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Biomedical subjects

K A Houpt

Publications and source records attributed to K A Houpt.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Attitudes of owners regarding tendonectomy and onychectomy in cats.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence of behavior problems following tendonectomy or onychectomy in cats, as well as attitudes of owners following these procedures. DESIGN: Nonrandomized clinical trial. ANIMALS: 18 cats that underwent tendonectomy and 39 cats that underwent onychectomy. PROCEDURE: Owners of cats that underwent tendonectomy or onychectomy between February 1993 and May 1998 were contacted by telephone and asked several questions regarding reasons for surgery as well as complications and behavioral changes in cats following surgery. RESULTS: The most common reason for considering tendonectomy or onychectomy was to avoid damage caused by the cat scratching household materials. Avoidance of injury to humans or animals was chosen more often by owners whose cats underwent onychectomy than those that underwent tendonectomy. Tendonectomy was more likely to have been recommended by veterinarians than onychectomy. Significantly more cats that underwent tendonectomy (67%) than onychectomy (44%) returned to normal activity within 3 days after surgery. Significant differences were not detected regarding behavior problems after surgery. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Although tendonectomy and onychectomy involved some medical complications and behavior changes following surgery, owners had positive attitudes regarding both surgeries after the immediate postoperative period. Tendonectomy may be a humane alternative to onychectomy, although owners need to be advised that nail trimming is still necessary in cats after surgery.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Evaluation of treatments for separation anxiety in dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate treatment outcome in dogs with separation anxiety and owner compliance with and perception of effectiveness of discharge instructions. DESIGN: Cohort study. ANIMALS: 52 dogs with separation anxiety. PROCEDURE: Sex, age at which the owner obtained the dog, age at which separation anxiety was first noticed, age at behavioral examination, and discharge instructions were obtained from medical records of each dog. Between 6 and 64 months after the behavioral examination, owners were contacted by telephone and questioned about the outcome of treatment, their compliance with discharge instructions, and their perception of the effectiveness of each instruction. RESULTS: Thirty-two (62%) dogs had improved, whereas 20 were the same, were worse, or had been euthanatized or given away. Mixed-breed dogs were significantly less likely to improve than purebred dogs. Compliance varied according to discharge instruction. Significantly fewer dogs with owners that were given > 5 instructions improved or were cured, compared with those with owners given fewer instructions. Twenty-seven dogs were also treated with amitriptyline or other medication; 15 (56%) improved. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Owners complied with instructions that involved little time such as omitting punishment and providing a chew toy at the time of departure. Owners were also willing to increase the dog's exercise but were not willing to uncouple the cues of departure from real departures or desensitize the dog to impending departure. Administration of psychoactive medication may be necessary to augment behavior modification techniques designed to reduce separation anxiety in dogs.

Amitriptyline↗
PubMed2000

Effect of water restriction on equine behaviour and physiology.

Six pregnant mares were used to determine what level of water restriction causes physiological and/or behavioural changes indicative of stress. Nonlegume hay was fed ad libitum. During the first week of restriction, 5 l water/100 kg bwt was available, during the second week 4 l/100 kg bwt and, during the third week, 3 l/100 kg bwt. Ad libitum water intake was 6.9 l/100 kg bwt; at 3 l/100 kg bwt water intake was 42% of this. Daily hay intake fell significantly with increasing water restriction from 12.9 +/- 0.75 kg to 8.3 +/- 0.54 kg; bodyweight fell significantly for a total loss of 48.5 +/- 8.3 kg in 3 weeks. Daily blood samples were analysed; osmolality rose significantly with increasing water restriction from 282 +/- 0.7 mosmols/kg to 293.3 +/- 0.8 mosmols/kg bwt, but plasma protein and PCV did not change significantly. Cortisol concentrations fell from 8.1 ng/ml to 6.4 ng/ml over the 3 week period. Aldosterone fell from 211.3 +/- 74.2 pg/ml to 92.5 +/- 27.5 pg/ml at the end of the first week. The behaviour of 4 of the 6 mares was recorded 24 h/day for the duration of the study. The only significant difference was in time spent eating, which decreased with increasing water restriction from 46 +/- 3% to 30 +/- 3%. It is concluded that water restriction to 4 l/100 kg bwt dehydrates pregnant mares and may diminish their welfare, but is not life- or pregnancy-threatening.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Effect of castration on rabbits housed in littermate pairs.

Conventional solitary caging for research rabbits precludes many postural and social behaviors. Several studies that have investigated enrichment strategies for rabbit does have found intact males usually too aggressive for paired or group housing. This study investigated the possibilities that male siblings will remain compatible if never separated from birth and that castration will improve compatibility among young sibling male rabbits. As a side benefit of pair housing for all rabbits, the larger cages (modified dog cages) allowed rest and other postures not possible in conventional single cages. In addition, there was no evidence of the stereotypies observed among individually housed rabbits. Castrated, post-weanling, male, Flemish Giant x Giant Chinchilla rabbit littermates demonstrated a significantly higher level of living together compatibly than did the intact controls. All rabbits chose to rest in close proximity or contact, although this preference was stronger in castrated males. During puberty, intact males displayed more serious aggression. We conclude that young adult littermate rabbits can live compatibly as pairs and that castration improves compatibility among males. Paired rabbits exhibit many postures and behaviors that are not possible in the small, solitary cages currently listed as minimum recommendations.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

Prevalence and characteristics of foal rejection in Arabian mares.

Separate surveys of Thoroughbred, Paint, and Arabian mare owners revealed a higher than expected rate of foal rejection in Arabian mares. A behavioural history form was submitted by owners of foal rejecting and nonrejecting Arabian mares, and maternal behaviour and management practices compared. Four generation pedigrees of rejecting and nonrejecting Arabian mares were also examined. Foal rejecting mares were more likely to avoid, threaten, squeal at, chase, bite, and kick their foals post partum than nonrejecting mares. Nonrejecting mares were more likely to lick, nicker and defend their foals post partum than rejecting mares. No statistically significant relationship was found between foal rejection and the type of breeding method (natural vs. artificial insemination), the presence of people at birth, the presence of nearby horses at birth, or assistance of the first nursing bout. The presence at least once of 1 of 2 related sires was statistically higher in the pedigrees of rejecting vs. nonrejecting mares. Inherited and learned or environmental factors are likely to affect the expression of foal rejection behaviour.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Sexual behavior problems in dogs and cats.

Sexual behavior problems do occur as a primary diagnosis, but excessive sexual behavior is a common secondary problem. Mounting occurs in almost half of dogs with behavior problems and 20% of cats with behavior problems.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Comparison of cerebrospinal fluid monoamine metabolite levels in dominant-aggressive and non-aggressive dogs.

Aggression has been shown to be related to reduced serotonergic activity in humans and non-human primates, and in rodents. We now studied the relationship between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) monoamine metabolites and canine aggression in 21 dominant-aggressive dogs (Canis familiaris) and 19 controls. The diagnosis of dominance-related aggression was based upon a history of biting family members in contexts associated with dominance challenges. Post-mortem CSF 5-HIAA, MHPG and HVA were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography using electrochemical detection. Concentrations of CSF 5-HIAA (P = 0.01) and HVA (P < 0.001) were lower in the aggressive group (median values: 5-HIAA 202.0 pmol/ml; HVA 318.0 pmol/ml) than in controls (5-HIAA 298.0 pmol/ml; HVA 552.0 pmol/ml). No differences were noted in CSF MHPG levels. Differences in 5-HIAA were maintained after controlling for breed and age of dogs, but HVA differences may have been breed-dependent. Lower levels of 5-HIAA (P = 0.02) and HVA (P = 0.04) were found in the subgroup of aggressive dogs with a history of biting without warning (5-HIAA 196.0 pmol/ml; HVA 302.0 pmol/ml) compared to dogs that warned (5-HIAA 244.0 pmol/ml; HVA 400.0 pmol/ml). This study suggests that reduced serotonergic function is associated with aggressive behavior and impaired impulse control in dogs, a finding that is consistent with observations in primates, and suggests that serotonin modulates aggressive behavior throughout mammals.

Aggression↗
PubMed1996

Effect of dietary protein content on behavior in dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect that feeding diets containing a low (17%), medium (25%), or high (32%) protein content would have on behavior in dogs. DESIGN: Prospective, controlled study. ANIMALS: 12 dogs with dominance aggression, 12 dogs with hyperactivity, 12 dogs with territorial aggression, and 14 control dogs without behavioral problems. PROCEDURE: Dogs were fed each of the diets for a 2-week period, and owners were instructed to score their dogs' behavior on a daily basis. RESULTS: Behavior of the dogs with dominance aggression, dogs with hyperactivity, and control dogs was unchanged by the dietary manipulations. Territorial aggression was significantly reduced when dogs were fed the low- or medium-protein diet, compared with territorial aggression when fed the high-protein diet. Post hoc analysis indicated that this effect was attributable to a marked reduction in aggression in a subset of the group (n = 7) in which territorial aggression was a result of fear. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Results of this study suggest that a reduction in dietary protein content is not generally useful in the treatment of behavior problems in dogs, but may be appropriate in dogs with territorial aggression that is a result of fear.

Aggression↗
PubMed1994

Risk factors for behavior-related euthanasia among dominant-aggressive dogs: 110 cases (1989-1992).

Establishing a prognosis for dogs with dominance-related aggression is difficult. Some dominant-aggressive dogs respond well to treatment; others continue to be serious risks for their owners. A study was performed to identify characteristics of dominance-related aggression and to identify risk factors associated with whether the aggressive behavior led to euthanasia. Medical records of 110 dogs with dominance-related aggression were examined retrospectively; characteristics of owner-directed aggression and eventual outcome of the dogs were recorded. By means of logistic regression, 2 different models were found to describe the association between behavior characteristics and outcome. In the first model, severe aggression in response to benign dominance challenges and body weight > 18.2 kg were associated with outcome. In the second model, unpredictability of aggression and a history of being purchased were associated with outcome. We concluded that dominance-related aggressive behavior can be subclassified according to severity and type and that outcome (ie, euthanasia) may be predictable in some cases.

Aggression↗
PubMed1994

Friendliness to humans and defensive aggression in cats: the influence of handling and paternity.

This study was undertaken to examine and reduce the stress and aggressiveness associated with fear of handling in laboratory cats (Felis sylvestris catus). Thirteen litters of kittens from a specific pathogen-free breeding colony were divided into three treatment groups: two were early weaned, removed from the colony and caged individually with or without handling up to 8 weeks of age, and the third served as a control group, removed from the colony just before testing. Behavior tests measuring degree of friendliness to humans and response to physical restraint were performed at ages 8, 12, 16, and 20 weeks. Serum cortisol concentrations were measured after each test. Results indicate that litter and sire influenced tractability but that handling or individual caging of kittens did not. Posttest serum cortisol concentrations were below normal adult levels in most kittens, including those reacting fearfully during testing and aggressively during restraint, and, therefore, are not a reliable indicator of stress in juvenile cats.

Aggression↗