Efeitos cardiovasculares e comportamentais do feromônio análogo ao odor materno em cães no ambiente hospitalar

Abstract

The stress observed in hospitalized dogs causes deleterious effects and the pheromone analogous to maternal odor has been used for this purpose. The aim of the study was to analyze whether the pheromone analogous to maternal odor interferes with physical, cardiovascular and behavioral parameters in hospitalized dogs. A prospective, paired, randomized and blinded study was conducted, in which ten healthy dogs were submitted to two experimental protocols: pheromoneand placebo. The parameters evaluated at baseline, six, twelve, twenty and twenty - four hoursfrom the beginning of the study, were: heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure and rectal temperature. Behavioral analyses, sleep time, heart rate variability in the time domain and minimum, mean and maximum heart rates were monitored throughout the 24 hours of hospitalization. There were no differences in respiratory rates and systolic blood pressure, although they were elevated in the two treatments used. The maximum heart rate of the placebogroup at moment T0 (193 ± 23 bpm) was lower when compared to moments T6, T12, T20 (226 ± 13 bpm; 229 ± 16 bpm; 230 ± 19 bpm, respectively), demonstrating the stress in the hospital environment. The alterations found in rectal temperature do not bring clinical importance, because the values remained within normal limits for the species. A higher mean heart rate at time T20 in the pheromone group (120 ± 17 bpm) than in the placebo group (105 ± 14 bpm). During the placebo group monitoring, a higher minimum heart rate was observed at moment T0 (82 ± 15 bpm), when compared to moments T6, T12, T20, T24 (51 ± 12 bpm; 51 ± 11 bpm;50 ± 8 bpm ; 59 ± 20 bpm, respectively). At T6, a higher minimum heart rate was observed in the pheromone group (60 ± 17 bpm) than in the placebo group (51 ± 12 bpm). Although fluctuations in mean and minimum heart rates were observed during monitoring, clinically relevant values were not found, since all were also within normal limits for the species. There was no difference in the behavioral parameters analyzed between treatments. There was no difference in sleep time between substances. There was no difference in heart rate variability in the time domain between the analyzed substances. Interobserver agreement was positive, denoting analysis with good reliability. Exposure to the pheromone analogous to maternal odorin the diffuser presentation, therefore, did not promote significant changes in physiological, cardiovascular and behavioral parameters related to stress reduction in hospitalized dogs.