Studies were conducted to compare the effectiveness of various treatment regimens for chronic emotional stress of dogs. The work was carried out in 2020–2021 on dogs in the conditions of the veterinary clinic of Blagoveshchensk. From among the animals arrived at the clinic, females aged from 2 to 3 years, weighing from 15 to 20 kg, vaccinated, sterilized, with a diagnosis of chronic emotional stress were selected according to the analogues pair’s method. Two groups of four heads each were formed from them. The first study group underwent drug therapy, the second group – an anti-stress program, which included step-by-step training. The duration of the experimental studies was 30 days. The drug "VetSpokoin" was used as a medication, which included: phenibut, which had a nootropic effect; promethazine as antiallergic, sedative and hypnotic; extracts of motherwort, valerian as sedatives and natural royal jelly to normalize metabolism. The use of this drug helped to improve the emotional state of the animals. It was revealed that on the 15th day the blood counts returned to normal, but 25 % of dogs retained behavioral problem. However, on the 30th day of the study, the number of lymphocytes in the peripheral blood decreased below normal, and behavioral problems began to be recorded in 75 % of dogs in the study group. The anti-stress program included a complex of specialized exercises aimed at desensitization of the animal and counter-conditioning. The stress factor was applied to a negligible degree, with a gradual increase in the degree of the stressor in proportion to getting used to it. With the right encouragement and the absence of fear, the animal was reinforced with a positive association with a situation that previously caused anxiety. When applying the anti-stress program on the 15th day, lymphopenia and disturbances in behavioral reactions persisted. But by the 30th day, hematological and behavioral parameters returned to normal in all animals.

Kuryatova Elena V., Tyukavkina Olga N., Piskunov Aleksey S.

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