The Interaction Between Behavioral and Physical Health in Rabbits.

Behavioral and physical health are intricately interconnected in most animals, and the rabbit is no different. Medical or physical conditions can lead to anxiety and stress, and anxiety and stress can lead to physical illness. Rabbits are very prone to fear, anxiety, and stress, especially when their husbandry is not appropriate and their environmental and behavioral needs are not met.

Nutritional Management of Behavior and Brain Disorders in Dogs and Cats.

There are several natural products and functional ingredients that, either alone or in combination with other ingredients, have shown evidence for decreasing signs associated with cognitive dysfunction and anxiety in dogs and cats, and in management of seizures in dogs with epilepsy. The evidence supporting the role that a healthy gastrointestinal tract plays in behavior is also growing as more is learned about the gut-brain axis. Nutritional support may play an important role in therapy for certain brain disorders and behavioral problems, in conjunction with other aspects of management.

Miniature Pet Pig Behavioral Medicine.

Miniature pet pigs bond readily to people and can make excellent pets as long as they are given an appropriate environment and their behavioral needs are met. They are intelligent and highly social with a strong exploratory drive so, if they are not properly trained and their behavior directed appropriately, they can be destructive and even aggressive in some cases. Most problem behaviors are not a result of behavioral disorder but typically represent normal swine behaviors that people find unacceptable.

Keeping the exotic pet mentally healthy.

When basic needs are not met, captive animal health and welfare will be compromised by physical and psychological stressors. These basic needs include more than just appropriate food, water, and shelter; they should include environments that provide the animal with opportunities to thrive. These opportunities to thrive can be categorized as opportunity for a well-balanced diet (including how it is provided), to self-maintain, for optimal health, to express species-specific behaviors, and for choice and control.

Abnormal repetitive behaviors in dogs and cats: a guide for practitioners.

Abnormal repetitive behaviors (ARBs) represent a diverse group of behaviors whose underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Their neurobiology likely involves several different neurotransmitter systems. These behaviors have been referred to as compulsive disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders and stereotypies.

Behavioral dermatopathies in small mammals.

Several skin conditions seen in small mammals are thought to have a behavioral cause but their epidemiology and pathogenesis are poorly understood. A significant amount of research exists on barbering in mice that suggests it is an impulse control disorder and may represent a good animal model for trichotillomania in humans. Stress seems to play a complex role in the development and maintenance of some behavioral dermatopathies, but genetics and experiences, especially during development, also likely play a role.

Human-directed aggression in miniature pet pigs.

Objectives: To determine whether associations exist between human-directed aggression and sex, neutering status, age of weaning, the presence of other pet pigs, or the presence of environmental enrichment objects in miniature pet pigs.

Design: Internet survey.

Study Population: Responses from 222 owners of miniature pet pigs.

Control of urine marking by use of long-term treatment with fluoxetine or clomipramine in cats.

Objectives: To determine whether clomipramine differs from fluoxetine in reducing feline urine marking; whether reduction of marking continues in cats treated >8 weeks; whether recurrence of marking, after abrupt drug withdrawal, is less in cats treated >8 weeks; and whether cats that are successfully treated but resume marking after drug withdrawal can be successfully treated again with the same drug regimen.

Design: Positive-controlled, double-masked clinical trial.

Animals: 22 neutered cats (2 females, 20 males) > or =1 year old with objectionable urine marking.

Evaluation of the role of lower urinary tract disease in cats with urine-marking behavior.

Objective: To determine whether findings of urinalyses could be used to reliably distinguish gonadectomized cats with urine-marking behavior from those with no problem urination.

Design: Case control study.

Animals: 58 gonadectomized cats (47 males and 11 females) with urine-marking behavior (ie, marking of vertical surfaces) and 39 (26 males and 13 females) without problem urination or urinary tract-associated conditions.