Presentation Details
| Venipuncture-related Stress in Dogs and the Fear Free™ FAS Scale as a Stress Measurement Tool Alyssa N.Cary1, 2, Erica Feuerbacher1, Amy Pike3, Jessica P.Hekman1. 1Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.2Fear Free LLC, Nashville, TN, USA.3Animal Behavior Wellness Center, Fairfax, VA, USA |
Abstract
We collected behavioral and physiological measures (urine cortisol:creatinine
ratios, heart rate, and heart rate variability) of stress in 40 privately-owned dogs visiting a Fear
Free Certified™ veterinary hospital for venipuncture with a credentialed technician. Visits were
video-recorded to code 11 observable behaviors and score stress using the FAS Scale and Clinic
Dog Stress Scale 1 (CDSS). There was moderate agreement between FAS and CDSS scores
(73.78%, Cohen’s kappa = 0.55). Visit duration was positively correlated with percent change in UCCR (rho = 0.34, p = 0.04) and post-visit UCCR was significantly higher than baseline UCCR (mean difference = 43.80, p = 0.0000051, 95% CI: 27.09 - 60.51). UCCR did not correlate significantly with FAS; however, max FAS scores were moderate to high for most dogs during venipuncture. Given the weak evidence for validity of the FAS Scale and moderate interobserver agreement (mean IOA = 76.04%), modifications to optimize the scale for clinical application should be considered.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
ratios, heart rate, and heart rate variability) of stress in 40 privately-owned dogs visiting a Fear
Free Certified™ veterinary hospital for venipuncture with a credentialed technician. Visits were
video-recorded to code 11 observable behaviors and score stress using the FAS Scale and Clinic
Dog Stress Scale 1 (CDSS). There was moderate agreement between FAS and CDSS scores
(73.78%, Cohen’s kappa = 0.55). Visit duration was positively correlated with percent change in UCCR (rho = 0.34, p = 0.04) and post-visit UCCR was significantly higher than baseline UCCR (mean difference = 43.80, p = 0.0000051, 95% CI: 27.09 - 60.51). UCCR did not correlate significantly with FAS; however, max FAS scores were moderate to high for most dogs during venipuncture. Given the weak evidence for validity of the FAS Scale and moderate interobserver agreement (mean IOA = 76.04%), modifications to optimize the scale for clinical application should be considered.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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