Behavioural and physiological responses of dogs entering re-homing kennels.
Behaviour and urinary cortisol/creatinine ratios (C/C) were monitored in twenty-six dogs, on days 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10 following their admission to a rehoming kennel. Half had been relinquished from homes, and half were either strays or returns to the shelter. Drinking and grooming increased with time, while panting and paw-lifting decreased, but only drinking was linked with C/C; dogs observed drinking on the first day had significantly lower C/C than dogs not observed drinking. Mean molar C/C (40 x 10(-6)+/-16 x 10(-6)) tended to decrease with time in the strays and returns, and to increase in dogs relinquished from homes, although C/C on the first day was highly variable and not distinguishable between these two groups. This implies that these populations differed in their long-term, but possibly not their short-term, responses to kennelling. Dogs with rising C/C were more active on average than those with falling C/C, but the opposite trend was detected when making comparisons within-dog. The relationship between C/C and exercise is therefore complex and warrants further investigation before C/C can be considered as a reliable indicator of welfare in this species.
Hiby
Elly F
EF
Anthrozoology Institute, University of Bristol, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK.
Rooney
Nicola J
NJ
Bradshaw
John W S
JW
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D004285:Dogs; D004327:Drinking Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D004777:Environment; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000652:urine; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000652:urine; D013997:Time Factors
D003404:Creatinine; D006854:Hydrocortisone