emotions and their purpose in companion animals

what is behavioural medicine

Central to the Heath Model and the discipline of veterinary behavioural medicine is improved understanding of the complex nature of health and the concept of the health triad

• Physical

• Emotional

• Cognitive

Potential for dis-ease in emotional and cognitive health as well as physical health

All three are inter-related

Behavioural output is linked to all three aspects of health

emotional motivations

Jaak Panksepp model

severn emotional motivationsal systems divided into

• positive emotions

• negative emotions

all are good emotions when they are experienced in an appropriate and justified context

engaging emotional motivations

desire-seeking

social play

lust

care

protective emotional motivations

frustration

fear-anxiety

pain

panic-grief

seeking system

general purpose neuronal system that motivated animals to move places where they have more potential of finding and consuming resources needed for survival e.g food, water, shelter

social play system

gives info to individuals about their own social competence and potential in relation to others

lust system

organises specific reproductive needs, ranging from attraction or selection of a partner through courtship to any potential bond to mating with sexual behaviour

the care system

dedicated to maintain bonds to individual offspring through recognisable parental care or nurturance towards others

fear-anxiety system

relates to preservation of comfort provided by predictable access to essential resources and management of threats to personal or resource security

intrinsically helps animals avoid dangers and is more adaptive to feel anticipatory fear than be attacked and harmed

pain system

related to maintenance of body integrity and functioning and it is both distincy sensation and a motivation

activation of the system is a response to environmental stimuli which are related to actual or potential tissue damage

panic system

triggered by lack of access to a source of nurturing

relates to safeguarding of survival of young and therefore protection of genetic survival of species

frustration system

triggered by failure to meet expectations, obtain resources or retain control

system intensifies and accelerates behavioural responses

associated with confrontational behaviours when animals don’t have control over situation when they are irritated or restrained

In cases of confrontational behaviour the frustration s ystem is often activated in association with one of the other systems

Failure to be able to respond to an emotional motivation successfully results in frustration

This may be due to the physical or social environment or due to human interactions and interventions

when are emotional motivations problematic

It is the behavioural responses to emotional motivations which are identified by clients as being problematic behaviours

In some cases the emotional motivation leading to the behaviour is entirely normal

Behavioural responses to these emotions are cause for concern when the emotional motivations are present due to:

• Compromised physical or cognitive health

• Miscommunication between different species

• Environments are sub-optimal= Physical, Social