Systematic review and meta-analysis of the occurrence and association of physical diseases and behavioural problems in dogs and cats

IF 2 2区农林科学 Q1 AGRICULTURE, DAIRY & ANIMAL SCIENCE

Applied Animal Behaviour Science Pub Date : 2025-06-18 DOI:10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106717

Worakan Boonhoh , Chaithep Poolkhet , Natalie Waran , Tuempong Wongtawan

{"title":"Systematic review and meta-analysis of the occurrence and association of physical diseases and behavioural problems in dogs and cats","authors":"Worakan Boonhoh , Chaithep Poolkhet , Natalie Waran , Tuempong Wongtawan","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106717","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>It is believed that physical diseases may influence animal behaviour, though the prevalence and strength of this association remain unclear. Understanding the relationship between physical conditions and behavioural abnormalities is essential for improving prevention and treatment strategies. This study aimed to examine the occurrence and association of physical diseases and behavioural disorders through a systematic review and meta-analysis of published articles. Relevant studies were sourced from PubMed and Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria required articles published between 2004 and 2024 that reported the presence or association of behavioural disorders with physical diseases and were either research articles or case reports. Exclusion criteria were review articles, conference proceedings, books, and articles without full-text access. For the meta-analysis, at least three studies with similar methodologies were required. Three independent researchers reviewed the data to minimise bias, and article quality was assessed using established guidelines for systematic reviews. Publication bias was evaluated using Fail-safe-N analysis and a rank association test for funnel plot asymmetry. Data were recorded in Microsoft Excel 365 and analysed using the meta-analysis package in Jamovi software. Of the 14,267 articles identified, 29 met the criteria for the systematic review, and 4 were included in the meta-analysis. Aggression was the most frequently reported behavioural issue (18 articles), while hormonal imbalances were the most reported physical disease (13 articles). All physical disease categories showed some connection to aggressive behaviour. The meta-analysis focused on aggression in cats infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV). The pooled prevalence of aggression was 64 % in FIV-positive cats and 60 % in FeLV-positive cats, with a statistically significant association between aggression and FIV or FeLV infection (P < 0.001). However, the meta-analysis indicated substantial heterogeneity across studies. Two hypotheses were proposed to explain the link between aggression and FIV/FeLV infection: first, aggressive cats are more likely to engage in fights, facilitating disease transmission; second, the progression of these infections may cause local and systemic inflammation and pain, leading to behavioural changes. A key limitation of this study was the small number of published articles addressing the association between physical disease and behavioural disorders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"291 ","pages":"Article 106717"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159125002151","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"AGRICULTURE, DAIRY & ANIMAL SCIENCE","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

It is believed that physical diseases may influence animal behaviour, though the prevalence and strength of this association remain unclear. Understanding the relationship between physical conditions and behavioural abnormalities is essential for improving prevention and treatment strategies. This study aimed to examine the occurrence and association of physical diseases and behavioural disorders through a systematic review and meta-analysis of published articles. Relevant studies were sourced from PubMed and Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria required articles published between 2004 and 2024 that reported the presence or association of behavioural disorders with physical diseases and were either research articles or case reports. Exclusion criteria were review articles, conference proceedings, books, and articles without full-text access. For the meta-analysis, at least three studies with similar methodologies were required. Three independent researchers reviewed the data to minimise bias, and article quality was assessed using established guidelines for systematic reviews. Publication bias was evaluated using Fail-safe-N analysis and a rank association test for funnel plot asymmetry. Data were recorded in Microsoft Excel 365 and analysed using the meta-analysis package in Jamovi software. Of the 14,267 articles identified, 29 met the criteria for the systematic review, and 4 were included in the meta-analysis. Aggression was the most frequently reported behavioural issue (18 articles), while hormonal imbalances were the most reported physical disease (13 articles). All physical disease categories showed some connection to aggressive behaviour. The meta-analysis focused on aggression in cats infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV). The pooled prevalence of aggression was 64 % in FIV-positive cats and 60 % in FeLV-positive cats, with a statistically significant association between aggression and FIV or FeLV infection (P < 0.001). However, the meta-analysis indicated substantial heterogeneity across studies. Two hypotheses were proposed to explain the link between aggression and FIV/FeLV infection: first, aggressive cats are more likely to engage in fights, facilitating disease transmission; second, the progression of these infections may cause local and systemic inflammation and pain, leading to behavioural changes. A key limitation of this study was the small number of published articles addressing the association between physical disease and behavioural disorders.

查看原文本刊更多论文

狗和猫的身体疾病和行为问题的发生及其关联的系统回顾和荟萃分析

人们认为身体疾病可能影响动物行为，尽管这种联系的普遍性和强度尚不清楚。了解身体状况和行为异常之间的关系对于改善预防和治疗策略至关重要。本研究旨在通过对已发表文章的系统回顾和荟萃分析来检查身体疾病和行为障碍的发生及其关联。相关研究来源于PubMed和b谷歌Scholar。纳入标准要求在2004年至2024年之间发表的报告行为障碍与身体疾病的存在或关联的文章，并且是研究文章或病例报告。排除标准是综述文章、会议记录、书籍和没有全文访问的文章。对于meta分析，至少需要三个采用类似方法的研究。三位独立研究人员对数据进行了审查，以尽量减少偏倚，并使用既定的系统评价指南对文章质量进行了评估。使用Fail-safe-N分析和漏斗图不对称的秩相关检验来评估发表偏倚。数据在Microsoft Excel 365中记录，使用Jamovi软件中的meta分析包进行分析。在确定的14,267篇文章中，29篇符合系统评价的标准，4篇纳入meta分析。攻击是最常被报道的行为问题（18篇文章），而荷尔蒙失衡是最常被报道的身体疾病（13篇文章）。所有的身体疾病类别都与攻击行为有一定的联系。荟萃分析的重点是感染猫免疫缺陷病毒（FIV）和猫白血病病毒（FeLV）的猫的攻击行为。FIV阳性猫的攻击总患病率为64 %，FeLV阳性猫的攻击总患病率为60 %，具有统计学意义的攻击与FIV或FeLV感染之间存在显著关联（P <； 0.001）。然而，荟萃分析显示各研究之间存在很大的异质性。研究人员提出了两种假设来解释攻击性与FIV/FeLV感染之间的联系：第一，攻击性猫更容易打架，从而促进疾病传播；其次，这些感染的进展可能引起局部和全身炎症和疼痛，导致行为改变。本研究的一个关键限制是发表的关于身体疾病和行为障碍之间关系的文章很少。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Applied Animal Behaviour Science 农林科学-行为科学

CiteScore

4.40

自引率

21.70%

发文量

191

审稿时长

18.1 weeks

期刊介绍： This journal publishes relevant information on the behaviour of domesticated and utilized animals. Topics covered include: -Behaviour of farm, zoo and laboratory animals in relation to animal management and welfare -Behaviour of companion animals in relation to behavioural problems, for example, in relation to the training of dogs for different purposes, in relation to behavioural problems -Studies of the behaviour of wild animals when these studies are relevant from an applied perspective, for example in relation to wildlife management, pest management or nature conservation -Methodological studies within relevant fields The principal subjects are farm, companion and laboratory animals, including, of course, poultry. The journal also deals with the following animal subjects: -Those involved in any farming system, e.g. deer, rabbits and fur-bearing animals -Those in ANY form of confinement, e.g. zoos, safari parks and other forms of display -Feral animals, and any animal species which impinge on farming operations, e.g. as causes of loss or damage -Species used for hunting, recreation etc. may also be considered as acceptable subjects in some instances -Laboratory animals, if the material relates to their behavioural requirements