Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Stress is common in today’s society, but the word stress has numerous connotations. The aim of this study was to investigate how dogs are effected by stress and what the veterinary nurse can do to help dogs to avoid or at least mitigate stress within the veterinary hospital. The goal was also to see how dogs perceive the environment in the veterinary hospital and what behaviours dogs demonstrate when they enter the hospital and during their stay.

Studies have shown that dogs have a reluctant feeling on entering a veterinary hospital. They can feel stressed by coming to a new environment, as well as by being put in a cage with no control over what is going to happen to them. Stress can effect dogs in a similar way to humans with feelings of anxiety. It can also cause impaired wound healing and an increased risk of infection due to the consequence of the negative impact on the immune system.

There are a lot of studies conducted in kennels and animal shelters in trying to reduce the stress for the dogs. There have also been a few studies done in the veterinary environment with results that show there are things that can help dogs feel less stressed when they are within the veterinary hospital or kennels. Pheromones, mental-, olfactory- and acoustical stimulation have been shown to have an influence on dogs behaviour and therefore their welfare. Interaction with humans also has been shown to be positive in reducing stress responses in dogs.