Harvey Naomi D, Moesta Alexandra, Kappel Sarah, Wongsaengchan Chanakarn, Harris Hannah, Craigon Peter J, Fureix Carole
School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK.
Royal Canin Research Center, 30470 Aimargues, France.
Animals (Basel). 2019 Jul 5;9(7):420. doi: 10.3390/ani9070420.
Dogs exposed to aversive events can become inactive and unresponsive and are commonly referred to as being "depressed", but this association remains to be tested. We investigated whether shelter dogs spending greater time inactive "awake but motionless" (ABM) in their home-pen show anhedonia (the core reduction of pleasure reported in depression), as tested by reduced interest in, and consumption of, palatable food (Kong test). We also explored whether dogs being qualitatively perceived by experts as disinterested in the food would spend greater time ABM (experts blind to actual inactivity levels). Following sample size estimations and qualitative behaviour analysis ( = 14 pilot dogs), forty-three dogs (6 shelters, 22F:21M) were included in the main study. Dogs relinquished by their owners spent more time ABM than strays or legal cases (F = 8.09, = 0.032). One significant positive association was found between the Kong measure for average length of Kong bout and ABM, when length of stay in the shelter was accounted for as a confounder (F = 3.66, = 0.035). Time spent ABM also correlated with scores for "depressed" and "bored" in the qualitative results, indirectly suggesting that experts associate greater waking inactivity with negative emotional states. The hypothesis that ABM reflects a depression-like syndrome is not supported; we discuss how results might tentatively support a "boredom-like" state and further research directions.
接触厌恶事件的狗可能会变得不活跃且反应迟钝，通常被称为“抑郁”，但这种关联仍有待检验。我们调查了那些在犬舍的家中围栏里“清醒但不动”（ABM）状态持续时间更长的收容所犬只是否表现出快感缺失（抑郁症中报道的愉悦感核心降低），通过对美味食物的兴趣降低和摄入量减少来测试（Kong测试）。我们还探讨了那些被专家定性为对食物不感兴趣的狗是否会有更长时间处于ABM状态（专家对实际不活跃水平不知情）。在进行样本量估计和定性行为分析（n = 14只试验犬）后，43只狗（6个收容所，22只雌性：21只雄性）被纳入主要研究。被主人遗弃的狗比流浪狗或法律案件涉及的狗处于ABM状态的时间更长（F = 8.09，P = 0.032）。当将在收容所的停留时间作为混杂因素考虑时，发现Kong测试中Kong活动平均时长与ABM之间存在一个显著的正相关（F = 3.66，P = 0.035）。定性结果中，处于ABM状态的时间也与“抑郁”和“无聊”的评分相关，间接表明专家将更多的清醒时不活动与负面情绪状态联系起来。ABM反映类似抑郁症综合征的假设未得到支持；我们讨论了结果如何初步支持一种“类似无聊”的状态以及进一步的研究方向。
