Animal interactions and management

NMSK week 8

what does ‘behaviour’ mean in veterinary medicine

• a component of welfare

• relevant to supporting human-animal bond

• applicable in daily animal interactions

what is behavioural management

• problem behaviour idenfication and resolution

what are the 7 points to consider during animal handling

1. species origin and evolutionary history

2. individual animal’s history, context of interaction

3. assess environment and maximise environmental comfort

4. assess body language, indication of comfort level

5. assess own body language and behaviour and how this may affect the animal

6. assess handler language and attitude toward the animal

7. handling tools

8. safe and effective restraint

name 6 things to consider when assessing the environment

1. visual stimuli

2. auditory stimuli

3. olfactory

4. tactile

5. gustatory

6. owner/handler presence

what is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

• a human theory of motivation

define an emotion

• a response to a stimulus, short lived

define a mood

• a positive or negative, not reliant on stimulus, longer-lasting

what is temperament

• an individual’s emotional predisposition (genetics and life experiences), long-lasting

what are the 7 basic emotional systems and who are they presented by?

• Jaak Panksepp

  1. seeking

  2. rage

  3. fear

  4. panic

  5. lust

  6. play

  7. care

How can we optimise veterinary interactions

Before the interaction:

• guide the owner on how to prepare their pets for a visit to the clinic

• consider how the clinic is set up and the environment

• consider my own skills and abilities/limitations

General considerations:

• animals have neophobia (fear of new things)

• promote development of resilience (+ve reinforcement)

• support human-animal bond development

• work with the owner (they have the biggest influence)

How can owners prepare their animals for future veterinary interactions?

• skin pinches

• syringes

• touching neck/head/body

• lifting onto tables

• visits to the vet practice for fun

• raising jugular vein

• training (e.g. clicking/muzzles)

• using tasty flavoured pastes in worming tubes

• experience novel tastes (add flavours to feed)

• provide different forage types (for horses)

What are some things to consider to create a calm environment in a clinic?

• what’s going on in the environment

• minimise stressors

• weather conditions

• any -ve experiences previously?

• is the animal in pain?

• consider their sensory perception

what can we do to optimise veterinary interactions during the interaction?

1. utilise low stress handling techniques

2. distractors

3. rewards

4. assess animal body language

what is an important consideration for stereotypies? (anatomically)

• there’s a neurological basis

You’ve been presented with a bird that’s been plucking its own feathers, what possible causes are there and how can we treat each cause?

1. infection - medication

2. parasites - antiparasitic medication

3. has the bird imprinted on its previous owner/person who raised it? - get it a friend?

4. Nutritional - give advice on nutrition

5. stress - evaluate environment and put plans in place to reduce stress

6. nicotine exposure - don’t smoke in the same room + decontaminate?

7. lonely? - e.g. cockatoos need to/should be in pairs.

what is the Cat friendly Clinic?

• gives accreditation to veterinary practices (bronze, silver or gold) for the way their clinics are set up for optimal cat care

What are key points outlined by the Cat friendly clinic to ensure a cat friendly clinic? (to achieve gold?)

1. cats don’t travel well and often feel unsafe away from home

2. cats are highly sensitve to new sights, sounds and smelly

3. is the environment quiet and can the cats be separated from other animals

4. can the cats be separated from dogs?

5. blankets should be available to cover carriers and places to keep carriers off the floor

6. separate cat-only ward and offer larger cages

7. have a cat only dedicated consult room, 15min minimum consult time with longer for complex cats, old cats, behavioural consultations and complex cases

8. separate dedicated operating times

9. higher level of equipment is required

what is meant by a vice?

• a bad habit

what is meant by stereotypical behaviour?

• well defined behavioural acts which are repeated over and over again which seems to be without any apparent adaptive function

• can be positive and negative

what can cause wind sucking

• hereditary

• learned behaviour (watching others)

• boredom

• stress

• lack of forage

what can we do to manage wind sucking

• adequate forage

• windsucking collar

• changing the stable environment

• ensure 3Fs are met

• increase enrichment opportunities

• increase turnout time

• increase ventilation in stalls

• slow feeder

• toys

• regular exercise

• enable social interaction

what is environmental enrichment?

• providing an environment which provides the animal with both physical and mental stimulation opportunities and encouraging expression of natural behaviours

what are the goals of enrichment strategies?

• enable the animal to have as close to a natural environment as possible to express natural behaviours

what examples of enrichment strategies are there?

• toys

• different levels (e.g. cat scratch posts)

• more exercise opportunities

• mimicking natural environment

How does a stereotypical behaviour develop?

• boredom

• watching others

• stress

• anxiety

• lack of stimulation

• can be hereditary

how can we treat stereotypical behaviours?

• identify the problem which is resulting in the behavioural problem

• solve that problem

what is the neurological link to stereotypical behaviours

• intestinal and CNS dysregulation link

• may be linked to chronic stress exposure during early development

what is the primary duty as a veterinarian with out patients?

• relief suffering and pain (do no harm)

• provide behavioural first aid (day 1 competencies)

what must we avoid as veterinarians when considering pain

• don’t ignore pain because of uncertainties and lack of consensus in assessment of pain

name 12 limitations to pain assessment tools

1. animals present pain in different ways

2. signs of pain can be overt or covert

3. some behaviours suggest pain more than others

4. no single behaviour is pathognomonic for pain

5. objective and subjective assessments can be used to assess pain

6. absence of certain behaviours doesn’t mean no pain

7. knowing what the animals normal behaviour is is essential (owner communication)

8. pain should be assessed in observation and interaction

9. inter and intra-assessor variability will occur

10. some pain is associated with general ill-health e.g. CDS

11. pain can be subtle and take a long time to recognise

12. some behaviours are affected by drugs e.g. ketamine

what are 5 areas we can use as indicators of pain (particularly in cats)

1. movement

2. vocalisation

3. appetite, urination and defecation

4. physiological signs associated with pain

5. interactive behaviours and attitude

what are some common clinical signs of pain in cats

1. depression, immobility or reluctance to move

2. hunched posture with low head position

3. eyes semi-closed: ‘squinting’

4. vocalisation

5. changed facial expression

6. restlessness

7. lower tolerance of handling or interaction with caregiver, manifest in aggression or a flight/avoidance response

8. increased reaction to wound palpation or manipulation of painful area

9. changes in locomotion may include limping, reluctance to jump/climb

10. change in appetite

11. change in grooming habits

12. tail flicking/swishing

13. change in pulse and respiration rates

14. change in urination/defecation habits

what can an inappropriate loud vocalisation in old cats indicate?

• CDS

• cognitive dysfunction syndrome

what are some examples of pain assessment tools

• simple descriptive scales (SDS)

• numerical rating scales

• categorised numerical rating scales (NRS)

• visual analogue scale

• dynamic interactive visual analogue scale (DIVAS)

• predictive (anticipated) pain scoring

• comparison between scoring systems

• composite scales

What are some composite scale

1. UNESP-Botucatu Multidimensional Composite Pain Scale

2. Glasgow Composite measure Pain Scale (CMPS-feline)

what is our most useful tool for assessing pain?

• owners - they know their cats and are best placed to detect subtle changes in behaviour

What are the modern breed of Bos taurus decended from?

• ranging herbivores prone to predatory attack

• strong evolutionary pressure to mask pain and its implied weakness.