the effects of brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution on sedation, heart rate (HR), respiratory frequency (f), rectal temperature (RT) and noninvasive mean arterial pressure (MAP) in healthy cats.

Study Design: Randomized, blinded crossover study, with 1 week washout between treatments.

Animals: Six healthy purpose-bred cats.

Randomized Controlled Theory-Based, E-Mail-Mediated Walking Intervention.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of two concurrent randomized controlled interventions based on social cognitive theory to increase walking. A second purpose was to compare the efficacy of the intervention between two distinct groups: dog owners and non-dog owners. Adult dog owners ( n = 40) and non-dog owners ( n = 65) were randomized into control or intervention groups.

Evaluation of the Dogs, Physical Activity, and Walking (Dogs PAW) Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: To facilitate physical activity (PA) adoption and maintenance, promotion of innovative population-level strategies that focus on incorporating moderate-intensity lifestyle PAs are needed.

Objective: The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the Dogs, Physical Activity, and Walking intervention, a 3-month, social cognitive theory (SCT), e-mail-based PA intervention.

Methods: In a longitudinal, repeated-measures design, 49 dog owners were randomly assigned to a control (n = 25) or intervention group (n = 24).

Dogs, physical activity, and walking (dogs PAW): acceptability and feasibility of a pilot physical activity intervention.

Background: The aims of this study were to describe the development of and investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a pilot randomized controlled physical activity intervention based on social cognitive theory that used a dog walking strategy.

Method: Participants (n = 49) were randomized into an intervention or control group. Overall, participants were middle-aged (M = 45.

Brain structural abnormalities in Doberman pinschers with canine compulsive disorder.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating condition, the etiology of which is poorly understood, in part because it often remains undiagnosed/untreated for a decade or more. Characterizing the etiology of compulsive disorders in animal models may facilitate earlier diagnosis and intervention. Doberman pinschers have a high prevalence of an analogous behavioral disorder termed canine compulsive disorder (CCD), which in many cases responds to treatments used for OCD.

Clinical use of an herbal-derived compound (Huperzine A) to treat putative complex partial seizures in a dog.

A Bernese mountain dog was diagnosed with complex partial seizures that were supported by electroencephalographic findings. Clinical signs of the problem included "star gazing," fly snapping, licking, vacuous chewing, and ongoing anxiety. Treatment with Huperzine A, a compound isolated from Chinese club moss with NMDA receptor blocking activity, anticholinesterase activity, and anticonvulsant properties, produced useful suppression of the abnormal behavior for more than months.

Sequences and polymorphisms of the canine monoamine transporter genes SLC6A2, SLC6A3, and SLC6A4 among five dog breeds.

Monoamine transporters have roles to regulate the monoamine concentrations in synaptic clefts in the central nervous system and are the targets of antidepressants and psychostimulants. They include transporters for norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin, which are encoded by the SLC6A2, SLC6A3, and SLC6A4 genes, respectivily. We sequenced the full lengths of the coding regions of these genes for dogs and identified four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in SLC6A2 and four in SLC6A3.

Polymorphisms in the canine glutamate transporter-1 gene: identification and variation among five dog breeds.

Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) are important for terminating glutamatergic neurotransmission and protect central nervous system (CNS) neurons from glutamatergic excitotoxicity. We selected these genes as targets that may relate to canine behavioral traits. After screening four EAAT genes (glutamate transporter-1; GLT-1, excitatory amino acid transporter 4; EAAT4, excitatory amino acid carrier; EAAC1, glutamate/aspartate transporter; GLAST) for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we identified two silent SNPs (C129T and T471C) in the GLT-1 gene.

Sequencing of canine 5-hydroxytriptamine receptor (5-HTR) 1B, 2A, 2C genes and identification of polymorphisms in the 5-HTR1B gene.

Polymorphisms of human genes encoding 5-hydroxytriptamine (serotonin) receptors (5-HTRs) are thought to be associated with psychiatric disorders and behavioral traits. In the present study, we searched for corresponding polymorphisms in the dog and compared allelic frequencies for the canine 5-HTR1B, 5-HTR2A, and 5-HTR2C genes among five canine breeds. The canine genes consisted of the following: 5-HTR1B, 1170 bp; 5-HTR2A, 1413 bp; and 5-HTR2C, 1377 bp.