Stress Response of Beagle Dogs to Repeated Short-Distance Road Transport

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the response of transport-naïve dogs to one and two-hour road transports based on cortisol in saliva and blood plasma, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), neutrophil to lymphocyte (N/L) ratio and behavior. Two persons familiar to the dogs were present during transports and control experiments. We hypothesized that transport elicits a stress response, which decreases with repeated transports. Beagle dogs were allocated to three groups (n = 6 each). Group 1 served as control in the stable in week 1 and was transported for one hour in weeks 2, 3 and 4. Groups 2 and 3 served as controls in a non-moving vehicle and in the stable, respectively, in week 2. All three groups were transported for two hours in week 6. Cortisol concentration increased during transports (p < 0.001), and this increase remained constant with repeated transports. Cortisol release during two-hour transports was not affected by transport experience. Cortisol concentration increased twofold in plasma and eightfold in saliva, indicating an increase in free cortisol. The N/L ratio increased during transport (p < 0.05). Heart rate increased at the beginning of transport while HRV decreased (p < 0.001). Heart rate and HRV neither differed among weeks nor between animals with different transport experience. During transports, but also in the stationary vehicle, dogs were mostly sitting, and time spent standing decreased during experiments (p < 0.001). Licking the mouth was the most frequent behavior during transports but not in the stationary vehicle (p < 0.01). In conclusion, a transport-induced stress response was evident in dogs. There was no habituation with repeated transports, and transported dogs may suffer from motion sickness.

The Effect of Transportation on Puppy Welfare from Commercial Breeding Kennels to a Distributor

“…Cortisol, which is a product of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is commonly used to measure an individual’s physiological arousal [ 26 ], which may denote distress [ 27 , 28 ]. Studies have found an increase in adult dogs’ salivary [ 29 , 30 , 31 ], blood (i.e., plasma or serum) [ 30 , 32 , 33 , 34 ], and fecal [ 35 ] cortisol concentrations after road transportation, indicating that road transportation elicited significant arousal [ 26 ]. Stressful environmental and management conditions can also alter an animal’s immune function in a manner dependent on HPA axis and autonomic nervous system activation, as well as other physiological and behavioral changes [ 36 ].…”

“…Stressful environmental and management conditions can also alter an animal’s immune function in a manner dependent on HPA axis and autonomic nervous system activation, as well as other physiological and behavioral changes [ 36 ]. For instance, multiple studies showed that adult dogs’ neutrophil: lymphocyte (N/L) ratios and white blood cell counts significantly increased after road transportation [ 29 , 30 , 31 , 37 ]. Conversely, one study found no significant difference in adult dogs’ serum cortisol concentrations and decreases in N/L ratios between measures immediately after road transport and 24 h later [ 38 ].…”

Laboratory animal strain mobilities: handling with care for animal sentience and biosecurity

“…Within animal welfare science studies there is a large and varied species-specific literature to measure the effects of ground (e.g. Beagle dogs - Herbel et al, 2020 ), air (e.g. red king crab - Mota et al, 2021 ) and sea transportation (e.g.…”

The Animal Welfare Science of Working Dogs: Current Perspectives on Recent Advances and Future Directions

“…Transportation is a common occurrence for many working dogs and has been shown to be stressful and resistant to habituation if familiarization does not occur via positive early exposure in life (120). Of particular importance to note is the regular occurrence of working dogs being forgotten and left in unattended vehicles for extended periods, leading to their death when heat and dehydration impact without sufficient ventilation, hydration or cooling in place.…”