Elsevier

Journal of Veterinary Behavior

Volume 17, January–February 2017, Pages 44-49
Journal of Veterinary Behavior

Canine Research
Stress level evaluation in a dog during animal-assisted therapy in pediatric surgery

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2016.09.003Get rights and content

Abstract

Animal-assisted interventions are associated with positive effects on human psychological and physiological health. Although quality standards in animal-assisted interventions appear to be high, only few investigations have focused on potential welfare implications in therapy dogs. In the present study, we monitored behavioral measures and heart rate in a therapy dog that participated in animal-assisted therapy during postoperative awakening in a pediatric surgery ward. Work-related activity, behavior, response to human action, and heart rate were analyzed for more than 20 working sessions in an experienced therapy dog. No physiological or behavioral indicators of stress, fatigue, or exhaustion were present during animal-assisted therapy, suggesting that, with the limited generalizability of a case study, this activity did not negatively impact on the welfare of the dog. Further investigation into the effects of animal-assisted therapy on dogs' physiological markers and behavior is warranted.

Introduction

Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are achieving a certain level of recognition worldwide, and this is accompanied by a growing body of research on the effect of these programs on human health and well-being (Bernabei et al., 2013, Marcus, 2013, Calcaterra et al., 2015). AAIs, which use animals for human benefit, can be considered animal-assisted therapy (AAT) when they involve the implementation of goal-directed, documented, and evaluated methodology in professional settings. In contrast, animal-assisted activities (AAAs) are not centered on a specific goal or treatment outcome and can be carried out by nonprofessional volunteers too (Kruger and Serpell, 2010). Animals are believed to be a source of motivation to take part in health interventions, exercise, and social interaction (Wilson and Barker, 2003, Glenk et al., 2014). The widespread involvement of dogs in AAIs is grounded in the outstanding interspecific social ability of this species and in the dogs' ease in adapting to various human environments (Miklósi and Topál, 2013). Although a growing body of evidence supports the rewards and benefits of human-animal interactions for humans, only few investigations have focused on the potential welfare implications for therapy dogs as a result of their performance in AAIs. Indeed, the welfare of dogs involved in AAA and AAT has been questioned, as social interactions have been described as among the most potent stressors a dog can endure (von Holst, 1998, McEwen and Wingfield, 2003). This may be because social interactions can be unpredictable, requiring the individual to constantly adapt physiologically and behaviorally to maintain homeostasis (Karatsoreos and McEwen, 2011). Study of the physiological and behavioral effects of AAIs on registered dogs is needed to enhance our understanding of animal welfare during these interventions, introduce evidence-based guidelines for handlers, and establish rigorous methods for future research. Animal welfare has commonly been assessed by measuring and analyzing stress-associated behavior and physiological indicators of stress in dogs (i.e., heart rate [HR]) (Vincent and Michell, 1992, Beerda et al., 1999, Palestrini et al., 2005). Analysis of behavior has also long been used as a research tool to assess stress and welfare in animals. Stress-associated behavior in dogs, such as increased locomotor activity, lip licking, yawning, and circling, have been observed to occur in response to acute stressors (Beerda et al., 1997, Palestrini, 2009). Ferrara et al. (2004) reported the absence of stress behavior in dogs during AAA/AAT, whereas King et al. (2011) observed multiple behavioral signs of stress (panting, yawning, whining, and lip licking) in dogs after an AAT session. These discrepancies warrant clarification as to whether activity and therapy sessions induce stress-associated behavior.

HR has a long history as a psychophysiological measure of animals' affective and cognitive responses, and several studies have investigated HR responses of dogs to different stimuli and environmental conditions (Beerda et al., 1997). HR represents an accessible, quantifiable, physiological measure underlying emotional responses in dogs, and the possibility of linking physiology and observable behavior is of great importance in gaining a better understanding of the dog's reactions to environmental changes (Kostarczyk, 1992, Beerda et al., 1998, Casey, 2003). Both behavior and HR are considered useful indicators to evaluate stress reactions in dogs (Kostarczyk, 1992) because of the interaction between the central nervous system and the neuroendocrine system (Henry and Ely, 1976, Beerda et al., 1998). The robustness of an animal welfare assessment is thus improved when stress-associated behavior is evaluated in conjunction with cardiac activity (Palestrini et al., 2005, Stiles et al., 2011). In this investigation, the objective was to measure and compare behavior and HR in an experienced therapy dog to examine whether the dog exhibited behavioral or physiological signs of stress in AAT in a pediatric surgery setting.

Section snippets

Participants

A carefully screened 7-year-old spayed female golden retriever was used as the therapy animal. She had previous experience in AAIs and was already trained and prepared for this type of work. The dog was fully vaccinated, regularly groomed, screened for enteric pathogens, and treated for internal and external parasites on a monthly basis. The dog and handler met hospital policy for participation in AAT, including documentation of the dog's current vaccinations, controllability, and temperament.

Behavior

Analysis of dog behavior (Figure 1) on tape showed that she spent most of her time exhibiting panting behavior (panting [PT], 28.35% ± 18.09%) as opposed to avoiding interactions with the child or other people in the room (withdrawal [WT], 0.06% ± 0.15%). Most of her time she was oriented to the environment (OE, 23.22% ± 14.37%) or showed passive behavior (passive [PA], 6.58% ± 7.54%). The dog interacted more with the handler (interaction with the handler [IH], 8.61% ± 6.09%) than with the

Discussion

It is well known that humans benefit from interaction with therapy dogs; therefore, the behavioral and physiological health of the animal should be carefully reflected on (Stetina and Glenk, 2011). Dedicated research on animals in AAIs is limited and does not provide evidence on which standards can be issued regarding animal welfare (Beck and Katcher, 2003). In dog-assisted therapy, there are considerable differences between different programs with regard to the procedures in dog training, the

Conclusions

AAT sessions of 20 minutes for children recovering from pediatric surgery, conducted in a safe and controlled manner, did not elicit observable stress-associated behaviors or an increase in HR and thus may not negatively impact the welfare of trained AAT dogs. This study may be considered as a first step toward further investigations on animal welfare in AAT. It proposes a straightforward and widely applicable approach to data collection that allows the synchronous recording of behavioral and

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