Helping Rabbits Cope with Veterinary Acts and Vaccine-Related Stress: The Effects of the Rabbit Appeasing Pheromone (RAP)
Rabbits are subjected to challenges that induce stress and require them to continuously adapt. Veterinary procedures represent an important source of stress. In other pets, pheromone use was shown to help patients better cope with these procedures. This study aimed to evaluate whether continuous exp...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/23/3549 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850107039197429760 |
|---|---|
| author | Pietro Asproni Elisa Codecasa Miriam Marcet-Rius Juliane Demellier Estelle Descout Marine Verbaere Orane Vinck Patrick Pageat Alessandro Cozzi |
| author_facet | Pietro Asproni Elisa Codecasa Miriam Marcet-Rius Juliane Demellier Estelle Descout Marine Verbaere Orane Vinck Patrick Pageat Alessandro Cozzi |
| author_sort | Pietro Asproni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rabbits are subjected to challenges that induce stress and require them to continuously adapt. Veterinary procedures represent an important source of stress. In other pets, pheromone use was shown to help patients better cope with these procedures. This study aimed to evaluate whether continuous exposure to the rabbit appeasing pheromone (RAP) could help rabbits cope with the stress induced by routine clinical consultations and vaccinations. Twenty-four 5-week-old rabbits were housed in two identical rooms for 43 days, one in which the rabbits underwent continuous RAP treatment and one with the placebo. The rabbits were vaccinated 8 days afterwards, and their behaviour was evaluated using visual analogic scales (VASs) and videos. The rabbits were also examined seven times, on a weekly basis, using VASs to assess their behaviour. The video analysis showed that the RAP-treated rabbits were less inhibited (<i>p</i> = 0.03) and more in contact with the surgeon (<i>p</i> = 0.039) during vaccinations, while the non-treated rabbits kept their ears in the middle/flattened position (<i>p</i> = 0.003). The RAP-treated rabbits were also less agitated (VAS analysis, <i>p</i> = 0.02). During the consultations, a treatment × day effect was observed in favour of the RAP group for the rabbit state and rabbit reactivity VAS analysis (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). These findings seem to suggest that continuous RAP exposure could be a promising tool for helping rabbits cope with veterinary procedures. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5f0f45eadf4c4fb3ba769d84885bd552 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-5f0f45eadf4c4fb3ba769d84885bd5522025-08-20T02:38:40ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152024-12-011423354910.3390/ani14233549Helping Rabbits Cope with Veterinary Acts and Vaccine-Related Stress: The Effects of the Rabbit Appeasing Pheromone (RAP)Pietro Asproni0Elisa Codecasa1Miriam Marcet-Rius2Juliane Demellier3Estelle Descout4Marine Verbaere5Orane Vinck6Patrick Pageat7Alessandro Cozzi8Tissue Biology and Chemical Communication Department, IRSEA, Institute of Research in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology, 84400 Apt, FranceEthics, Legislation & Animal Welfare Department, IRSEA, Institute of Research in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology, 84400 Apt, FranceEthics, Legislation & Animal Welfare Department, IRSEA, Institute of Research in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology, 84400 Apt, FranceEthics, Legislation & Animal Welfare Department, IRSEA, Institute of Research in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology, 84400 Apt, FranceStatistics and Data Management Service, IRSEA, Institute of Research in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology, 84400 Apt, FranceTissue Biology and Chemical Communication Department, IRSEA, Institute of Research in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology, 84400 Apt, FranceVertebrate Animals Experimentation Service, IRSEA, Institute of Research in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology, 84400 Apt, FranceResearch and Education Board, IRSEA, Institute of Research in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology, 84400 Apt, FranceResearch and Education Board, IRSEA, Institute of Research in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology, 84400 Apt, FranceRabbits are subjected to challenges that induce stress and require them to continuously adapt. Veterinary procedures represent an important source of stress. In other pets, pheromone use was shown to help patients better cope with these procedures. This study aimed to evaluate whether continuous exposure to the rabbit appeasing pheromone (RAP) could help rabbits cope with the stress induced by routine clinical consultations and vaccinations. Twenty-four 5-week-old rabbits were housed in two identical rooms for 43 days, one in which the rabbits underwent continuous RAP treatment and one with the placebo. The rabbits were vaccinated 8 days afterwards, and their behaviour was evaluated using visual analogic scales (VASs) and videos. The rabbits were also examined seven times, on a weekly basis, using VASs to assess their behaviour. The video analysis showed that the RAP-treated rabbits were less inhibited (<i>p</i> = 0.03) and more in contact with the surgeon (<i>p</i> = 0.039) during vaccinations, while the non-treated rabbits kept their ears in the middle/flattened position (<i>p</i> = 0.003). The RAP-treated rabbits were also less agitated (VAS analysis, <i>p</i> = 0.02). During the consultations, a treatment × day effect was observed in favour of the RAP group for the rabbit state and rabbit reactivity VAS analysis (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). These findings seem to suggest that continuous RAP exposure could be a promising tool for helping rabbits cope with veterinary procedures.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/23/3549adaptationbehaviourpetspheromonesrabbit appeasing pheromonestress |
| spellingShingle | Pietro Asproni Elisa Codecasa Miriam Marcet-Rius Juliane Demellier Estelle Descout Marine Verbaere Orane Vinck Patrick Pageat Alessandro Cozzi Helping Rabbits Cope with Veterinary Acts and Vaccine-Related Stress: The Effects of the Rabbit Appeasing Pheromone (RAP) Animals adaptation behaviour pets pheromones rabbit appeasing pheromone stress |
| title | Helping Rabbits Cope with Veterinary Acts and Vaccine-Related Stress: The Effects of the Rabbit Appeasing Pheromone (RAP) |
| title_full | Helping Rabbits Cope with Veterinary Acts and Vaccine-Related Stress: The Effects of the Rabbit Appeasing Pheromone (RAP) |
| title_fullStr | Helping Rabbits Cope with Veterinary Acts and Vaccine-Related Stress: The Effects of the Rabbit Appeasing Pheromone (RAP) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Helping Rabbits Cope with Veterinary Acts and Vaccine-Related Stress: The Effects of the Rabbit Appeasing Pheromone (RAP) |
| title_short | Helping Rabbits Cope with Veterinary Acts and Vaccine-Related Stress: The Effects of the Rabbit Appeasing Pheromone (RAP) |
| title_sort | helping rabbits cope with veterinary acts and vaccine related stress the effects of the rabbit appeasing pheromone rap |
| topic | adaptation behaviour pets pheromones rabbit appeasing pheromone stress |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/23/3549 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pietroasproni helpingrabbitscopewithveterinaryactsandvaccinerelatedstresstheeffectsoftherabbitappeasingpheromonerap AT elisacodecasa helpingrabbitscopewithveterinaryactsandvaccinerelatedstresstheeffectsoftherabbitappeasingpheromonerap AT miriammarcetrius helpingrabbitscopewithveterinaryactsandvaccinerelatedstresstheeffectsoftherabbitappeasingpheromonerap AT julianedemellier helpingrabbitscopewithveterinaryactsandvaccinerelatedstresstheeffectsoftherabbitappeasingpheromonerap AT estelledescout helpingrabbitscopewithveterinaryactsandvaccinerelatedstresstheeffectsoftherabbitappeasingpheromonerap AT marineverbaere helpingrabbitscopewithveterinaryactsandvaccinerelatedstresstheeffectsoftherabbitappeasingpheromonerap AT oranevinck helpingrabbitscopewithveterinaryactsandvaccinerelatedstresstheeffectsoftherabbitappeasingpheromonerap AT patrickpageat helpingrabbitscopewithveterinaryactsandvaccinerelatedstresstheeffectsoftherabbitappeasingpheromonerap AT alessandrocozzi helpingrabbitscopewithveterinaryactsandvaccinerelatedstresstheeffectsoftherabbitappeasingpheromonerap |