Abnormal and Repetitive Behaviours

Question 1

Are the majority of behaviours complained about abnormal?

Answer 1

No - normal for the species but unacceptable to owners eg. urine spraying, aggression
BUT abnormal can occur - behaviours not part of the normal repertoire and have no adaptive value

Question 2

What is a stereotypy? What are these similar to?

Answer 2

No obvious aim or function eg. horses weaving, zoo/farm animals repetitive locomotor behaviours
-“repetitive invariant behaviour patterns with no obvious goal or function
-often related to suboptimal husbandry
Similar to Compulsive disorder (=OCD in humans but avoiding issue of conscious obsession)

Question 3

What is the accepted term for stereotypies/compulsive disorders? Who proposed this?

Answer 3

Garner 2006 - Abnormal Repetitive Behaviour (ARB)

Question 4

Give some figures for prevalence of ARBs in cat and dog population with reference

Answer 4

Ontario Veterinary College Luescher 1998
3.5% dogs
6% cats

Question 5

Give examples of ABNORMAL behaviours

Answer 5

May be locomotor or oral 
Circling 
Tail chasing 
Pacing
Pouncing
Chasing light points 
Staring at shadows 
Startle response suddenly 
Chewing feet 
Excessive licking 
FLy-snapping (often hallucinatory)
Air or noise licking 
Flank sucking 
Hyperaesthesia
Pica
Polydipsia/phagia
Sidden aggression at self or object 
Rhythmical vocalistion

Question 6

In which breed is flank sucking predisposed?

Answer 6

Doberman

Question 7

What are Staffordshire bull terriers predisposed to do?

Answer 7

Spinning

Question 8

In which breeds is tail chasing predisposed?

Answer 8

GSD and australian cattle dogs

Question 9

What are miniature shnauzers predisposed to do?

Answer 9

Check their hind end

Question 10

What are border collies predisposed to?

Answer 10

Shadow chasing/light staring 
Running circular tracks 
Fly snapping (partial seizures in the visual cortex)

Question 11

Can repetitive behaviours be down to seizures?

Answer 11

Maybe initially, but not continuously

Question 12

What is the function os a stereotypy or ARB?

Answer 12

Lowering arousal
Coping mechanism - kennelled dogs showing stereotypies actually have lower levels of stress physiologically
- at start often only seen in high stress situations, gradually threshold lowers until become commonplace

Question 13

What may occur if no behavioural solution is found by the animals to control the stress response?

Answer 13

Prolonged physiological stress -> changes in physiology and immunology -> FIC/IBS

Question 14

How do these behaviours develop?

Answer 14

Start for a range of reasons
Reinforced as a strategy within a particular context
Occour in response to predictive cues
Then generalisation

Question 15

What are possible causes or origin behaviours?

Answer 15

Developmental - behaviours occurring during brain development
Frustration - not being able to perform behaviours motivated to perform
Prolonged, inescapable or extreme stress
Situations of emotional conflict (Displacement behaviour)
Medical reason eg. licking wound
Reinforced externally

Question 16

Why may abnormal repetitive behaviours cause problems with life?

Answer 16

May be performed at the detriment of other behaviours like eating

Question 17

What is emancipation in the context of ARBs?

Answer 17

Behaviour is eventually performed whenever the animal is aroused -> situation you see behaviour performed in is NOT necessarily what caused the development of the behaviour
“Behaviour is emancipated from causal factors”

Question 18

How should ARB cases be treated?

Answer 18

Identify trigger factors - remove/reduce and then DS/CC animal to these factors
Remove external reinforcement of behaviour
Treat inflammatory / pain réponses caused by behaviour
Reduce stress generally - training, hide places
Potentially drug therapy

Question 19

What is the most common ARB in cats ?

Answer 19

Over grooming

• pyschogenic alopecia
• over-grooming syndrome
• atypical neurodermatitus/hyperaesthesia

Question 20

What are the symptoms of over grooming in cats?

Answer 20

Excessive grooming/plucking/chewing - flanks and front 
FOcal or generalised alopecia 
Broken hair-shafts 
Mainly caudal body 
Regurgitation of hair 
GIT disturbances

Question 21

How do compulsive chewing disorders manifest differently in cats and dogs

Answer 21

Cats will not chew paws

Dogs will

Question 22

How does over grooming develop?

Answer 22

medical problems eg. FAD or dietary allergy
Reinforced by owner
Displacement activity - often after conflict or near a stressful event

Question 23

What is pica?

Answer 23

Ingestion of non-food material

Question 24

What condition may appear to be similar to pica but has different origin?

Answer 24

Ripping up materials but not eating them

Question 25

What are common materials for pica?

Answer 25

Wool (esp prevalent in burmese and siamese)
Cotton
Plastic/wood (non-orientals)

Question 26

Why may pica occur?

Answer 26

Misidentification of food i.e. thinks its a mouse
Medical differentials - Liver disease -> polyphagia
Cognitive dysfunction
Dental/oral pain
Gastric foreign body

Question 27

What are the breed predispositions associated with pica?

Answer 27

Especially seen in siamese and burmese

Question 28

When does pica often begin?

Answer 28

Stressful event eg. house move, breeder to new owner, sexual maturity ~1yr

Question 29

How can medical pica potentially be differentiated?

Answer 29

Give shredded wool with food to rule out actual need to digest the wool