Behaviour Flashcards
what are the parts of the health triad?
physical health
cognitive health
emotional health
what are the positive emotional motivation also known as?
engaging
what are the positive emotional motivations?
desire seeking
social play
lust
care
what are the negative emotional motivations also known as?
protective
what are the negative emotional motivations?
frustration
fear-anxiety
pain
panic-grief
what is the desire seeking system used for?
motivates animals to move to places with more potential for finding/consuming resources (food, water, shelter, toys…)
what are some problematic behaviours of dogs associated with the desire seeking system?
fridge raiding
chasing other pets/animals
counter surfing
what are some problematic behaviours of cats associated with the desire seeking system?
hunting prey
hunting animals ankles/fingers
what is the fear-anxiety system used for?
preserving comfort provided by resources and managing potential threats to them/resources
what are the aims of the behavioural responses to negative emotions?
take animal away from stimuli (visa versa)
limit potential damage caused by stimuli
what are the two ways of achieving the behavioural responses associated with negative emotions?
increase distance between stimuli/animals
increase information known about the trigger
what is the pain system used for?
maintenance of body integrity and function (sensation and motivation)
what are the ways in which the pain system can be activated?
actual or potential tissue damage
what is the lust system used for?
organises reproductive needs ranging from attraction/approach to mating
what is the care system used for?
maintaining/creating the bonds to offspring and nurturance towards other
what is the panic-grief system used for?
relates to the safeguarding/protection of young and survival of the species
what is the social play system used for?
providing information to individuals about an animals own social competence (tactile play)
when can the social play system be problematic?
between different species
between different breeds (sizes)
between different ages
what is the frustration system used for?
triggered by failure to meet expectations or obtain resources or control, it intensifies other behavioural responses
what is the frustration system always associated with?
another emotion
what can cause aggressive responses?
whenever an animal becomes frustrated involving another system (lust, social play…)
what may cause emotional motivations to be presented as problematic behaviour by the owner?
compromised physical/cognitive health
miscommunication between different species
suboptimal physical/social environment
define emotional stability
ability to remain emotionally stable and balanced (within your capacity)
define emotional capacity
level of emotional arousal that an individual can tolerate without significant/long lasting negative outcomes
define emotional valenece
the extent to which an emotion is positive or negative
define emotional arousal
intensity of an emotional motivation/response
define emotional resilience
ability to adapt to stressful situations, coping with positive and negative emotions
what group of people have a high level of responsibility for an animals emotional stability?
breeders
how do breeders effect animals emotional stability?
selection of breeding stock
caring for pregnant animal
early puppy rearing
what are the two types of learning?
classical conditioning
operant conditioning
what model can be used to understand emotional capacity?
sink
what does the size of the sink represent?
emotional capacity (capacity for arousal)
what determines the emotional capacity of an animal?
genetics
emotional health of dam
experiences in early weeks of life
experiences during first year of life
what are the two emotional valences? what represents them in the sink model?
positive - cold tap
negative - hot tap
(mix tap)
what does mix tap represent in the sink model?
emotional conflict - triggering positive and negative emotions at the same time
what does the drainage of the sink represent?
emotional resilience
what are some examples of drainage behaviours? (removal of emotional residue)
sleep
chewing
grooming
what effect does high levels of emotional arousal have on their drainage behaviours?
they will be more intense and frequent
what does the overflowing of the sink represent?
displacement behaviours
what are some displacement behaviours?
scratching stretching yawning shaking when not wet lip smacking
are displacement behaviours normal?
they are normal behaviours in an abnormal context
what causes risk of emotional overflow?
low emotional capacity (small sink)
emotional disorders (negative emotions when not justified)
inappropriate physical/emotional environment
high intensity of emotions (taps with more power)
poor emotional resilience (high level of residue water)
how can emotional overflow be prevented?
create good emotional capacity - appropriate breeding/rearing
good socialisation/habituation
good emotional resilience (encourage drainage behaviour)
optimise understanding/knowledge of owners
define emotional intelligence
capacity to be aware, control and express ones emotions
what does teaching emotional intelligence involve?
exposure of young animals to a variety of contexts and rewarding the appropriate response
what are the ways of increasing the distance of an animal from a trigger?
repulsion (fight)
avoidance (flight)
what is the aim of repulsion?
increase distance from and decrease interaction with the trigger
how is repulsion achieved?
influencing the trigger to take action (move away)
what are some repulsion responses?
growling
hissing
air snapping
biting
what is the aim of avoidance?
increase the distance from and decrease the interaction with a trigger
how is avoidance achieved?
the individual taking action to move away
what are they ways of gathering more information from a trigger?
appeasement
behavioural inhibition
what is the aim of appeasement?
increase the availability of information about a trigger
how is appeasement achieved?
actively interacting to gather information and offer signs of non-hostility
what are some examples of appeasement?
jumping up
attention seeking
urinate on greeting (give out scent)
what is behavioural inhibitors?
behavioural shut down where the animal doesn’t interact with the trigger but continues to gather information (passive)
when do animals use behavioural inhibition (passive gathering of information)?
when the trigger is overwhelming in terms of magnitude, speed of approach and proximity
what animals use inhibition and appeasement very regularly?
socially obligate animals (want to socialise even if there is negative emotions)
what is behavioural inhibition often misinterpreted as?
being relaxed
what is appeasement often misinterpreted as?
affection/trust
what is often related to whether a behavioural response is problematic or not?
the intensity
when determining if a behavioural response is problematic, what needs to be determined?
if the emotional response is justified by the context
if the behavioural response is justified by the emotion
if the behavioural response is within normal limits in intensity/duration
what is cognitive health important for when relating to behavioural medicine?
establishing innate/reflex behaviours
developing appropriate emotional associations with objects, people, animals
developing behaviours that are compatible with domestic living
what are the forms of learning?
classical (pavlovian)
operant
what are the two main features of classical conditioning?
involuntary or reflex response
doesn’t involve reward
describe the stages of classical conditioning
an unconditioned stimuli leads to an unconditioned response, repeated exposure to this unconditioned stimuli then leads to a conditioned stimuli which causes a conditioned response
what is an example of classical conditioning?
house training a puppy
what is the unconditional stimulus when house training a puppy?
full bladder/bowel
what is the unconditioned response when house training a puppy?
urination/defeacation
what is the conditioned stimulus when house training a puppy?
substrate (grass) and location (outside)
what can using punishment during house training a puppy lead to?
animal not toilet in front of people
eating faeces
what are the learning processes involved in classical conditioning in emotional healthcare?
socialisation and habituation
what is the aim of classical conditioning in preventative emotional healthcare?
decrease salience (emotional flow rate)
encourage positive/neutral social response
reduce negative emotional responses
what is very important factor of effective socialisation and habituation?
animal must be in a positive emotional bias
what happens if the animal is in a negative emotional bias during socialisation/habituation?
sensitisation
what is the species specific behaviour that should be remembered during socialisation/habituation?
they are social obligate - socialisation needs to be activ
what are important factors for achieving appropriate socialisation/habituation for puppies?
rearing environment resembles ultimate home
suitable environmental/social stimuli
what is the species specific behaviour that should be remembered during socialisation/habituation of cats?
social but not obligate - socialisation with human is priority over other cats
how are social interactions between cats described?
low intensity an high frequency
what are the three events involved in operant (instrumental) conditioning?
stimulus
response
consequence
what are some commonly reported operant conditioning related problems in emotionally healthy pets?
lack of recall
pulling on lead
not getting down from furniture
not release objects
why does operant conditioning go wrong?
lack of consistency lack of patiences poor training environment inappropriate response selection poor cue selection poor timing of cue delivery poor consequence selection problems with consequence delivery inappropriate use of punishment
what may be the issue with the selection of a consequence during operant conditioning?
not salient enough
not appetitive for individual
how can the success of operant conditioning be improved?
keep it calm (low arousal)
keep it simple
keep it short
keep it fun
how should history for behavioural cases be taken?
chronologically (timeline including behavioural and medical)
what are the 4 ways in which physical disease and behavioural change may be linked?
developmental
immediate
learned
emotional
describe how physical disease and behavioural disease may be linked to development of the animals
severe illness in early life can effect socialisation and habituation or can develop negative associations with humans due to medication/intervention
what effect can endocrine imbalances have on behaviour?
cause anxiety
what are some behavioural consequences of chronic pain?
aggression
indoor toileting (poor mobility)
anxiety - decreased play/interaction
(these behaviours can become ritualised)
what physical health implications can be caused by physiological stress?
changes to mucosal integrity
alterations to immune function
alterations in weight management
perception of pain
what is a sign of chronic physiological stress?
repeated ill health
what are some common diseases associated with physiological stress?
dermatological conditions
urinary tract conditions (feline idiopathic cystitis)
GI conditions
obesity
what two behavioural presentations are commonly used to confirm pain?
resentment of palpation
confrontational behaviour
what are the two types of acute pain that can present with behavioural change?
accidental
surgical
why is it more difficult to confirm pain in cats?
they present in a much more passive way
what are the long term practical consequences of pain?
lead to behavioural change once pain episode is over (classical conditioning)
chronic pain can follow
what can influence the perception of acute pain and chronic post surgical pain?
being in a negative emotional bias
what are behavioural changes associated with osteoarthritis?
gait changes (limping/stiffness) compromised ability to get in car
what are some systems that can cause chronic pain?
orthopaedic/soft tissue periodontal dermatological visceral neuropathic
what is the evolutionary benefit of chronic pain?
no benefit (maladaptive)
what factors influence the presence of chronic pain in the population?
surgical procedures
lack of treatment at early stage
inappropriate breeding
inappropriate housing
what system of the brain is involved in the physiology of pain?
limbic
what are some physical signs of chronic pain?
gait change excessive licking/grooming altered toileting behaviour compromised posture absence of behaviours (particularly cats)
what are the most readily associated emotional driven responses to chronic pain?
avoidance (flight)
repulsion (fight)
inhibition
appeasement
what are some displacement behaviours that indicate high emotional arousal?
shaking when not wet
yawning
stretching
lip licking
what is a behavioural disorder?
when the emotional response is not proportional/appropriate to the situation
what needs to be identified when assessing emotional health?
emotional motivation
influences on the emotion (genetics/environment)
emotional arousal
emotional resilience
what events should be marked on a timeline for behavioural history taking?
medical
behavioural
environmental (social/physical)
what should be marked on a house plan?
all doors and windows access points resting places food/water litter trays/toilets
what is the first stage of modifying fear-anxiety related behaviour?
reduce residual negative emotion (empty the sink)
how can the input of emotional triggers be reduced?
limit exposure
dilute the trigger
modify social environment
modify physical environment
what is the second phase of behavioural therapy?
alter the emotional response
how can an emotional response be modified?
neutralise the animals reaction to a problematic stimuli (desensitisation)
change animals perception of the emotional stimuli through counter-conditioning
what is looked at to assess emotional state?
body position
facial expression
ear position
tail position
what does frantic wagging of the tip of a dogs tail suggest?
it is in a negative state
what is windmill wagging of a dogs tail associated with?
emotional conflict
what are some ways in which feline natural behaviours are compromised in the home?
living with unrelated individuals
share resources
denied opportunity to hide
repeated lifting/affection
what are the aims of a cats development?
develop content/social cat
mutually beneficial relationship
positive relationship with vet
what is environmental enrichment?
providing excess of what is required
what is environmental optimisation?
providing environmental needs for an individual
what are the two components to environmental enrichment?
within the house
outside of the house
what are the five pillars of feline health?
provide a safe place
provide opportunity for play/predatory behaviour
provide positive consistent/predictable human interaction
provide an environment that respects the cats sense of smell
provide multiple separate resources
what is there an increased risk of if an owner fails to provide a safe place for cats?
fear anxiety motivation
frustration of desire-seeking system
how does a cats play motivation change after 2-3 years of age?
changes from intra-specific rough/tumble to object play
what needs to happen to maintain the interest of cats in play?
there must be change associated with the toy (movement/noise)
if there is not adequate opportunity for play/predatory behaviour for cats, what can the behavioural consequences be?
predatory behaviour towards inappropriate targets
obesity
what are the most important resources for cats?
food water resting places latrines entry/exit points
how is neurochemistry altered?
by promoting biogenic amines
promote inhibitory neurotransmitters
what are examples of biogenic amines?
catecholamines (dopamine, noradrenaline)
serotonin
what is the main inhibitory transmitter?
GABBA
what cases is medication used for?
high arousal
negative emotions
compulsive responses
what medications influence serotonin?
tricyclic antidepressants
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors
what is an example off a tricyclic antidepressant?
clomipramine
what actions do tricyclic antidepressants have?
serotonergic
noradrenergic
what should tricyclic antidepressants not be administered with?
MAOBIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors)
what is an example of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor?
fluoxetine
what should selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors not be administered with?
MAOBIs
what is an example of a serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors?
trazodone
what should serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors not be administered with?
MAOBIs
why can serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors be used for situational anxiety?
they have a rapid onset on action
what can serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors be used in combination with?
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
what does MAOBI stand for?
monoamine oxidase B inhibitors
what is the MAOBI used in veterinary medicine?
selegiline hydrochloride
what is the primary effect of MAOBIs?
dopaminergic (also effects serotonin and noradrenaline)
what drugs are primarily used for canines in situation anxiety cases?
benzodiazepines
what drugs can cause memory blocking?
benzodiazepines
what drugs can be used to treat disrupted sleep patterns?
benzodiazepines (lorazepam)
what benzodiazepine is commonly used in behaviour medicine?
alprazolam
what are the side effects of benzodiazepines?
paradoxical excitement
amnesia
hepatic side effects
what can dexmedotomidine be used for?
anxiolytic and sedative action to mild fears
what is an example of a beta blocker?
propranolol
what are beta blockers used for?
situational anxiety to reduce somatic effects of anxiety (reduces sensation of anxiety)
what are some anti-epileptics used in behavioural medicine?
imepitoin
topiramate
what is used to chemical castrate dogs?
deslorelin
what can be used to sedate a dog prior to a home visit?
alprazolam (benzodiazepine)
trazodone
what drugs are used for situational anxiety?
benzodiazepines dexmedotomidine beta blockers gabapentin SARI
what drugs are used for generalised anxiety?
TCA
SSRI
SARI
anti-epileptics
what are the two main reasons for using nutraceuticals?
influence cognitive function
influence emotional state
how do nutraceuticals support cognitive dysfunction?
alter oxidative balance (antioxidants, essential fatty acids, phosphotidylserine)
what is the synthetic canine pheromone?
dog appeasing pheromone (adaptil)
what are the three synthetic feline pheromones?
feliway classic
feliway friends
feliway optimum
what is the emotional motivation for firework related problems?
fear-anxiety
frustration
what are the three approaches to firework related problems?
prevention
management
treatment
how are firework related fears prevented?
creating emotional stability and encouraging positive cognitive bias
