Stress levels in dogs: behavioral and physiological evaluation of cortisol and chromogranin A in saliva during bathing and grooming

• Grant number: 13/20595-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2013
• End date: November 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Paulo César Maiorka
• Grantee: Júlia de Carvalho Nakamura
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The current paper aims to relate the level of cortisol and chromogranin A in the saliva of dogs before and after bathing and grooming procedures to the alterations in the physiological and behavioral stress indicators observed during these procedures. Considering the phenomena of antropomorphization of canines and felines, and the growth of the pet market, the analysis of the response of animals to the stressful stimuli at pet shops is necessary to measure animals' well-being in situations considered common. The measurement of biological stress markers is one way of analyzing the animal's well-being, as is the evaluation of behavioral and physiological parameters. The use of cortisol and chromogranin A as stress markers has been made by researchers, allowing the measurement in several fluids, such as blood, saliva, urine and samples of tissue. For the completion of this project, such markers will be measured through saliva, since this is a non-invasive method, therefore reducing the chances of alterations in the levels of these markers due to the handling of animals during sample retrieval. The correlation between the stress markers and the alterations in the physiological and behavioral parameters may serve as a helpful tool during the bathing and grooming of animals, in an attempt to avoid any inconveniences that may eventually appear. (AU)