The importance of emotional health

Question 1

What factors make up the health triad?

Answer 1

Physical
Cognitive
Emotional

Question 2

Give 4 positive emotional motivations

Answer 2

• Desire seeking
• Social play
• Lust
• Care

Question 3

Give 4 negative emotional motivations

Answer 3

• Frustration
• Fear-anxiety
• Pain
• Panic-grief

Question 4

What is the purpose of positive and negative emotions?

Answer 4

Positive emotions drive an animal to engage/interact with something
Negative emotions are protective

Question 5

What is the desire seeking system?

Answer 5

Motivates the animal to move to places where they have more potential of finding and consuming resources needed for survival

Question 6

What are some clinical behaviour examples of desire seeking in puppies and kittens?

Answer 6

Eating
Sleeping
Resting
Playing

Question 7

What are some clinical examples of desire seeking problem behaviour?

Answer 7

Fridge raiding
Counter surfing
Chasing other species
Scratching

Question 8

What is the fear anxiety system?

Answer 8

Relates to the preservation of comfort provided by the predictable access to essential resources and the management of threats
Helps animals to avoid dangers - more adaptive to feel fear

Question 9

What are some clinical examples of fear anxiety in puppies and kittens?

Answer 9

• First vets visit
• Encountering a new species
• Human approach

Question 10

What are some clinical examples of fear-anxiety related problem behaviour?

Answer 10

Snarling, hiding
Retreating behaviour
Avoidance

Question 11

What are the fear anxiety strategies designed to achieve?

Answer 11

• Take the animal away from the stimulus
• Move the stimulus away from the animal
• Limit damage that can be caused by the stimulus

Question 12

What is the pain system?

Answer 12

Related to the maintenance of body integrity and function - response to the environmental stimuli which are related to actual or potential tissue damage

Question 13

Pain is related to which other negative emotion?

Answer 13

Fear-anxiety (protection of the physical body)

Question 14

What is the lust system?

Answer 14

Organises the specific reproductive needs, ranging from the attraction or the selection of a partner through courtship to any potential bond to mating with a sexual partner

Question 15

What does the lust system lead to behaviour-wise?

Answer 15

Social interaction of a sexual nature - engaging, approach and interaction

Question 16

What are some examples of canine lust related problem behaviour?

Answer 16

• Marking with urine to communicate sexual status
• Mounting behaviour
• Interest in scent leading to lack of recall
• Tension between animals in a household

Question 17

What is the care system?

Answer 17

Dedicated to maintain the bonds to the individual offspring through recognisable parental care

Question 18

Give an example of canine care related problem behaviour

Answer 18

False pregnancy – hormonal influence on nurturing behaviour with no offspring to care for – combination of care and frustration

Question 19

When is the panic-grief system activated?

Answer 19

When the ones receiving nurturing care are separated from their source of nurturing

Question 20

What is the panic grief system?

Answer 20

Safeguarding of the survival of young and therefore the protection of the genetic survival of the species

Question 21

What are clinical examples of panic-grief behaviour in puppies and kittens?

Answer 21

Vocalisation

Seeking nurture

Question 22

Give clinical examples of panic (grief) - related canine problem behaviour

Answer 22

Chewing doors
Howling
Watching through window

Question 23

What is the social play system?

Answer 23

Gives information to individuals about their own social competence and potential in relation to others

Question 24

How is the social play system intraspecific?

Answer 24

Relates to action within your own species - leads to interaction through tactile play

Question 25

What is a main benefit of the social play system?

Answer 25

Allows a threat to be rehearsed – behaviours displayed are often threatening, individuals are learning to respond to threat appropriately – need to have an environment in which participants are secure so there is not a fear response initiated – communication essential

Question 26

What are some clinical examples of social play related problem behaviour?

Answer 26

• Human attemps at social play with dogs and cats – miscommunication, lack of correct signals, context of play not set
• Within different breeds - canine world
• Age differences

Question 27

How does social play behaviour differ in kittens vs adult cats?

Answer 27

Cats are not socially obligate so once they become socially mature (at 2-3 years of age), the motivation for social play is diminished, can cause conflict between kittens and adult cats

Question 28

What acts as triggers for the frustration system?

Answer 28

Failure to meet expectations, obtain recourses of retain control
Failure to be able to respond to an emotional motivation successfully

Question 29

Which system intensifies and accelerates behavioural responses?

Answer 29

Frustration system

Question 30

Why does the frustration system lead to confrontational behaviours?

Answer 30

When animals do not have control over a situation, when they are irritated or restrained

Question 31

What are some clinical examples of frustration related problem behaviour?

Answer 31

• Toy withdrawal leading to barking, jumping up
• Wanting to go on walks, eat, play, etc
• Pulling on leads: can’t fulfil desire-seeking or social play
• Cats - bird feeder outside the window

Question 32

In behavioural medicine what are the most important emotions in terms of developing clinical concerns?

Answer 32

o Pain
o Frustration
o Fear (Anxiety)
o Panic (Grief)

Question 33

Which emotions are less likely to be problematic unless they are coupled with frustration?

Answer 33

o Social Play
o Lust
o Seeking (Desire)
o Care