Journal of Veterinary Behavior-clinical Applications and Research最新文献

{"title":"Use of venlafaxine in the management of refractory intraspecific aggression in a multi-cat household","authors":"Daphne E.L. Ang,&nbsp;Kelly C. Ballantyne","doi":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.08.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.08.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Venlafaxine was evaluated as an alternative treatment for intraspecific (intercat) aggression in a multi-cat household. The patient, a 13.5 month old female spayed domestic short-haired cat, was initially treated with fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, at doses up to 6 mg (1.5 mg/kg) <em>per os</em> every 24 h. Lower doses were tolerated but ineffective at managing the patient’s response to the other cat and at the 6 mg (1.5mg/kg) dose, the patient had increased agitation and aggression towards the owners. Consequently, the patient was weaned from fluoxetine and treatment with venlafaxine, a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, was initiated at 3 mg (0.7 mg/kg) <em>per os</em> every 24 h and increased to 6.25 mg (1.5 mg/kg) every 24 h after a week. Treatment was continued at this dose for 4 months then increased to 12.5 mg (2.7 mg/kg) <em>per os</em> every 24 h due to insufficient improvement d<del>e</del>spite environmental management and behavior modification. The patient tolerated this dose without reported adverse effects. After a month of treatment, the owner reported no further episodes of aggression and the patient has remained stable for over a year. This outcome supports venlafaxine as a well-tolerated and effective treatment option for intraspecific aggression in feline patients.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17567,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Veterinary Behavior-clinical Applications and Research","volume":"81 ","pages":"Pages 10-14"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145010961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Examining burden transfer in veterinary behaviorists","authors":"Daphne E.L. Ang ,&nbsp;Kelly C. Ballantyne ,&nbsp;Elizabeth Cousins ,&nbsp;Mary Beth Spitznagel","doi":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.08.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.08.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Burden transfer can occur when caregiver burden in the veterinary client underlies certain behaviors (e.g., excess communication, non-adherence, confrontation) which are, in turn, stressful for veterinary care providers. Recent research suggests that more than ⅔ of clients seeking veterinary behavior specialty care experience clinically meaningful levels of caregiver burden, underscoring the importance of examining burden transfer in the veterinary behavior field. The current work is an investigation of burden transfer in this discipline, and an exploration of how demographic factors and practice setting factors relate to burden transfer. A mass email was sent to 187 American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB) residents and board-certified diplomates, inviting them to complete the Burden Transfer Inventory (BTI) and questions about demographics and clinic setting. A total of 68 survey responses were included in analyses. Overall BTI Frequency and Reactivity subscales were similar to the originally published normative sample of general veterinary practitioners. Burden Transfer Reactivity (BTI-R) scores in the domains of Confrontation and Excess Communication were mildly elevated relative to the normative sample. A significant correlation between BTI-R and client-facing hours per week was observed but after controlling for the ratio of support staff to practitioners, the partial correlation between BTI-R and client-facing hours per week was non-significant. Findings suggest that levels of burden transfer reactivity may be particularly high for veterinary behaviorists in the presence of client conflicts and communications, but that for the veterinary behaviorist working in a busy office with many client-facing hours, having adequate support staff may attenuate reactivity to burden transfer.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17567,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Veterinary Behavior-clinical Applications and Research","volume":"81 ","pages":"Pages 48-53"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145097034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of a behavioral scale for the measurement of fear, anxiety and stress in dogs visiting the veterinary practice","authors":"Emma Gatehouse ,&nbsp;Annika Bremhorst ,&nbsp;Sagi Denenberg ,&nbsp;Loni Loftus","doi":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.08.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.08.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Validated, reliable instruments for assessing canine stress behaviors during veterinary visits are crucial in mitigating escalating behavioral responses, thereby maximizing patient welfare, facilitating accurate diagnoses and enhancing staff safety. Although various behavioral assessment tools have been developed, few have been evaluated specifically for the veterinary context. This study addresses this deficit by evaluating the Spectrum of Fear, Anxiety and Stress, (FAS, Fear Free® 2022) an eight-item scale, graduating from 0 to 5, designed to assess canine fear, stress and anxiety during veterinary visits. An online survey featuring 14 video recordings of dogs undergoing mock veterinary examination was distributed to 79 participants, including dog owners, veterinarians, behavior experts and trainers. This study assessed inter- and intra-rater reliability, concurrent validity, and ease of use. Scores at either end of the spectrum had the highest percentage of correct responses (FAS 0 Relaxed; 51.90% incorrect, FAS 4 Severe signs; 44.30% incorrect), while mid-range scores were more challenging for participants to correctly identify (FAS 0–1 Perked/Interested/Anxious; 72.78% incorrect). Behavior experts and owners significantly differed in their ability to assess some moderate and severe signs (FAS 3 Moderate signs; p = 0.0025, FAS 4a Flight; p = 0.0355), suggesting that experience in assessing dog behavior may impact the ability to identify fear, stress and anxiety correctly. Inter-rater reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.99 with 95% confidence interval [0.99–1.00]), intra-rater reliability was very good (ICC = 0.83 with 95% confidence interval [0.80–0.86]), and a strong correlation was found between participant FAS scores and cumulative scores on the Lincoln Canine Anxiety Scale (ρ = 0.811, p =&lt;0.001, n = 79), suggesting good concurrent validity. Thematic analysis praised the scale's visual aspects, but revealed challenges related to overlapping categories and unfamiliar numbering. The results of this research support further development, including some minor design adjustments and sufficient participant training, of the FAS Spectrum as a valid and reliable behavioral assessment tool for evaluating acute stress in dogs visiting the veterinary practice, in order to provide reliable behavioral assessment to facilitate stress reduction in clinic. Your article is being processed as a regular item to be included in a regular issue.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17567,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Veterinary Behavior-clinical Applications and Research","volume":"81 ","pages":"Pages 58-70"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145097036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A multidisciplinary approach to a cat with a sex-hormone-producing adrenal tumor","authors":"Stefania Uccheddu,&nbsp;Filippo Cinti,&nbsp;Tommaso Furlanello","doi":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.09.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.09.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A 13-year-old, 5.5 kg, spayed female domestic shorthair cat was presented to the veterinary clinic for evaluation of behavioral changes. The cat had been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism two years prior and was currently receiving oral methimazole to control the condition. The cat's owners also described increased nocturnal activity, excessive vocalization, and an unexpected strengthening of their bond with the other house cat over the past two months. Despite house soiling, this was not the client's primary concern. A CT scan revealed the right adrenal mass, associated with reduced size of the contralateral gland. Given the potential link between a sex-hormone-producing adrenal tumor and the behavioral changes, adrenalectomy was strongly recommended and subsequently accepted by the owners. Following surgery, the cat's sexual and social behaviors ceased. Two weeks post-operatively, sex hormone levels were found to be within the normal range for a spayed female cat.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17567,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Veterinary Behavior-clinical Applications and Research","volume":"81 ","pages":"Pages 54-57"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145097035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decoding canine behaviors through explainable ai and wearable sensor data","authors":"Bekir Cetintav ,&nbsp;Ahmet Yalcin","doi":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.07.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.07.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding canine behavior is essential for advancing veterinary science, animal welfare, and behavior research. This study applies Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) to enhance the understanding of canine behavior classification using machine learning (ML) models. By combining wearable sensor data from accelerometers and gyroscopes with XAI techniques, the research achieves interpretable behavior predictions for 19 distinct canine activities. Random Forest emerged as the best-performing model with an accuracy of 96.1%. Critical features influencing both static and dynamic behaviors were identified. Notably, SHAP-based global explanations revealed that static behaviors like “Lying Chest” are predominantly influenced by vertical and lateral movements detected by back-mounted sensors, while dynamic actions such as “Sniffing” or “Trotting” rely more on neck axis movements and rotational dynamics. These biomechanical interpretations provide actionable insights into how specific motion patterns translate into identifiable canine behaviors. The integration of XAI, specifically SHAP, bridges ML with interpretability, enabling actionable insights into canine behavior. The results have significant implications for non-invasive monitoring in veterinary applications, including health assessment, training optimization, and welfare evaluation, thereby representing a step forward in the field of animal behavior analysis by bridging advanced ML techniques and interpretability tools, enabling researchers and practitioners to make informed decisions based on transparent and reliable models.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17567,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Veterinary Behavior-clinical Applications and Research","volume":"81 ","pages":"Pages 1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145005156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Are indicators of stress and pain recognizable during lip twitch in horses? A behavioral investigation","authors":"Jil Jessy Kellershohn ,&nbsp;Severin Blum ,&nbsp;Stéphane Montavon ,&nbsp;Nathali Adrielli Agassi De Sales ,&nbsp;Emanuela Dalla Costa ,&nbsp;Claudia Spadavecchia","doi":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.08.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.08.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lip twitching is a physical restraint method for horses that may function by inducing short-term stress and/or pain. The present study aimed to: 1) evaluate whether behavioral indicators of pain and stress could be recognized during the application of a lip twitch in horses across different experimental conditions involving electrical, mechanical and thermal stimulation; 2) explore the relationship between observed variables and individual personality traits. Twelve horses were initially included in a two-sessions twitch trial. This study focused on data collected during the first session, which was completed by ten horses out of twelve. Behavioral analysis was performed on 2-minute videos recorded during three-time intervals (Baseline, Twitch and Post-Twitch) applying an ethogram. Personality was evaluated using a validated questionnaire completed by the horses' caretakers. Any interval, condition and personality effect on the behavior was analyzed using a GLMM. Results showed that maintenance of a natural head position decreased significantly during Twitch and Post-Twitch (p&lt;0.001), while unequal forelimb weight distribution increased during Twitch and Post-Twitch (p&lt;0.001) compared to Baseline. A significant effect of interval was found for the duration of ears forward (p = 0.026), with shorter durations recorded during Twitch compared to both Baseline and Post-Twitch. Furthermore, ears movement decreased (p&lt;0.001) and head movements increased (p&lt;0.001) during Twitch. Horses’ responses to twitch varied based on personality: neurotic horses displayed rather passive stress signs (prolonged ear-backward, p=0.032), while agreeable horses showed more active avoidance (moving away, p=0.073). These findings suggest that in horses tolerating the application of the twitch, the restraint induces mild stress, with individual coping mechanisms influenced by personality. Thus, it appears important to consider individual characteristics when applying the technique in a clinical context. This approach is essential to ensuring the safety of both horses and personnel during veterinary interventions, especially in the absence of pharmacological restraint or training.</div></div><div><h3>Data availability statement</h3><div>The data supporting the findings of this study are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17567,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Veterinary Behavior-clinical Applications and Research","volume":"81 ","pages":"Pages 34-42"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145020302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Basic research has clinical applications","authors":"Karen L. Overall","doi":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.08.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.08.001","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17567,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Veterinary Behavior-clinical Applications and Research","volume":"80 ","pages":"Page A3"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144896340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantifying the influence of cut tree branches on zoo giraffe behavior during and post browsing: A case study on five animals and four tree species","authors":"Zoe Newnham ,&nbsp;Paul Rose","doi":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.05.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.05.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The nutrition of captive species profoundly affects their physical, behavioral, and psychological wellbeing. Determining a species’ ideal zoo diet remains challenging, necessitating assessment of an animal’s responses to their diet to establish best practices, including any effects on behaviors. This study investigates the behavioral responses of five female giraffes (<em>Giraffe camelopardalis</em>) to browse from four tree species (willow, <em>Salix caprea</em>; hawthorn, <em>Crataegus monogyna</em>; hazel, <em>Corylus avellana</em>; oak, <em>Quercus robur</em>). This study aimed to assess the effect of browse species on giraffe activity and to identify which of these species was most associated with performance of key welfare indicators. Given this species’ adaptations to foraging on spinose (i.e., thorny) trees, we predicted that hawthorn would have the largest effect on giraffe behavior. Focal sampling of individual giraffes was conducted, with equal repetitions for each browse species, across spring and summer 2021 and 2022 at Marwell Zoo. Giraffes were observed for an hour with browse, followed by an additional hour after a 30-minute pause to quantify post-browsing behaviors. Results suggest that willow increased overall browsing time, while oak elicited prolonged interaction with initial browse branches. Willow promoted the highest bark stripping and bite counts, while oak and willow increased time ruminating. Contrary to expectation, hawthorn, with its thorny defences, did not significantly extend browsing or rumination. Social context also influenced browsing behavior with heightened browsing activity occurring when giraffe browsed with other species present. While a case study of four tree species at one zoo, our results show the importance of measuring and assessing animal choice and preferences (regarding their engagement with husbandry) to underpin best practice approaches to care and welfare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17567,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Veterinary Behavior-clinical Applications and Research","volume":"80 ","pages":"Pages 10-19"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144557466","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of two types of environmental enrichment on the behavior of dogs in shelters","authors":"Gustavo Vieira Antonino ,&nbsp;Dhiordan Deon Costa Lovestain ,&nbsp;Marina Monteiro de Castro Burle ,&nbsp;Cristiano Schetini de Azevedo","doi":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.05.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.05.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The domestic dog, <em>Canis lupus familiaris</em>, is commonly kept in shelters. In these locations, features such as confinement, forced intraspecific and interspecific contact, and lack of environmental stimulation can diminish the welfare of dogs. One way to avoid poor welfare is to implement an environmental enrichment program for dogs in shelters, however, environmental enrichment items should be tested to evaluate their effectiveness and their ease of implementation and safety. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of two environmental enrichment items designed to improve the welfare of dogs kept in a shelter. Fifteen dogs, housed in trios, were studied. Two environmental enrichment items were offered to the dogs: nutritional-related (perforated plastic bottles filled with canine treats) and sensory-related (lavender oil). Behavioral data were collected before, during, and after the items were offered, using focal sampling and instantaneous recording methods, with a sampling interval of 1 min. The effectiveness of the items was evaluated using Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs). Food enrichment increased foraging and activity behaviors in the dogs, but not positive social behaviors. On the other hand, olfactory enrichment decreased jumping and vocalizing and increased the display of climbing on the pen’s door. Both items proved to be safe for the dogs. It is of utmost importance for shelters to enhance animal welfare by constructing larger and more stimulating bays and implementing environmental enrichment programs for the animals. The results of this study show that an enrichment program can assist in improving the welfare of dogs kept in shelters.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17567,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Veterinary Behavior-clinical Applications and Research","volume":"80 ","pages":"Pages 28-38"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144571110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of maternal hierarchical position on offspring rank acquisition: The case of captive collared peccaries (Dicotyles tajacu)","authors":"Thaís Dias Mendonça ,&nbsp;Dhiordan Deon Costa Lovestain ,&nbsp;Robert John Young ,&nbsp;Cristiano Schetini de Azevedo","doi":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.05.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jveb.2025.05.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numerous factors, such as sex, age, access to food resources, and kinship, influence the social dynamics of animals. Social position affects behavior, physiology, and reproductive outcomes in highly social mammalian species like collared peccaries (<em>Dicotyles tajacu</em>). Maternal position is an important determinant of social status, which is often heritable. This study aimed to assess the influence of maternal rank on the hierarchical rank of captive collared peccary offspring using social network analysis. By examining aggressive and affiliative interaction data, we generated hierarchies using David's Score and calculated social network indices (centrality, strength, and affinity) to identify individuals' roles in social stability. These analyses were performed with the SOCPROG program. Findings indicated that maternal rank did not significantly affect offspring rank. However, mothers demonstrated higher association index values compared to their offspring. We concluded that the peccary hierarchy is predominantly established through maternal associations rather than offspring interactions, suggesting that offspring rank positions may result from adults' high tolerance towards young individuals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17567,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Veterinary Behavior-clinical Applications and Research","volume":"80 ","pages":"Pages 49-56"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144579933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}