Stress Response of Beagle Dogs to Repeated Short-Distance Road Transport

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the response of transport-naïve dogs to one and two-hour road transports based on cortisol in saliva and blood plasma, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), neutrophil to lymphocyte (N/L) ratio and behavior. Two persons familiar to the dogs were present during transports and control experiments. We hypothesized that transport elicits a stress response, which decreases with repeated transports. Beagle dogs were allocated to three groups (n = 6 each). Group 1 served as control in the stable in week 1 and was transported for one hour in weeks 2, 3 and 4. Groups 2 and 3 served as controls in a non-moving vehicle and in the stable, respectively, in week 2. All three groups were transported for two hours in week 6. Cortisol concentration increased during transports (p p p p p < 0.01). In conclusion, a transport-induced stress response was evident in dogs. There was no habituation with repeated transports, and transported dogs may suffer from motion sickness.

Keywords

• dog
• transport
• stress
• motions sickness
• cortisol
• heart rate