| Records |
| Author |
Ramos, D.; Reche-Junior, A.; Fragoso, P.L.; Palme, R.; Yanasse, N.K.; Gouvêa, V.R.; Beck, A.; Mills, D.S. |
| Title |
Are cats (Felis catus) from multi-cat households more stressed? Evidence from assessment of fecal glucocorticoid metabolite analysis |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2013 |
Publication |
Physiology & Behavior |
Abbreviated Journal |
Physiol. Behav. |
Volume  |
122 |
Issue |
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Pages |
72-75 |
| Keywords |
Feline; Housing; Non-invasive; Enzyme immunoassay; Cortisol |
| Abstract |
Abstract Given the social and territorial features described in feral cats, it is commonly assumed that life in multi-cat households is stressful for domestic cats and suggested that cats kept as single pets are likely to have better welfare. On the other hand, it has been hypothesized that under high densities cats can organize themselves socially thus preventing stress when spatial dispersion is unavailable. This study was aimed at comparing the general arousal underpinning emotional distress in single housed cats and in cats from multi-cat households (2 and 3–4 cats) on the basis of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM) measured via enzyme immunoassay (EIA). GCM did not significantly vary as a function of living style (single, double or group-housing); highly stressed individuals were equally likely in the three groups. Young cats in multi-cat households had lower GCM, and overall cats that tolerate (as opposed to dislike) petting by the owners tended to have higher GCM levels. Other environmental aspects within cat houses (e.g. relationship with humans, resource availability) may play a more important role in day to day feline arousal levels than the number of cats per se. |
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0031-9384 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
5997 |
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| Author |
Clucas, B.; Marzluff, J.M.; Mackovjak, D.; Palmquist, I. |
| Title |
Do American Crows Pay Attention to Human Gaze and Facial Expressions? |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2013 |
Publication |
Ethology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Ethology |
| Volume |
119 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
296-302 |
| Keywords |
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| Abstract |
Interactions between species can lead to the evolution of interspecific communication. Non-verbal communication by humans, both intentional and unintentional, can be interpreted by other species. We tested whether American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) were sensitive to human facial features under field conditions by comparing flight initiation distances and urgency of escape behavior to human approaches varying in eye contact and facial expression. We first examined whether crows distinguish between an approaching human who is directly gazing at them and a human approaching them with an averted gaze. In a second experiment, we tested whether crows differentiate a smiling from scowling human approaching them with direct or averted gaze. In the first experiment, we found that crows fled sooner and more urgently when humans were directly gazing at them. Similarly, in the second experiment, crows responded sooner to a direct vs. averted gaze; however, they did not react differently to varying human facial expressions. We suggest that crows use human gaze as a reliable visual cue compared with facial expressions when making decisions about responding to approaching humans. This is the first study to show that a wild corvid species changes its behavior based on human gaze, possibly representing an adaptation to living in human-dominated urban areas and suggesting crows might perceive human intention by this visual cue. |
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1439-0310 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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5670 |
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| Author |
Yarnell, K.; Hall, C.; Billett, E. |
| Title |
An assessment of the aversive nature of an animal management procedure (clipping) using behavioral and physiological measures |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2013 |
Publication |
Physiology & Behavior |
Abbreviated Journal |
Physiol. Behav. |
| Volume |
118 |
Issue |
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Pages |
32-39 |
| Keywords |
Thermography; Eye temperature; Cortisol; Horse; Welfare; Clipping |
| Abstract |
Animal management often involves procedures that, while unlikely to cause physical pain, still cause aversive responses. The domestic horse (Equus caballus) regularly has excessive hair clipped off to facilitate its use as a riding/driving animal and this procedure causes adverse behavioral responses in some animals. The aim of this study was to compare behavioral and physiological measures to assess the aversive effect of this procedure. Ten horses were selected on the basis of being either compliant (C: n=5) or non-compliant (NC: n=5) during this procedure. The horses were subjected to a sham clipping procedure (SC: where the blades had been removed from the clippers) for a period of ten minutes. Measures were taken pre, during and post SC (-10min to +30min) and mean values calculated for ALL horses and for C and NC separately. Behavioral activity was scored (scale 1-5) by twenty students from video footage in (phase/group-blind scoring). Heart rate (HR), salivary cortisol and eye temperature were monitored throughout the procedure. The NC horses were found to be significantly more behaviorally active/less relaxed throughout the trial than C horses (p<0.05) with the greatest difference occurring during the SC procedure (p<0.01). NC horses were more active/less relaxed during, compared with pre or post SC (p<0.05), but showed no behavioral difference pre and post SC. HR of the NC horses was higher than that of the C horses throughout the trial but only significantly so after 10min of SC (p<0.01). ALL horses showed a significant increase in HR between +5 and +10min into the procedure (p<0.05). There was a significant increase in salivary cortisol concentration in ALL horses post procedure (p<0.01) with levels peaking at 20minute post SC. No significant differences in salivary cortisol concentration between C and NC were found at any stage of the trial. Eye temperature increased significantly in ALL horses during SC, peaking at +10min into the procedure (p<0.05) and then decreased substantially when SC had ceased (p<0.01). Although no significant differences were found between C and NC per se, there was a significant interaction between group and phase of trial (p<0.05) with the NC group showing a greater decrease in eye temperature post SC. There was a significant positive correlation between changes in salivary cortisol concentration and eye temperature (p<0.01) but no correlation between any of the other measures. Although the behavioral response of C and NC to this procedure was significantly different the physiological responses indicated that ALL horses found the procedure aversive. Eye temperature could be used as an objective and immediate measure of how an animal is responding to a specific situation in order to evaluate management procedures and adapt them where appropriate to reduce the negative impact on animal health and welfare. |
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0031-9384 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6611 |
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Lucidi, P.; Bacco, G.; Sticco, M.; Mazzoleni, G.; Benvenuti, M.; Bernabò, N.; Trentini, R. |
| Title |
Assessment of motor laterality in foals and young horses (Equus caballus) through an analysis of derailment at trot |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2013 |
Publication |
Physiology & Behavior |
Abbreviated Journal |
Physiol. Behav. |
| Volume |
109 |
Issue |
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Pages |
8-13 |
| Keywords |
Horse; Laterality; Longeing; Sidedness |
| Abstract |
The conflicting results regarding the study of motor laterality in horses may indicate that there does not exist a proper method to assess the degree and the direction of motor bias in these animals. Unfortunately, even less is known about the development of laterality in horses, and to what extent early manipulations can still exert their effects in adulthood. We propose a new method that can be easily applied at a very early age thus avoiding testing adult horses eventually biased by human handling and/or training. Forty-six horses (29 nine-month-old foals and 17 two-year old horses) were handled since birth bilaterally and housed in groups in wide areas. At the time of the analysis, in order to minimize environmental and sensorial disturbances, each horse was tested in a round pen individually or as dyad mother-foal. The ability/inability to properly execute a circle at trot was then recorded, assuming the direction of derailment, i.e. the cutting of the circle, as an indicator of motor bias. From the results of the study it is arguable that motor laterality in horses is acquired over time: in fact foals tested while their mothers were being subjected to longeing showed a higher percentage of ambidextrous animals, while two-year-old horses appeared biased toward the right (p<0.05). Results are discussed in the light of the scientific knowledge about equine biomechanics, taking into account horses' locomotion that leads to the advancement of the body mass through the activation of a kinetic chain that originates from the hindquarters. |
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0031-9384 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6666 |
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| Author |
Galef, B.G. |
| Title |
Imitation and local enhancement: Detrimental effects of consensus definitions on analyses of social learning in animals |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2013 |
Publication |
Behavioural Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
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| Volume |
100 |
Issue |
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Pages |
123-130 |
| Keywords |
Imitation; Local enhancement; Emulation; Copying; Culture; Tradition |
| Abstract |
Development of a widely accepted vocabulary referring to various types of social learning has made important contributions to decades of progress in analyzing the role of socially acquired information in the development of behavioral repertoires. It is argued here that emergence of a consensus vocabulary, while facilitating both communication and research, has also unnecessarily restricted research on social learning. The article has two parts. In the first, I propose that Thorndike, 1898, Thorndike, 1911 definition of imitation as “learning to do an act from seeing it done” has unduly restricted studies of the behavioral processes involved in the propagation of behavior. In part 2, I consider the possibility that success in labeling social learning processes believed to be less cognitively demanding than imitation (e.g. local and stimulus enhancement, social facilitation, etc.) has been mistaken for understanding of those processes, although essentially nothing is known of their stimulus control, development, phylogeny or substrate either behavioral or physiological. |
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0376-6357 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6419 |
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Palme, R.; Touma, C.; Arias, N., Dominchin, M.N.; Lepschy, M. |
| Title |
Steroid extraction: Get the best out of faecal samples |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2013 |
Publication |
Wiener Tierärztliche Wochenschriften |
Abbreviated Journal |
Wien Tierärztl Monat – Vet Med Austria |
| Volume |
100 |
Issue |
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Pages |
238-246. |
| Keywords |
Review, faeces, extraction, non-invasive hormone monitoring, stress, reproduction. |
| Abstract |
Faecal steroid hormone metabolites are becoming increasingly popular as parameters for reproductive functions and stress. The extraction of the steroids from the faecal matrix represents the initial step before quantification can be performed. The steroid metabolites present in the faecal matrix are of varying polarity and composition, so selection of a proper extraction procedure is essential. There have been some studies to address this complex but often neglected point. Radiolabelled steroids (e.g. cortisol or progesterone) have frequently been added to faecal samples to estimate the efficiency of the extraction procedures used. However, native, unmetabolized steroids are normally not present in the faeces and therefore the results are artifi- cial and do not accurately reflect the actual recoveries of the substances of interest. In this respect, recovery experiments based on faecal samples from radiometabolism studies are more informative. In these samples, the metabolite content accurately reflects the mixture of metabolites present in the given species. As a result, it is possible to evaluate different extraction methods for use with faecal samples. We present studies on sheep, horses, pigs, hares and dogs that utilized samples containing naturally metabolized, 14C-labelled steroids. We recommend extracting faecal steroids by simply suspending the faeces in a high percentage of a primary alcohol (for glucocorticoid metabolites 80% aqueous methanol proved best suited for virtually all mammalian species tested so far). Not only does the procedure significantly increase the total amount of recovered radioactivity, it also increases the percentage of unconjugated metabolites, which are more likely to be recognized by the antibodies used in various immunoassays. The advantages of this extraction procedure are clear: it is very easy to use (no evaporation step is needed), it yields high recoveries and variation based on the extraction procedure is reduced to a minimum. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6520 |
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| Author |
Zebisch, A.; May, A.; Reese, S.; Gehlen, H. |
| Title |
Effect of different head-neck positions on physical and psychological stress parameters in the ridden horse |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2013 |
Publication |
Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr |
| Volume |
98 |
Issue |
5 |
Pages |
901-907 |
| Keywords |
hyperflexion; head-neck position; stress; training; animal welfare |
| Abstract |
Summary Different head?neck positions (HNPs) are used in equestrian sports and are regarded as desirable for training and competition by riders, judges and trainers. Even though some studies have been indicative of hyperflexion having negative effects on horses, this unnatural position is frequently used. In the present study, the influence of different HNPs on physical and psychological stress parameters in the ridden horse was investigated. Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV) and blood cortisol levels were measured in 18 horses. Low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) are power components in the frequency domain measurement of HRV which show the activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Values were recorded at rest, while riding with a working HNP and while riding with hyperflexion of the horse's head, neck and poll. In addition, rideability and behaviour during the different investigation stages were evaluated by the rider and by an observer. Neither the HR nor the HRV showed a significant difference between working HNP (HR = 105 ± 22/min; LF/HF = 3.89 ± 5.68; LF = 37.28 ± 10.77%) and hyperflexion (HR = 110 ± 18; LF/HF = 1.94 ± 2.21; LF = 38.39 ± 13.01%). Blood cortisol levels revealed a significant increase comparing working HNP (158 ± 60 nm) and hyperflexion (176 ± 64 nm, p = 0.01). The evaluation of rider and observer resulted in clear changes of rideability and behavioural changes for the worse in all parameters collected between a working HNP and hyperflexion. In conclusion, changes of the cortisol blood level as a physical parameter led to the assumption that hyperflexion of head, neck and poll effects a stress reaction in the horse, and observation of the behaviour illustrates adverse effects on the well-being of horses during hyperflexion. |
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Wiley/Blackwell (10.1111) |
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0931-2439 |
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| Notes |
doi: 10.1111/jpn.12155 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6427 |
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Becker-Birck, M.; Schmidt, A.; Wulf, M.; Aurich, J.; von der Wense, A.; Möstl, E.; Berz, R.; Aurich, C. |
| Title |
Cortisol release, heart rate and heart rate variability, and superficial body temperature, in horses lunged either with hyperflexion of the neck or with an extended head and neck position |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2013 |
Publication |
Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition |
Abbreviated Journal |
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| Volume |
97 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
322-330 |
| Keywords |
animal welfare; equitation; stress; training |
| Abstract |
Bringing the head and neck of ridden horses into a position of hyperflexion is widely used in equestrian sports. In our study, the hypothesis was tested that hyperflexion is an acute stressor for horses. Salivary cortisol concentrations, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV) and superficial body temperature were determined in horses (n = 16) lunged on two subsequent days. The head and neck of the horse was fixed with side reins in a position allowing forward extension on day A and fixed in hyperflexion on day B. The order of treatments alternated between horses. In response to lunging, cortisol concentration increased (day A from 0.73 ± 0.06 to 1.41 ± 0.13 ng/ml, p < 0.001; day B from 0.68 ± 0.07 to 1.38 ± 0.13 ng/ml, p < 0.001) but did not differ between days A and B. Beat-to-beat (RR) interval decreased in response to lunging on both days. HRV variables standard deviation of RR interval (SDRR) and RMSSD (root mean square of successive RR differences) decreased (p < 0.001) but did not differ between days. In the cranial region of the neck, the difference between maximum and minimum temperature was increased in hyperflexion (p < 0.01). In conclusion, physiological parameters do not indicate an acute stress response to hyperflexion of the head alone in horses lunged at moderate speed and not touched with the whip. However, if hyperflexion is combined with active intervention of a rider, a stressful experience for the horse cannot be excluded. |
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Blackwell Publishing Ltd |
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1439-0396 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6182 |
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Siniscalchi, M.; McFarlane, J.R.; Kauter, K.G.; Quaranta, A.; Rogers, L.J. |
| Title |
Cortisol levels in hair reflect behavioural reactivity of dogs to acoustic stimuli |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2013 |
Publication |
Research in Veterinary Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
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| Volume |
94 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
49-54 |
| Keywords |
Dogs; Behaviour; Cortisol; Hair; Acoustic stimuli |
| Abstract |
Cortisol levels in hair samples were examined in fourteen domestic dogs and related to the dogs’ responses to different acoustic stimuli. Stimuli were playbacks of species-typical vocalizations recorded during three different situations (“disturbance”, “isolation” and “play” barks) and the sounds of a thunderstorm. Hair samples were collected at 9:00 h and 17:00 h two weeks after the behavioural tests. Results showed that behavioural reactivity to playback of the various stimuli correlates with cortisol levels in hair samples collected at 9:00 h, and the same was the case for the separate measures of behaviour (i.e. hiding, running away, seeking attention from the tester, panting and lowering of the body posture). Hence, levels of cortisol in hair appear to reflect the dog’s chronic state of emotional reactivity, or temperament. |
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0034-5288 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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5833 |
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Brinkmann, L.; Gerken, M.; Riek, A. |
| Title |
Effect of long-term feed restriction on the health status and welfare of a robust horse breed, the Shetland pony (Equus ferus caballus) |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2013 |
Publication |
Research in Veterinary Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Res. Vet. Sci. |
| Volume |
94 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
826-831 |
| Keywords |
Animal welfare; Blood parameter; Extensive housing; Feed restriction; Horse; Winter conditions |
| Abstract |
Outdoor group housing is increasingly recognized as an appropriate housing system for domesticated horses. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the effect of potential feed shortage in semi-natural horse keeping systems in winter on animal health and welfare. In 10 female Shetland ponies blood concentrations (NEFA, total protein (TP), total bilirubin (TB), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and thyroxine (T4)), body mass and the body condition score (BCS) were monitored for 7months including a 4months period of feed restriction in five of the 10 ponies. Restrictively fed animals lost 18.4±2.99% of their body mass and the BCS decreased by 2.2±0.8 points (BCS scale: 0=emaciated, 5=obese). Feed restriction led to a continuous increase in TB (P<0.001) and NEFA (P<0.01) concentrations compared to control ponies. The TP and BHB values only differed at the end of the trial with lower concentrations in restricted fed mares (P<0.05). Feed restriction had no effect on thyroxine concentrations. TB concentrations in the feed restricted group were out of the reference range during the entire feeding trial. The increased NEFA concentrations in feed restricted compared to control ponies suggest that fat was mobilized. The BCS, as well as plasma NEFA and TB concentrations were good indicators for a rapid detection of possible health problems caused by undernourishment in horses when kept under semi-natural conditions. In contrast, blood parameters of the control animals were within the reference ranges, suggesting that a year round outdoor housing with additional feed supply is an adequate housing system for a robust horse breed like the Shetland pony. |
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0034-5288 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6601 |
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