Efficacy of dog-appeasing pheromone in reducing behaviours associated with fear of unfamiliar people and new surroundings in newly adopted puppies.

This study was designed to determine the potential value of dog-appeasing pheromone (DAP) in reducing behaviours associated with fear of unfamiliar people and new surroundings in puppies newly adopted from a pet shop. The study was triple-blinded, randomised and placebo-controlled. It used 66 puppies (32 fitted with a DAP collar and 34 control) and the adoptive owners were contacted by phone three days and 15 days after they had adopted the puppy to question them about its reactions to specific situations eliciting fear. Fifteen days after the treatments significantly fewer of the puppies with the DAP collars showed signs of fear when facing unfamiliar people at home and/or during outings. This difference was irrespective of breed size.

Effects of a semiochemical on feed conversion index and related indicators on fast-growing broilers housed during forty-two days.

Consequences of stress in poultry may be assessed through a wide range of parameters. A semiochemical named mother hen uropygial secretion analogue (MHUSA) is known to decrease stress in broilers. Because stress influences their feeding behavior, this trial has been built so as to test the influence of MHUSA on feed conversion index and related indicators. Two hundred forty chicks were placed into 24 similar crates (10 chicks per crate) at 1 d of age. After 35 d, chickens under MHUSA presented similar feed conversion index compared with control. A treatment effect was observed on both heterophil:lymphocyte ratio and corticosterone (MHUSA

Efficacy of dog-appeasing pheromone in reducing stress associated with social isolation in newly adopted puppies.

This study was designed to determine the potential value of dog-appeasing pheromone (dap) in reducing stress in puppies newly adopted from a pet shop. The trial was triple-blinded and placebo-controlled. After their arrival at the pet shop, 32 puppies were fitted with a dap collar and 34 were fitted with a control collar, according to a randomisation protocol. Adopting owners were contacted by telephone, three and 15 days after they had adopted a puppy, to obtain information about the puppy's integration into the family, and particularly about any signs of distress shown by the puppy when it was socially isolated. All the isolated puppies from the control group vocalised during the first night. Signs of distress, particularly vocalisation, were significantly lower in the dap group on day 3 and throughout the rest of the study, and vocalisation during the night ceased significantly sooner in this group. These differences were observed in puppies of small, medium and large breeds. The dap collars had no effect on the incidence of house soiling.

Are thirty-five days enough to observe the stress-reducing effect of a semiochemical analogue on chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) housed under high density?

Two similar 400-m2 buildings, each housing 8,400 broilers of a commonly used industrial strain, were used to test the effectiveness of the semiochemical treatment known as mother hen uropygial secretion analogue (MHUSA). The birds in 1 building were exposed to MHUSA continuously during a 35-d growing period, whereas those in the other building received a placebo. The experiment was then repeated using precisely the same conditions but with the building treatment reversed to control for any building effect. The purpose of the trial was to evaluate the effect of MHUSA on growing performances (live weights) and stress indicators observed from blood samples: heterophil-lymphocyte ratio and corticosterone level. Data analysis (ANOVA) showed that MHUSA-treated broilers had a higher mean growth rate, as shown by increased live weights at both d 17 and 35 (P < or = 0.001 and P < or = 0.001, respectively). After the 35-d growing period, we observed both lower heterophil-lymphocyte ratio (P < or = 0.001) and lower corticosterone level (P < or = 0.05) for birds treated with MHUSA compared with placebo, further indicating that the birds were less stressed. We conclude that constant diffusion of MHUSA in buildings used to house broilers might enhance the welfare and growth of the bird by reducing stress.

Influence of a preen gland secretion on growth and meat quality of heavy broilers.

Preen gland secretions were obtained from several hens that were rearing their chicks and the content of these secretions was analysed. From these results, a synthetic analogue of the secretions was created (given the title Mother Hen Uropygial Secretion Analogue, or MHUSA, in this study). According to a blinded, controlled experimental design, heavy broilers (strain SASSO T56N) were reared from 1 day of age in an environment treated with either MHUSA or control. At 80 days the birds were slaughtered. Post mortemcarcass weight, abdominal fat and fillet weights were then measured. Colour, pH and yield were also measured as indicators of meat quality. Broilers exposed to MHUSA had both higher carcass weights and higher fillet weights compared with control-treated birds (P < 0.05). Abdominal fat, pH, water loss and colorimetry results were similar between the treatment groups at all time points (24 h and 6 days post mortem) and also after a cooking procedure. The meat from the MHUSA birds was less yellow compared with control. It is concluded that constant exposure to MHUSA from rearing until slaughter improves growth rate in broilers without significantly affecting meat quality.

Influence of a semiochemical analogue on growing performances and meat quality of broilers.

Stress in broilers may have severe consequences on the final product quality. A synthetic analogue of uropygial secretion of mother hens was isolated from poultry. This mother hen uropygial secretion analogue (MHUSA) was tested in farm conditions on broilers during 12 wk. The purpose of this trial was to estimate the influence of MHUSA on growing performances, meat characteristics after processing, and stress indicators of broilers. After the 80-d period, birds under treatment were heavier at 3 different weighing ages (P

Comparison of the efficacy of a synthetic dog-appeasing pheromone with clomipramine for the treatment of separation-related disorders in dogs.

Sixty-seven dogs that showed signs of distress when separated from their owners (destructiveness, excessive vocalisation and house soiling) and hyperattachment were used in a randomised, blind trial to assess the potential value of a dog-appeasing pheromone in reducing the unacceptable behaviours. For ethical reasons, there was no placebo group and the effects of the pheromone were compared with the effects of clomipramine which is regularly used to treat this type of problem. The undesirable behaviours decreased in both groups, but the overall assessment by the owners indicated that there was no significant difference between the two treatments, although there were fewer undesirable events in the dogs treated with the pheromone, and the administration of the pheromone appeared to be more convenient.