Anderson Katherine H, Yao Yufan, Perry Pamela J, Albright Julia D, Houpt Katherine A
Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Animals (Basel). 2022 Feb 25;12(5):576. doi: 10.3390/ani12050576.
The purpose of this retrospective case study was to evaluate trends over time in case distribution, sources, and breeds of dogs presenting to the behavioral medicine service at a veterinary college referral hospital in the United States. For case distribution and sources, the available records from the behavior service (n = 1923) from 1997 to 2017 were evaluated. Breeds of dogs presenting to all services (n = 51,052) were compared to behavior cases (n = 822) from 2007 to 2016. Over twenty years, 72.2% of dogs presented for aggression, 20.1% for anxieties/fears/phobias, and 7.4% for miscellaneous behavioral problems. Dogs acquired from breeders decreased and dogs from shelters, rescues, or adopted as a stray increased over twenty years (p < 0.0001). The Herding (p = 0.0124) and Terrier (p < 0.0001) groups were overrepresented for behavior problems as compared to all other services over ten years. Variations in terminology and diagnostic approach made comparisons with earlier studies difficult, which underscores a need for a more consistent methodology in veterinary behavioral medicine. Understanding trends in sources of dogs could direct resources aimed at guiding owners when acquiring a pet dog and preventing behavioral problems. Findings related to breeds could help guide research focused on the genetic contributions to behavior.
本回顾性病例研究的目的是评估美国一家兽医学院转诊医院行为医学科收治的犬只在病例分布、来源和品种方面随时间的变化趋势。对于病例分布和来源，评估了行为医学科1997年至2017年的现有记录（n = 1923）。将所有科室收治的犬只品种（n = 51,052）与2007年至2016年行为医学科的病例（n = 822）进行了比较。在二十多年的时间里，72.2%的犬只因攻击行为前来就诊，20.1%因焦虑/恐惧/恐惧症前来就诊，7.4%因其他行为问题前来就诊。二十多年来，从繁殖者处获得的犬只数量减少，而从收容所、救援组织领养或流浪犬被收养的数量增加（p < 0.0001）。与所有其他科室相比，在十年间，畜牧犬组（p = 0.0124）和梗犬组（p < 0.0001）出现行为问题的比例过高。术语和诊断方法的差异使得与早期研究进行比较变得困难，这凸显了在兽医行为医学中需要一种更一致的方法。了解犬只来源的趋势可以指导资源分配，旨在引导宠物主人在获取宠物犬时预防行为问题。与品种相关的研究结果有助于指导聚焦于行为遗传学贡献的研究。
