HEALTH - New Heart Sensor Detects Stress in Dogs

Dogs, like humans, can suffer from anxiety and stress in varying degrees.

In fact, numerous drugs, behaviour modification protocols and devices have been developed to help our canine friends.

There are obvious signs of anxiety such as barking, trembling and drooling, and other more subtle symptoms like decreased appetite and increased sleep.

Researchers at Osaka Prefecture University in Japan have developed a method to detect real-time stress in dogs before the more overt signs present themselves.

A wearable heartbeat sensor transmits signals to a receiver that allows the owner to determine whether their canine companion is relaxed or stressed out.

“The device could be used for knowing when dogs are in pain or having health problems,” Shunsuke Shimamura, associate professor of veterinary medicine at the university, told The Japan Times.

“The use of this could lead to early detection of disease or improvement of medical treatments for dogs.”

The research team learned that as dogs got tense, the heartbeat intervals got more and more regulated and when they relax the intervals fluctuated significantly.

From this data, they created an index for canine stress levels.

The team is developing a device with Sharp Corporation and aims to have a marketable product available within two to three years.

DIGITAL - Pokémon GO Helps Kids with Autism

Pokémon GO may be a lot more than just a fun distraction for kids on the autism spectrum.

It has the potential to offer kids social engagement, outdoor activity, and a game that plays to their strengths while also providing developmental opportunities.

Pokémon GO, which gets players out of the house in their efforts to hatch eggs, visit Poké stops and gyms, and “catch ‘em all,” also has the potential to get autistic kids socializing and engaging in ways that they might otherwise struggle with or avoid.

Kids on the autism spectrum enjoy and benefit from screen-based media, including video games.

Although there has been controversy over how video games might contribute to anti-social behaviour in kids, parents of kids on the autism spectrum tend to support, rather than discourage, their kids’ interest in video games. Multiple studies have found that video games, particularly storytelling games, can contribute to positive social behaviour in kids on the autism spectrum.

Daniel Bormann of the University of Freiburg, the lead researcher in a 2015 study, said in a press release that video games hook into general principles of human motivation, and that “successful game franchises offer meaningful choices to shape the game's narrative and environment, provide carefully balanced challenges, or encourage players to experience social connectedness and meaningful social interactions.”

Pokémon GO takes these positive effects and amplifies them by bringing kids out of the house and giving them a ready-made social setting when they come across other players.

Intense focus and enthusiastic excitement are common features of kids on the autism spectrum, and can draw negative attention from their neurotypical counterparts. This can make socializing difficult, and is one of the barriers to neurodivergent kids successfully engaging with their peers.  

One parent, Lenore Koppelman, told CNN, “The kids are so fixated on catching Pokemon that they are concentrating on finding them more than they are concentrating on his behaviors like they usually do.”

Not only does Pokémon GO provide a shared focus for neurotypical kids and kids on the autism spectrum, it also allows autistic kids to shine by highlighting their strengths.

Kids on the autism spectrum tend to be great at memorizing facts and learning the details of an interest, and Pokémon GO rewards their focus. This shouldn’t be surprising, since Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of the Pokémon franchise, is rumoured to have Asperger syndrome. The game was developed out of Tajiri’s love of bug collecting.

Kids with autism are not the only neurodivergent people seeing benefits from Pokémon GO.

Players with depression and anxiety have also reported that the game is helping them, even beyond the positive effects already associated with some video games.

So Pokémon GO and other video games can be included with options like animal assisted and more traditional therapy that have a positive impact on personal well-being.

Parents can learn more by downloading the Parents’ Guide to Pokémon GO.

By Tiffany Sostar

Tiffany is a writer, editor, academic, and animal lover who came late to her appreciation of pets. At 18, a rescue pup named Tasha saved her from a depression and she hasn't looked back. She has worked as the canine behaviour program coordinator for the Calgary Humane Society, and was a dog trainer specializing in working with fearful and reactive dogs for many years. She doesn't have any pets right now, but makes up for it by giving her petsitting clients (and any dogs she comes across on her frequent coffee shop adventures) extra snuggles.

Researchers Working on New Botanical Anti-Anxiety Medicine for Dogs

Canadian researchers have potentially found a botanical anti-anxiety medication for dogs that works similarly to Valium. Researchers at the University of Ottawa have discovered that chemical components from Costa Rican vines and sycamore bark can be combined to create an effective anti-anxiety medication. So far the compound has been tested on dogs, piglets and rats. All animals appeared calmer after administration and no harmful side-effects have been observed.

Chemistry Professor, Dr. Tony Durst said, "We've compared dogs treated for anxiety with Valium and we found our compound acts similarly. It acts almost as well as Valium but it has none of the side-effects Valium is known for."  Valium can cause several side effects in humans including agitation, aggression, drowsiness, hallucinations, hyperactivity, and muscle weakness.

Durst said, "Dogs are known to be anxious, among other things. When thunderstorms arrive, when their owners leave them at home all day, they show anxiety."  Animal behaviourist, Kelly French said, "Anxiety plays a big role in dogs. People don't realize that. They don't think, 'my dog is anxious,' because a dog can't tell you, 'I'm freaking out right now.' "Most of the behavioural problems I see are related to anxiety and fear. The dog is usually fearful, nervous, shy, trying to cope with a situation."

Durst is working with a distributor and hopes the medication will be available in veterinary clinics in Spring 2016. Durst is also working to get the drug approved for human use. Durst said, "We've made an application to Health Canada for permission to do human safety studies. We fully believe that based on the data we have, a human safety study will be very successful."

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Therapy Dogs Physically and Emotionally Benefit Children with Cancer

Therapy dogs are occasionally seen in hospitals visiting patients. It is believed that interacting with a dog can reduce stress and blood pressure and improve a patient’s health and quality of life. Researchers are now studying the benefits that these therapy dogs can have. The American Humane Association is leading research on the effects that therapy dogs have on children undergoing cancer treatment.

Amy McCullough is leading the research. McCullough and her team are studying weekly visits with therapy dogs on 51 children with cancer. Early results are showing that dogs are able to reduce patient stress and stabilize their blood pressure and heart rate. Therapy dogs are also decreasing anxiety, stabilizing moods, and increasing patient quality of life.

McCullough and her team are also studying therapy dog behaviour and saliva cortisol levels to examine the impact that these visits are having on the dogs. The knowledge gained from this portion of the study will hopefully benefit dog and handler training.

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