BEHAVIOUR - Small Animal Reproductive Behaviour Flashcards
What should you always ask owners when they present their animal for neutering?
Why do you want to neuter them?
What are some of the normal influences of sex hormones on behaviour in bitches and queens?
Hormonal variations in behaviour
Competition between other females (more seen in bitches)
What are some of the clinical influences of sex hormones on behaviour in bitches and queens?
Pseudopregnancy
Ovarian remnant syndrome (ORS)
Polycystic ovaries
What are the clinical signs of pseudopregnancy?
Nesting
Anxiety
Aggression
Lactation
Mammary gland development
Anorexia
Pain
Vomiting
What are some of the complications post neutering in females?
Pseudopregnancy
Pain
Ovarian remnant sydrome (ORS)
What are the clinical signs of pseudopregnancy post-spay?
Often signs of pseudopregnancy aren’t as characteristic as before neutering. Often they present with unpredictable aggression so it is important to consider pseudpregnancy as a cause if females suddenly present with behavioural changes post spay
What are some of the normal influences of sex hormones on behaviour in male dogs and cats?
Testosterone influence on temparement (tends to make the males more confident)
What are some of the clinical influences of sex hormones on behaviour in male dogs and cats?
Decrease in testosterone (due to neutering) resulting in anxiety
What are the functions of testosterone?
Normal behaviour
Secondary male characteristics
Function of accessory glands
Production of spermatozoa (sperm)
Maintenance of the male duct system
What is the role of testosterone in aggression?
Testosterone does not inheritely cause aggression, however the increased confidence provided by testosterone in combination with environmental factors such as other intact males, territorial resources etc. could result in aggression
What are the secondary male characteristics?
Urine marking/spraying
Mounting/humping
Awareness of bitches/queens in season
Male to male aggression (mostly male dogs, but can be male owners)
Territorial behaviour
What behaviours can indicate males are aware of bitches/queens in season?
Vocalisation
Pacing
Inappetence
Escape/roaming/poor recall
Sniffing the air
Flehmen response
Remember they can detect even a few molecules of female hormones over miles
How can you differentiate dog to dog aggression from male to male aggression?
If the male dog is being aggressive towards bitches, especially spayed bitches, this is more indicative of dog to dog aggression rather than a secondary sexual characteristic. In this case, castration won’t change the behaviour
What factors should you consider when advising if castration would be appropriate for male dogs?
Which behaviours are they displaying?
Did these behavioural changes start at puberty?
Duration of these behaviours?
Intensity of these behaviours?
Is there concurrent anxiety?
Why is it important to establish if the unwanted male behaviours started at puberty?
It is important to determine if the unwanted behaviours started at puberty, as if not castration is unlikely to resolve them
What are some of the key signs of puberty in male dogs?
Humping
Cocking their leg to urinate
Marking their territory
Increased confidence/aggression
Which factors can influence male dogs cocking their leg to urinate?
Puberty can be indicated a month before to a month after they begin cocking their leg (this is a rough guide)
Leg cocking is influenced by both testosterone surge and mimicry. If they are a male dog living with female dogs, they may not cock their leg. However, if they are living with other males they may cock their leg earlier. Furthermore, if the dog dog has hip or back pain, this can reduce the chance of them cocking their leg
(T/F) You should never neuter male dogs with concurrent anxiety
FALSE. You can neuter male dogs with concurrent anxiety as long as you weigh up the pros and cons and consider it on a case by case basis
What should you make owners aware of regarding behaviour post castration?
Though secondary male characteristics should stop approximately within 2 weeks post castration, however learned behaviours will take longer and may require training
What are some of the behavioural potential complications of castration?
Anxiety
Aggression
What should you consider if a dog presents with anxiety or aggression post castration?
Pain is a likely cause, especially immediatly after castration or even after the rest period post castration. Also consider anal sac changes as when dogs are castrated their anal sac secretions can smell more like a bitch in season, which can cause intact dogs to pester them which can result in anxiety/aggression. Make sure to consider these before lack of testosterone as a cause
How can you manage aggression in multidog households?
If the aggression is hormonally driven (i.e. intact bitches as they come into season) then neuter all animals in the household. Try to do this as soon as possible to prevent this from becoming learned behaviours
How can you manage resource guarding behaviour?
SHAPE programme, and if behaviour modification works but the dog still challenges at any given opportunity, and is displaying sexually dimorphic behaviours, then it could be beneficial to neuter them
