title: Evaluation of effects of olfactory and auditory stimulation on separation anxiety by salivary cortisol measurement in dogs.
abstract: Separation anxiety (SA) is a serious behavioral problem in dogs. In this study, salivary cortisol was studied to determine if the owner's odor or voice could reduce SA in dogs. Twenty-eight dogs with SA were divided into three groups: group 1 (control), group 2 (with owner's clothes during the separation period; SP) and group 3 (a recording of the owner's voice was played during SP). The dog's saliva was collected after the owner and their dog were in the experimental room for 5 min (PRE). The dog was then separated from the owner for 20 min and saliva collected four times at intervals of 5 min (SP1-4). Finally, the owner was allowed back into the room to calm the dog for 5 min, after which saliva was collected (POST). Evaluation of salivary cortisol concentrations by ELISA revealed that the ratios of SP1 concentration to PRE or POST concentrations were significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 or 3. Additionally, the concentrations of SP1-PRE and SP1-POST among groups differed significantly. These findings indicate that the owner's odor or voice may be helpful to managing stress in dogs with SA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Koreaiversity, Seoul 08826, Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon-Joo
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Koreaiversity, Seoul 08826, Korea.
authors.forename: Nam-Shik
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Shin
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D001010:Anxiety, Separation / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D064367:Olfactometry / Q000662:veterinary*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: cortisol; dog; physiology; saliva; separation anxiety disorder