Animal Behaviour Group, Department of Population Health Sciences - Division of Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80166, 3584 CM, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Sci Rep. 2022 Apr 21;12(1):5117. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-09140-w.
Shelter dogs are exposed to a variety of stressors. Among non-invasive techniques, hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is suggested an easy to collect biomarker for giving insight into long-term stress responses. We evaluated HCC as an indicator of long-term cortisol responses in dogs in an animal shelter over different chronological time points during sheltering and after adoption. Hair samples were collected from the neck region following a shave/re-shave protocol of shelter dogs (total n = 52) at four different time periods: T1 intake at shelter (pre-shelter period, n = 51); T2 after 6 weeks in the shelter (n = 23); T3 6 weeks after adoption (n = 24); T4 6 months after adoption (n = 22). HCC at T2 was significantly higher than HCC at T1, T3 and T4 (effect of sample collection moment: F = 12.78, p < 0.0001). The dog's weight class, age class, sex, reason for admission, kennel history and melanin type also explained HCC variability. No significant difference in HCC was found between shelter dogs T1 and control pet dogs in their own homes (n = 20, one sample, t = - 1.24, p = 0.219). A significant but moderate positive correlation between HCC and urinary cortisol:creatinine ratios was found (т = 0.3, p < 0.001). As HCC increased in the shelter, the use of this non-invasive parameter appears a useful additional tool in dog welfare research.
收容所中的犬只面临着多种压力源。在非侵入性技术中，毛发皮质醇浓度（HCC）被认为是一种易于采集的生物标志物，可以深入了解长期的应激反应。我们评估了 HCC 作为收容所中犬只在不同时间点（收容期间和领养后）长期皮质醇反应的指标。根据收容所犬只的剃毛/重剃毛方案，从颈部区域采集毛发样本（总 n=52），在四个不同时间段进行：T1 收容时（收容前时期，n=51）；T2 收容 6 周后（n=23）；T3 领养后 6 周（n=24）；T4 领养后 6 个月（n=22）。T2 时的 HCC 明显高于 T1、T3 和 T4 时的 HCC（样本采集时刻的影响：F=12.78，p<0.0001）。犬的体重类别、年龄类别、性别、入院原因、犬舍历史和黑色素类型也解释了 HCC 的可变性。收容所犬 T1 与在自己家中的对照宠物犬（n=20，一个样本，t=-1.24，p=0.219）之间的 HCC 无显著差异。HCC 与尿皮质醇：肌酐比值之间存在显著但中等强度的正相关（т=0.3，p<0.001）。随着收容所中 HCC 的增加，使用这种非侵入性参数似乎是犬只福利研究中的一种有用的附加工具。
