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. 2019 Jul 1:206:1-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.03.016. Epub 2019 Mar 18.

Daily fluctuation of urine serotonin and cortisol in healthy shelter dogs and influence of intraspecific social exposure

Daniela Alberghina  1 , Giuseppe Piccione  2 , Gina Pumilia  2 , Mauro Gioè  3 , Maria Rizzo  2 , Pierluigi Raffo  4 , Michele Panzera  2
Affiliations

Daily fluctuation of urine serotonin and cortisol in healthy shelter dogs and influence of intraspecific social exposure

Daniela Alberghina et al. Physiol Behav. .

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of intraspecific social exposure (socialization vs rest) and habituation factors on the levels of urinary serotonin and cortisol [corrected respectively for creatinine to give the serotonin-creatinine ratio (5-HT/Cr) and cortisol-creatinine ratio (C/Cr)] and how they fluctuate in dogs. The frequency of marking during social sessions was recorded to evaluate its relationship with physiological parameters. The effects of covariates on 5-HT/Cr and C/Cr were assessed using a linear mixed models. 5-HT/Cr values were higher at dawn than at dusk during resting days, however, this difference is less evident after socialization sessions. During rest days, there was a trend for a decrease in C/Cr between dawn and dusk, while during social exposure days there was an opposite trend. Significant interactions were found between social exposure vs rest (P = 0.0005) and social exposure vs sessions (P = 0.002). Urine marking was more frequent in male than female dogs. The frequency of urine marking also appeared to be positively associated with C/Cr. Non-invasive monitoring of physiological markers could be a useful tool in assessing behaviour modulation following intraspecific socialization exposure. C/Cr was characterized by high individual variability and interactions with examined factors. The identification of new markers such as serotonin for assessing welfare in dogs is highly desirable.

Keywords: Cortisol; Dog; Non-invasive monitoring; Serotonin; Social exposure; Urine.

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