Lecture 7 - Anxiety, Fear and Phobia Flashcards
the fear response
- pet perceives stimulus as aversive
- sympathetic activation
- amygdala is triggered
- hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is activated
CNS structures involved in the stress response, fear and anxiety?
thalamic tracts, amygdala, hypothalamus
sympathoadrenal response
EPI and NE released from adrenal gland and subcortical areas of the brain:
can either fight, flight, freeze or fiddle
physiological responses:
HR and RR increases - cardiac output all increase pupils dilate sweating (paws only) peripheral vasoconstriction glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, lipolysis increase in stress hormones
what did one study show in relation to storm phobic dogs?
a 207% increase in plasma cortisol
physical responses
attempts to escape find a safe place shadow owner pace, pant whine/bark
emotional response
subjective experience of terror
effects of chronic stress
immunosuppression - recurrent infections, poor wound healing, etc
altered blood flow - gastric ulcers
displacement behaviors - over-grooming, circling
anxiety
distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune
what do we see in anxious pets?
vigilance, scanning, increased motor activity
tail tucked, ears back, yawning, crouching
fear
an adaptive response that prompts an animal to remove to protect itself from dangers or noxious stimuli and thus increase its chances of survival.
most fears are learned and can be unlearned with gradual exposure
subjective state of fear
presumed to exist when they exhibit specific behaviors: avoidance, crying, shaking, trembling, etc.
phobia
fear that is: perisistant consistent learned irrational not adaptive
what are some common anxieties/fears
strangers
noises
conspecifics (other dogs or cats)
being left alone
management steps:
flooding: not recommended
punishment: DO NOT USE
reward relaxation: ears forward, body and face loose, focused on you
fear of storms
a composite fear that is complex with many stimuli
probable causes of fear of storms
genetic
traumatic/aversive events - classical conditioning response
restricted early experiences (though not likely)
unintentional reinforcement
treatment of thunderstorm phobia: 3 types
anxiolytic medication - a maintenance drug
fast acting - benzodiazepines
acepromoazine - never use alone!
anxiolytic medication
maintenance drug - must be kept on for at least the length of the storm season
ex: SSRIs, TCAs - tolerance is not an issue
benzodiazepines
allows you to get through the storm NOW
- can cause paradoxical excitement, must test first
- increase appetite
- tolerance
- controlled substance
acepromazine
never use alone! increases noise sensitivity use with anxiolytic and benzodiazepine give 1/10 of normal sedative dose, can be given Q8 hours give 30 - 60 minutes prior to the storm
behavior modification
desensitization, classical conditioning
- desensitization is easier if responds to recording - best if done off season
- must determine what stimulus causes the fear response
- session at least 1x/day for 5-10minutes
- increase in such a way that it does not elicit scary response
- slowly pet will learn that it can be relaxed in presence of stimulus
- goal is to change the meaning of the stimulus
- limitations: barometric pressure, ionization, complex grouping of stimuli
classical conditioning
pair the “scary” stimulus with a treat
goal is to change the meaning of the stimulus
other treatment options:
adaptil: dog appeasing pheromones feliway - helps to calm cats acupuncture - first line modality harmonese for dogs - a nutraceutical nutureCALM 24/7 - contains maternal pheremones Calm diet anxitane
harmonese for dogs
a nutraceutical that is anti-anxiety
comes from magnolia plant and phellodendron amurense
calm diet for dogs and cats
contains:
- alpha-casozepine - a peptide from milk with a calming effect
- L-tryptophan - an AA that creates a sense of well-being, precursor to serotonin
anxitane
pure and neurologically active L-theanine AA helps keep anxious or nervous cats and dogs calm, relaxed and well-behaved
found in green tea
storm defender cape and study at tufts
invented by T.F. Critzer
- theory that dogs sense static charge buildup before storm and seek out places to discharge
- cape has metallic lining that discharges dog’s fur and shields him from static charge buildup
- Study: conducted at Tufts. 24 owners of TP dogs - 10 people “moderate to great effect,” 4 “little to no effect.”
study that compared storm defender cape witha placebo cape
both associated with decrease in anxiety though no significance between the two
anxiety wrap
works via gentle maintained pressure on body
other fears treated the same way. 3 simple principles:
- avoidance
- classical conditioning
- desensitization
