The Stress-Buster

The stresses and strains of modern living are know to take their toll on humans, but what about their effects on dogs? Isabel George (article your dog magazine Aug 2002) looks at groundbreaking treatment for pets under pressure.

When relationships breakdown, people move house, routines change, and life in the fast lane runs its victims into an emotional brick wall, there is normally a level of medical and social support to ease the human sufferers back on track.  For dogs, stress is something that is experienced but seldom expressed in a way that owners recognise or understand.  Many dogs suffer anxiety in silence, but thanks to new research into the power of doggy 'smells', a technique known as pheromonatherapy looks to hold the key to canine calm.

Scents and security.
The sense of smell is vitally important to dogs.  Smells are a form of communication, a way to mark territory and a method of tracking down friends and enemies.  Recent scientific studies have shown how important a canine's own naturally-produced scents, or pheromones, can be in helping the animal to stay calm in a crisis.  Released into the atmosphere from the surface of the body, pheromones are the key to how dogs (and cats) behave in their environment.  Some influence the animal’s sexual behaviour while others affect their sense of security and happiness.  The scientists Karlson and Luscher first used the term pheromone - derived from the Greek 'pherein' meaning 'to carry' and 'horman' meaning 'to stimulate' - in 1959.  Others have used the term ectohormones or social odours, but whatever the label, scientists agree that these natural chemicals are responsible for affecting behaviour.  Some animals produce a combination of chemicals to create one clear message.  In others, a single chemical is enough to trigger a response.

The pheromones are detected by mammals by means of the vomero-nasal organ, which is located in the nasal cavity.  The receptors there are neurologically linked to the limbic (basic emotion) system in the brain.

The power of pheromones has attracted much scientific interest in recent years.  Five individually responsive pheromones (or fractions) have already been identified in the facial secretions of cats.  But one of the pheromone detected in dogs is causing great excitement for animal behaviour experts like vet Daniel Mills.

"This particular canine pheromone is an incredible find and is the key to providing treatment or thousands of dogs with stress-related conditions and behavioural problems," says Daniel, who is the principal lecturer in behavioural studies and animal welfare at the University of Lincoln.  "This is a very exciting prospect for vets and dog owners."

Pioneering discovery.
French scientists were the first to identify this particular pheromone which is found in all lactating mammals, between three and five days after giving birth.  Produced by the mammary glands, it is passed from the mother to her offspring and conveys constant reassurance: it is natures ultimate feeling of security and anti-anxiety.

Taking this information, the French team went on to produce a synthetic version of this natural feel-good pheromone.  This was launched in the UK earlier this year as a dog-appeasing pheromone - DAP - diffuser. For the past couple of years, Daniel and his University of Lincoln cognition and welfare group, have been working with the dog-appeasing pheromone to assess it's value in the treatment of stressed and troubled canines. "For the first time we have the opportunity to recognise and understand how dogs produce their own natural calm, and how that can be enhanced when they are faced with undue amounts of stress," says Daniel.  "The kind of stress that is often inadvertently put on them by living with humans."

"By identifying the pheromone and replicating the feeling of well-being that is passed on from a mother to her puppies, we can help more dogs overcome anxiety naturally."

Proof of the pudding...
Certainly research carried out by Daniel and French vet Dr Patrick Pageat has already shown that the dog-appeasing pheromone can be very affective in many areas of canine behavioural therapy.  In trials co-ordinate by Dr Pageat and 11 investigators working in four countries, 26 dogs were selected, including 20 displaying destructive behaviour, 18 excessive vocalization and 12 house soiling.  At the end of the 28-day trial, 72 per cent were confirmed as cured or improved.

In each case the pheromone was emitted by way of the DAP diffuser which was placed in the room most used by the dog during the day (one diffuser for every 50 to 70 square metres).  All of the dogs selected showed symptoms of hyper-attachment syndrome and were causing problems at home by being destructive, very vocal or soiling in the owners absence.

By the end of the first week the destructive behaviour was down 27 percent, by the 28th day of the trial these dogs were showing an 85 per cent level of improvement or cure.  Vocalization incidents decreased by 24 per cent in the first week and after 28 days there was an overall decrease of 72 per cent.  House soiling incidents were reduced dramatically by half by the second week of the trial and after 28 days this had further reduced by 66 per cent.

Confidence trick.
"My interpretation of why this pheromone therapy works in dogs," says Daniel, "is based on the release of a chemical signal by the part of the brain that deals with recognition - or more accurately making things appear 'familiar'.  It's the appearance of unfamiliar or 'novelty' signals that trigger the uncertainty of anxiety and stress.  If that uncertainty can be removed, then the stress will cease to exist.  "By introducing a familiar 'signal' like the appeasing pheromone, the dog feels less anxious.  This is why it is so useful in cases of separation anxiety, for example, because the presence of the pheromone makes a dog feel more confidents about what is happening when he is left alone."

This particular pheromone is proving very effective in alleviating stress-related signs in puppies and adult dogs.  Vet Sarah Heath, who through her behavioural referrals clinic success stories, says: "I have used it to help overcome a wide range of anxiety-based problems in dogs.  Manny of them are separation related, such as destructive behaviour and excessive vocalization when the owner is absent, and general attention seeking tactics.  "Pheromonatherapy is also very effective in counteracting a puppy's insecurity in a new home, or reassuring the dog that is anxious in kennel accommodation or whose home is invaded by a 'strange' dog or person.  It is very rewarding to see it work in cases of compulsive disorders, such as excessive licking, and phobias such as noise tolerance.  It really is quite amazing!"  For owners who find they are constantly refereeing the effects of underlying tension between dogs in the same household, pheromonatherapy can reduce the tension and  encourage canine harmony.  As Sarah explains: "In many instances where there are problems between dogs sharing the same space, anxiety and uncertainty are major factors.  And where this is the case, the use of the appeasing pheromone in the home helps to create a more relaxed atmosphere.  The specific use of the pheromone is theses situations is still being investigated and will no doubt bring about some very interesting results."

Of course the synthetic pheromone cannot be used outside so how can it help the dog afraid of going for walks?  "It is important that dogs who fear some aspect of the world beyond their front door are exposed to the appeasing pheromone in the house.  That way their anxiety level is already lowered by the time they reach the outdoors," explains Sarah.  "The same principle applies to other potentially stressful environments such as vet's surgery:  If we can encourage vets to use the diffuser in the consulting room the dog will feel more relaxed during his examination.  That's less stressful for the owner as well as the dog."

Part of a programme.
One of the most attractive aspects of the pheromone diffuser is that it is simple to use, but owners need to be aware that it must be seen as part of a therapy programme and not a stand-alone cure.  Behaviourists like Sarah and Daniel know that it can bring a dog's anxiety down to a workable level, but it does not cancel out the need for practical effort from the owner at home.

Daniel explains: "The appeasing pheromone is not a panacea:  it complements the dog's natural tranquillizing mechanisms.  In this way it can be very effective in therapy to correct stress-related behavioural problems and is providing the answer to treatments of various phobias.  Unsurprisingly the term pheromonatherapy is now used to describe the use of these natural chemicals to manage the behaviour of several mammals including cats and dogs.  Pigs and horses are also being studied.  Human research into chemicals produced and emitted into the air is also uncovering evidence that our own behaviour can be managed in a similar way, but for now, dogs are benefiting from the science of identifying and replicating nature's 'calm' in a mad world.

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