Efficacy of dog-appeasing pheromone (DAP) for ameliorating separation-related behavioral signs in hospitalized dogs |
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| Authors: | Young-Mee Kim Jong-Kyung Lee AM Abd el-aty Sung-Hee Hwang Jae-Hoon Lee Sang-Mok Lee |
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| Institution: | Department of Veterinary Physiology (Kim, Hwang, Sang-Mok Lee), Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology (Abd el-aty), Department of Veterinary Surgery (Jae-Hoon Lee), College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Lee Jong-Kyung Veterinary Clinic (Jong-Kyung Lee), Dohawa-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, 12211-Giza, Egypt (Abd el-aty) |
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| Abstract: | Dogs hospitalized in veterinary clinics are likely to show signs of separation-induced anxiety from hospitalization. The study assessed the effect of dog-appeasing pheromone (DAP) on 10 typical separation-related behavioral signs in hospitalized dogs. A DAP treated group (n = 24) was compared with a placebo control group (n = 19). There was overall amelioration of the signs without ‘vigilance’ and ‘anorexia’ in the DAP-treated dogs; marked decreases were noted in elimination (P = 0.038), excessive licking (P = 0.005), and pacing (P = 0.017). The results suggest that the use of DAP could decrease separation-induced anxiety, distress, and fear in inpatients, and possibly facilitate recovery in hospitalized dogs. |
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