Variations of salivary cortisol in dogs exposed to different cognitive and physical activities

Colussi, Alice; Stefanon, Bruno; Adorini, Chiara; Sandri, Misa

doi:10.1080/1828051x.2018.1453756

Cited by 24 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The mean cortisol level in the examined dogs was 4.2 ng/mL and 4.89 ng/mL before and after the examination, respectively. Both these values were higher than the mean levels of salivary cortisol in stress-unexposed dogs reported by Beerda et al [44] (1.89 ng/mL), Colussi et al [45] (3 ng/mL), Wenger-Riggenbach et al [33](0.48 ng/mL), and Vincent and Michell [32](1.7 ng/mL). This implies that the examination is a stressful situation for SAR dogs, and the stress is manifested by cortisol release.…”

Section: Salivary Cortisol Level In Sar Dogscontrasting

confidence: 50%

Salivary Cortisol Interactions in Search and Rescue Dogs and Their Handlers

Wojtaś

Karpiński

Czyżowski

2020

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Search and rescue dogs are an important link in the search for missing persons. The aim of the study was to assess exam stress in search and rescue dogs and their handlers. The study included 41 rescue teams taking exams of field and rubble specialties. The level of cortisol, which is the main glucocorticosteroid modulating stress reactions in humans and dogs, was analyzed. The biological material used to assess the hormone concentration was saliva collected in a non-invasive way. In total, 164 test samples were collected: two from the dog and two from the handler before and immediately after the exam. Rescue exams were shown to significantly increase salivary cortisol in both dogs and their handlers. Strong interactions between cortisol levels in human–dog teams were also found with a more pronounced effect in female dog–female handler dyads.

show abstract

Section: Salivary Cortisol Level In Sar Dogscontrasting

confidence: 50%

Salivary Cortisol Interactions in Search and Rescue Dogs and Their Handlers

Wojtaś

Karpiński

Czyżowski

2020

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Increases in cortisol, as reported here with short-term outings, do not necessarily indicate poorer welfare for dogs. Owned dogs engage in a variety of preferred activities that positively impact their welfare and are accompanied by higher cortisol levels, such as attending the dog park [ 50 ], competing in agility [ 51 ] or hunting [ 52 ]. Certainly, these activities are arousing; but we propose that it is the environments in which these dogs are living that should be considered.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Impact of Brief Outings on the Welfare of Dogs Living in US Shelters

Gunter

Gilchrist

Blade

et al. 2021

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Social isolation likely contributes to reduced welfare for shelter-living dogs. Several studies have established that time out of the kennel with a person can improve dogs’ behavior and reduce physiological measures of stress. This study assessed the effects of two-and-a-half-hour outings on the urinary cortisol levels and activity of dogs as they awaited adoption at four animal shelters. Dogs’ urine was collected before and after outings for cortisol:creatinine analysis, and accelerometer devices were used to measure dogs’ physical activity. In total, 164 dogs participated in this study, with 793 cortisol values and 3750 activity measures used in the statistical analyses. We found that dogs’ cortisol:creatinine ratios were significantly higher during the afternoon of the intervention but returned to pre-field trip levels the following day. Dogs’ minutes of low activity were significantly reduced, and high activity significantly increased during the outing. Although dogs’ cortisol and activity returned to baseline after the intervention, our findings suggest that short-term outings do not confer the same stress reduction benefits as previously shown with temporary fostering. Nevertheless, it is possible that these types of outing programs are beneficial to adoptions by increasing the visibility of dogs and should be further investigated to elucidate these effects.

show abstract

“…A multitude of endogenous and exogenous stressors have been identified to alter cortisol levels in dogs including unpredictable aversive stressors (e.g. sound blasts, electric shocks and falling bags [4], working [5], hunting [6], thunderstorms [7], and dog park visits [8]). Understanding the effects of potential stressors on stress physiology in dogs is vital for evidence-based optimization of their care, particularly where stressors are modifiable or preventable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What can we learn from the hair of the dog? Complex effects of endogenous and exogenous stressors on canine hair cortisol

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hair is an emerging biological matrix in which to measure chronic HPA axis activity, offering a longer term view into an animal’s life. We explored effects of exogenous (e.g. lifestyle, medications, social environment) and endogenous (e.g. disease, behaviour) stressors on hair cortisol concentration (HCC) in a population of Border Collies (BCs). Owners of BCs were recruited and reported their dog’s lifestyle, clinical history, anxiety-related behaviour, and collected a white hair sample from their dog’s dorsal neck region. HCC was determined using established methods with a commercial cortisol assay kit. Samples from 135 BCs were analysed, with 91 healthy controls and 44 diagnosed with epilepsy as a model disease. Factors associated with higher HCC included psychosocial stressors (living with three or more other dogs) and lifestyle (engaging in competitive flyball); while factors associated with lower HCC included anxiety (stranger-directed and non-social), health (epilepsy diagnosis, with number of seizures to date negatively correlated with HCC) and medication (certain anti-epileptic drugs were associated with elevated or reduced HCC). These novel results highlight the potential of chronic stress with frequent or persisting HPA-axis hyperactivity leading to a state of hypocortisolism, and the need to consider stressor recency and recurrence when interpreting HCC data.

show abstract

Variations of salivary cortisol in dogs exposed to different cognitive and physical activities

Cited by 24 publications

References 31 publications

Salivary Cortisol Interactions in Search and Rescue Dogs and Their Handlers

Salivary Cortisol Interactions in Search and Rescue Dogs and Their Handlers

Investigating the Impact of Brief Outings on the Welfare of Dogs Living in US Shelters

What can we learn from the hair of the dog? Complex effects of endogenous and exogenous stressors on canine hair cortisol

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About