However, the administration of PVP should not be used as a‘ cure-all’ for avoiding imprinting a bad reaction to a visit. Combining PVP with behavioural training and positive reinforcement is important for turning the dog ' s experience of a veterinary visit into something positive and less stressful. Often, simply avoiding stressful situations, such as unnecessary use of restraint or encountering other dogs, will be sufficient to reduce stress. PVP should be considered either as a last resort if, for example, stress-free management or other methods are not considered effective for an individual dog, or as a complementary treatment alongside other interventions as outlined above. It is also important, and is stressed in‘ fear-free’ policies, that the veterinary staff must also know if, and when, treatment of a dog should be avoided or postponed.
For companion animals with specific fears and anxiety, Piotti et al. [ 33 ] recommend punctual use of psychoactive medications with a clear anxiolytic effect, especially in association with environmental management and humane behavioural procedures such as systematic desensitisation and counterconditioning. This use of medication would both assist in relieving the short-term distress, improving the dog ' s behavioural responses, and support behavioural-modification programmes. Riemer et al. [ 13 ] recommend that anxiolytics or sedation should be used whenever there is a risk of traumatising an animal or for safety reasons.
It is also essential to acknowledge that signs interpreted as anxiety may instead be indicators of pain [ 33 ]. Dogs that are sick or in pain may be more vulnerable and thus experience higher levels of stress [ 34 ]. For dogs that show high levels of anxiety, analgesic medication may be of equal or higher importance than anxiolytics. Dexmedetomidine also has analgesic properties, making DEXO more likely to help in these cases.
At a higher dose( 1 mg / m 2 body surface area, compared with the recommended dose for DEXO of 125 µ g / m 2), detomidine oral gel provided a good sedative effect for dogs undergoing minor procedures [ 35 ]. Hopfensperger et al. [ 36 ] administered detomidine oral gel at 0.35 mg / m 2 body surface area to six healthy dogs. They became easier to handle and showed less anxiety, but still responded to sound stimuli and were able to get up and walk on their own after examination. This finding indicates that use of an oral gel formulation may potentially replace injection to sedate animals.
Administering the oral gel requires less patient restraint [ 36 ]; as a result, it can give the dog a better experience of the visit and facilitate future management. Additionally, dogs with problematic behaviour might benefit from DEXO, as indicated by the results described by Ogata and Dodman [ 37 ], who studied the effects of an alternative alpha-2 agonist, clonidine, on dogs with problematic behaviour.
Conclusions
This study shows a reduction in physiological parameters indicative of stress, namely RR, HR, body temperature and MAP, after administration of DEXO before clinical examination of beagles. Our findings support the use of DEXO as a PVP in preparation for veterinary visits for unsocialised or stressed dogs. No major difference was seen in the willingness of the dogs to participate in the procedures and interact with VNs. The study found no support for the use of FSAR.
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