•Visual and verbal interactions did not reduce dog anxiety during the examination.•Stressed dogs increased their eye contact with owners during the examination.•Scolding increased dogs stress when ...dogs were manipulated by veterinarians.•Owners and dogs synchronised their behaviours at the end of the examination.•Owner and dog stress were not associated during the consultation.
Dogs synchronise their behaviour with those of their owners when confronted with an unfamiliar situation and interactions with their owners have been shown to decrease the dog’s stress levels in some instances. However, whether owners may help manage dog anxiety during veterinary consultations remains unclear. In Part I, we compared the behaviour of dogs in the presence or absence of their owners during consultations, which consisted in three phases: exploration, examination, and greeting. Our findings suggest that allowing owners to attend consultations may be beneficial for dogs. In Part II, we investigated the direct relationship between owners’ actions and their dog’s behaviour. Using the videos from Part I, we examined whether: (1) dogs interact more when their owner is more interactive; (2) owners’ stress scores are related to canine stress-related behaviour and emotional state; (3) owners’ actions influence canine stress-related behaviours, emotional state and tolerance to manipulations; (4) canine stress-related behaviours and emotional state are associated with increased eye contact with their owners. We analysed the recordings of 29 dog-owner dyads submitted to a veterinary consultation in Part I. The behaviours of the dogs and their owners were analysed, and their emotional states were scored. The ease of manipulations was also scored.
Despite limitations (e.g. no physical contact during examinations, no invasive procedures, aggressive dogs excluded, no male owners, limited sample size), our study showed a link between dog and owner behaviours: when owners attended an examination, their negative behaviours intensified the signs of anxiety in their dogs. Additionally, visual and verbal attempts to comfort their dog had no significant effect. However, we observed that the more dogs displayed stress-related behaviours, the more they established eye contact with their owners, suggesting that dogs seek information (through social referencing) or reassurance from their owners.
•Dogs visually referred to their owner during veterinary examination.•Stress-related behaviours were not modified by owner presence during examination.•Owner presence did not increase difficulty to ...handle dogs during examination.•Presence of owner improved emotional state of dogs before examination.•Owner presence during veterinary consultation is a better option for dogs’ welfare.
Veterinary practices can be stressful places for dogs. Decreasing stress during veterinary consultations is therefore a major concern, since animal welfare matters both for owners and veterinarians. Stress can be expressed through behaviour modifications; monitoring canine behaviour is thus one way to assess stress levels. We also know that the owner can affect dog behaviour in different ways. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the effect of the presence of owners on the behaviour of their dogs in veterinary consultations. We studied 25 dog-owner dyads at two standardised veterinary consultations, conducted at intervals of 5–7 weeks; the owner was present for the first consultation and absent for the second (O/NoO group, n = 12), or vice versa (NoO/O group, n = 13). A consultation consisted in three phases: exploration, examination, greeting. Dog behaviours were compared between the two conditions using a video recording.
Despite some limitations (e.g. no male owners, the exclusion of aggressive dogs, a limited sample size, minimally invasive veterinary examinations, restricted owner-dog interactions), our results showed that the presence or absence of the owner had no significant effect on the stress-related behaviour of the dog or the veterinarian’s ability to handle the animal during the examination phase (P > 0.05). Nevertheless, the behaviour of the dogs towards people was affected before, during, and after the veterinary examination. In the presence of their owner, dogs were more willing to enter the consultation room (P < 0.05), and they appeared more relaxed during the exploration phase (P < 0.01). During the examination, dogs looked in direction of their owner in both situations (owner present and behind the door, respectively; P < 0.001). These results suggest that allowing the owner to stay in the room during veterinary consultations is a better option for canine welfare.
Les intolérances aux sucres sont une cause classique de diarrhée à début néonatal. Nous en rapportons 7 observations d’étiologie particulière : la malabsorption du glucose et du galactose, maladie ...génétique autosomique récessive dont le gène est désormais séquencé. Les 7 observations ont été recensées par les gastro-entérologues pédiatres de l’inter-région Ouest de la France entre les années 1984 et 2010. La prévalence de la maladie calculée à partir de ces 7 cas était dans cette inter-région de 1/461134 naissances. Les 7 enfants étaient nés dans 5 familles dont une famille de 1 frère et de 1 sœur et une famille de 2 sœurs. Chez les 7 enfants, le symptôme initial avait été une diarrhée à début néonatal, prise en charge entre 1 et 5j de vie et compliquée 6 fois sur 7 d’une déshydratation. Chez tous les enfants, le repos digestif avait entraîné un arrêt de la diarrhée. Dans 2 cas, les antécédents dans la fratrie avaient orienté le diagnostic mais dans les autres cas ce sont les épreuves d’exclusion-réintroduction et le succès de l’exclusion du glucose et du galactose qui avaient permis le diagnostic. Dans 2 cas, le test à l’hydrogène avait été positif. Dans 2 cas l’hyperglycémie provoquée par voie orale avait mis en évidence une courbe plate au glucose et une flèche normale pour le fructose. Aucun cas n’a eu d’étude en biologie moléculaire. Tous ces enfants vont bien actuellement. L’intolérance congénitale au glucose et au galactose est une cause exceptionnelle de diarrhée néonatale. Elle doit être connue car son diagnostic peut être facilement réalisé par des épreuves d’exclusion des sucres concernés et son pronostic est alors excellent.
Congenital glucose-galactose malabsorption (CGGM) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, which presents as a protracted diarrhea in early neonatal life. We describe the clinical history, diagnostic evaluation, and management of 7 children with CGGM in western France. There were 4 girls and 3 boys from 5 families, born between 1984 and 2010. The principal complaint was a neonatal onset of watery and acidic severe diarrhea complicated by hypertonic dehydration. The diarrhea stopped with fasting. In 2 cases, the family history supported the diagnosis. In the other cases, elimination of glucose and galactose (lactose) from the diet resulted in the complete resolution of diarrhea symptoms. In 2 cases, the H2 breath tests were positive. In 2 cases, the HGPO or oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) demonstrated an abnormal curve with glucose and a normal curve with fructose. DNA sequencing was not used. When glucose and galactose were eliminated from the diet, the infants had normal growth and development. In conclusion, CGGM is a rare etiology of neonatal diarrhea; however, the diagnosis is easy to make and the prognosis is excellent.
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