Developing Non-Invasive Stress Tests For Dogs
The well-being of our companion animals is a subject of utmost importance. In particular, there is “growing social interest” in figuring out how to optimize the living situations of our companions. It has been shown repeatedly that stress can affect animals’ health in a variety of ways. Since our companions cannot simply tell us how they’re feeling, researchers are trying to find scientific ways to measure stress that will remove the guesswork.
Likewise, there is a current push to measure stress in new and less invasive ways. Current tests involving “hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity through the determination of plasma cortisol levels” are based on an invasive procedure that includes taking blood. In recent studies, salivary cortisol, which can be measured much less invasively, has been shown to be closely correlated with blood tests. A promising new technique in cortisol measurement may be an “immunochromatographic” (or ICT) strip test that would allow people to quickly and accurately measure stress in individuals dogs. There is growing interest in the veterinary world because of the test’s speed and versatility.
The purpose of this particular study was to further test the validity of ICT as a method. Using test tube experiments as well as tests with 60 healthy dogs, the researchers were seeing if the test could measure and distinguish cortisol above and below certain cutoff points. The test was, to their knowledge, “the first report describing a completely stand-alone device for the detection of cortisol in saliva.” Through their research, they found that “the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 98.4%, respectively, while the positive and negative predictive values were 95.8% and 100%, respectively.” In other words, the less invasive ICT test was very accurate.
The authors made special note of the fact that the study involved a very broad range of dogs. It also employed relatively rigorous conditions over various time periods, and they noted that the ICT test can be “stored at room temperature for at least six months.” The study is an encouraging sign for veterinarians, shelter workers, people who live with dogs, and anyone who cares about measuring animal stress. In this case, the potential to be able to quickly and accurately measure dog stress in a non-invasive way has countless applications and could help us improve dog welfare.