Individual features of the prenatal stress manifestation in bull terrier female dogs
Abstract
Eighteen pregnant bull terrier female dogs were selected to evaluate the manifestation of prenatal stress. The delivery in the group of pregnant females was observed 65±1 day after the spike in the level of luteinizing hormone in the blood. The criteria for the behavior characteristics of females before delivery included their motor activity, anxiety, aggression towards animals or people, seeking contact with people and isolation and finding a quiet place. The assessment of temperament traits was carried out at the stage of planning the experiment using the unified C-BARQ method. It was established that before delivery (in 4–20 hours), females are in a state of prenatal stress, as indicated by an increase in the level of cortisol in blood plasma to 57.3 (35.9–73.1) ng/ml. In most animals, 4–20 hours before delivery, a moderate manifestation of anxiety was noted (in 65% of females), which was expressed in increased motor activity (in 53% of females) and seeking contact with people (in 70.6% of females). It should be noted that in 35% of females there are no changes in motor activity, in 29% there is no expressed anxiety and in 71% of animals there is no aggression towards other animals or people. To a lesser extent, females before delivery experienced severe anxiety (in 65% of cases) with a significant increase in motor activity (in 12% of females) with a manifestation of pronounced aggression towards other animals and people (in 6% of females). Moreover, 12% of females try to isolate themselves and find a quiet place before delivery. Reliable interrelationships of the cortisol content in the blood plasma with the behavior of females before delivery and certain temperament traits were established. The level of cortisol was directly related to the manifestation of aggression towards animals or people (r=0.54; P≤0.05), the manifestation of restlessness (r=0.47; P≤0.05) and increased motor activity (r= 0.63; P≤0.01). The level of cortisol in the blood plasma of females before delivery is significantly correlated with the degree of aggression (r=0.63; P≤0.01) and inversely associated with trainability and obedience (r=0.52; P≤0 ,05).Downloads
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