6/1/2023 0 Comments Pica syndrome in dogs![]() The role of behavioral disorders was tested with two different behavioral assessment grids submitted to FB ingesting dogs and pair-matched control dogs.įorty-two FB ingesting dogs were recruited in two veterinary referral centers based in France. We investigated weather FB ingestions are related to behavioral disorders, especially hyperactivity, impulsivity and compulsive oral disorder. In cats, the literature also evokes infantile behavior, stress of rehoming, territorial behavior (Bradshaw et al., 1997) and abnormal appetite (Borns-Weil et al., 2015), especially in the Burmese and Siamese breeds.Īltogether, pica and object destructions are a frequent complaint in behavioral consultations (Col et al., 2016 Masson and Gaultier, 2018) as they can lead to punishment (Sylvia Masson et al., 2018) or isolation in a crate, which are both detrimental to the dog's welfare (Masson et al., 2018) and to the dog-owner relationship (Marston et al., 2004). Others mention a link with oral obsessive-compulsive disorder (Overall and Dunham, 2002 Luescher, 2004), anxiety (Riva et al., 2008), or the owner's work routine (i.e., attachment issues) (Col et al., 2016). ![]() Some publications on canine behavior also suggest a behavioral cause of pica including hypersensitivity-hyperactivity syndrome (Merola, 2000). Understanding the mechanisms of this behavior is critical to develop treatments combining pharmacological, medical and cognitive interventions (Poynter et al., 2011). Despite these reference to a psychiatric origin of pica, psychological investigation in cases of repeated FB ingestion remains limited (Gitlin et al., 2007). Causal explanations causes include the obsessive-compulsive spectrum of disorders, anxiety or impulse control disorders (Rose et al., 2000). Yet, in humans, in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), pica is classified in feeding and eating disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), and it indicates that this compulsive eating of non-nutritive substances can have psychiatric origins. Other papers report several causes such as malnutrition, parasites, pancreatic failure, abdominal pain, liver encephalitis, hypothyroidy, anemia, zinc intoxication (Hand et al., 2000) but they do not mention behavioral pathology as possible cause. A recent study indicates that “there are no reports of an apparent underlying reason for the ingestion of the FB” (Lindquist and Lobetti, 2017). Importantly, the causes underlying the FB ingestion are barely investigated or mentioned (Papazoglou et al., 2003 Hayes, 2009 Pratt et al., 2014 Hobday et al., 2014). The care usually consists in the removal of the FB by endoscopy or surgery and monitoring for possible complications (Lindquist and Lobetti, 2017). In dogs and cats, intestinal FB are some of the most common causes of obstruction (Papazoglou et al., 2003) and can result in life-threatening complications caused by hypovolemia, toxemia, intestinal necrosis, perforation, or peritonitis (Hayes, 2009 Pratt et al., 2014), especially when the FB are not spherical, i.e., linear or angular (Hobday et al., 2014). This exacerbated oral exploration is a sufficient sign for veterinarians to consider a behavioral investigation.įoreign bodies (FB) ingestion or pica refers to ingestion of non-nutritive, non-food items such as fabric, plastics, sticks or stones (Riva et al., 2008 Overall, 2013). Regular shredding of objects is mainly related to a hyperactivity-impulsivity disorder (Lit total score: Mann-Whitney test, U = 99 P = 0.02 4A Autocontrols Scores: Mann-Whitney test, U = 35 P< 0.001), whereas its absence in FB ingestion suggests anxiety or attachment disorder.īehavioral pathology should be assessed not only for dogs ingesting non-edible objects, but also for those shredding objects. Total Scores from both grids are significantly different between FB and control group (Lit scores: Wilcoxon signed-rank test, W = 665.5 P = 0.007 4A: Wilcoxon signed-rank test, W = 41 P<0.001). The main results show that FB ingestion is rarely related to digestive pain (12% of cases) but is primarily of a behavioural nature (88% of cases). These grids were fulfilled for 42 FB ingesting dogs and 42 pair-matched control dogs. Such behavioral causes of pica were investigated with two grids: Lit's owner-based questionnaire, which measures inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity, and Beata's clinical 4A grid which investigates aggression, anxiety, attachment, and autocontrols of dogs. The causes of pica (ingestion of non-nutritive substance) remain unexplored, although behavioral conditions including hyperactivity, impulsivity, obsessive-compulsive oral/ingestive disorders, anxiety or attachment related troubles have been implicated. Foreign body (FB) ingestion in dogs can threaten the animal's life and often result in an emergency surgery.
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