Sharon L Crowell-DavisUniversity of Georgia | UGA · College of Veterinary Medicine
Sharon L Crowell-Davis
DVM, PhD, DACVB
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Introduction
Skills and Expertise
Publications
Publications (111)
Central nervous system (CNS) stimulants increase synaptic dopamine and norepinephrine. CNS stimulants are used to treat attention deficit disorder (ADD), also called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or hyperkinesis in dogs. This chapter provides the doses of CNS stimulants used for ADD in dogs. CNS stimulants are contraindicated in animals...
Psychopharmacology, in a basic sense, is the study of drugs that affect the soul or mind. his chapter defines and discusses the most common protocols for behavior therapy. Extra‐label use means that the medication has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the specific problem and the specific species for which it is being...
Historically, studies of oxytocin have focused on its relevance in reproduction and birth. Oxytocin stimulates contraction of the smooth muscle of the uterus. Progestins are recommended for the treatment of behavior problems in nonhuman animals. A variety of side effects, including polydypsia, polyuria, polyphagia, weight gain, sedation, overproduc...
Monoamine oxidase (MAO) is an enzyme of the outer mitochondrial membrane that occurs in a variety of tissues, including the heart, the liver, kidneys, the spleen, platelets, the peripheral nervous system, and the central nervous system. MAO inhibitors prevent the action of MAO‐A, MAO‐B, or both. Medications that significantly inhibit MAO‐A exist bu...
This chapter discusses psychotropic medications that have different classifications and different modes of action. They are grouped together due to having in common serotoninergic properties and being the only drugs in their class to be currently used in veterinary behavioral medicine. Azapirones can be used for a variety of anxiety disorders and b...
Anticonvulsants or antiepileptic medications are used primarily for the treatment of epilepsy. Psychiatric or mental health disorders are often treated effectively with antidepressants and/or anxiolytics. Phenobarbital is commonly used for dogs with seizures. Gabapentin and pregabalin seem to have little or no effect as mood stabilizers in humans b...
The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a class of antidepressants that inhibit the reuptake of serotonin. The SSRIs are classified as antidepressants; however, they have anxiolytic, anticompulsive, and some antiaggressive effects. All SSRIs are metabolized in the liver and excreted through the kidneys. Fluoxetine has been used in t...
This chapter addresses common questions and concerns when it comes to using psychoactive drugs. In cases of serotonin dysregulation leading to anxiety and behavioral changes, augmentation of a serotonin reuptake inhibitor with an azapirone or serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor (SARI) may be beneficial. The combination of clomipramine and a...
Opioids and opioid antagonists are a heterogenic group of pharmaceuticals. Opiate antagonists have been found to be beneficial in the treatment of some forms of self‐injurious behavior in humans as well as nonhuman animals. Gastrointestinal effects, especially diarrhea, may occur with the use of opioid antagonists. Nalmefene is used in humans for r...
Benzodiazepines are anxiolytic medications with a rapid onset of action that lasts for a few to several hours, depending on the specific drug and the species. Of the commercially available benzodiazepines, this chapter describes about alprazolam, chlordiazepoxide, clonazepam, clorazepate dipotassium, diazepam, flurazepam, lorazepam, oxazepam, and t...
The tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) act as inhibitors of both serotonin and norepinephrine. This chapter discusses the six TCAs that have been most commonly used in veterinary behavior: tertiary amines amitriptyline, clomipramine, doxepin, imipramine, secondary amines desipramine and nortriptyline. Amitriptyline is approved for the treatment of de...
The primary goal of environmental enrichment should be the avoidance of abnormal behaviors in laboratory animals such as rodents, lagomorphs, dogs, cats, and nonhuman primates. A total of 13 male single-housed New Zealand White rabbits were offered 3 different toys, and the time spent chewing on the toys instead of on the cage was evaluated. Each r...
To evaluate the presence of a dominance rank in a group of cats and the relation between agonistic behavior and the use of resources, including environmental enrichment, in these cats.
Observational analytic study.
27 neutered cats in a shelter in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The cats were video recorded for 4 consecutive days to obtain baseline data. Subseq...
Routine laboratory procedures can be stressful for laboratory animals. We wanted to determine whether human handling of adult rabbits could induce a degree of habituation, reducing stress and facilitating research-related manipulation. To this end, adult New Zealand white rabbits were handled either frequently or minimally. After being handled over...
Although cats are a social species and capable of living together in groups of several cats, intercat aggression is a common behavioral problem. Intercat aggression can be classified as status-related, fear- related, play-related, redirected and can also be due to the addition of a new cat to an existing group. Socialization of kittens, choice of t...
Foals were observed to snap to juvenile and adult ponies and, rarely, to other foals in a wide variety of circumstances. There was no difference in the rate of snapping by colts and fillies. Colts snapped to a stallion more often than would be expected if they were snapping randomly to any adult; fillies snapped randomly to either sex. In (mean ± S...
Pets with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) may present for an apparent specific phobia. Learn the signs that distinguish GAD from other demonstrations of fear.
Once a behavior problem has been identified and described, the circumstances in which it occurs must be clarified. This is the second article in this series on behavior patient assessment.
The third article in this series on behavior patient assessment discusses the benefits of direct patient observation in the office and at home.
This article, the first in a three-part series on assessing patients for behavior problems, focuses on techniques for obtaining clear, clinically relevant information from clients.
Changing an animal's behavior takes time, owner commitment, and attention to specifics. Learn what you need to know when planning a desensitization and counterconditioning program.
It is possible to modify lifting techniques in small laboratory pigs to evoke less of a fear response, strengthen the human–animal bond, and improve welfare. The authors hypothesized that recently weaned pigs lifted with a ventral (belly) scoop method would show less fear of new humans and less fear during treatment than pigs lifted vertically by t...
Long-term behavior therapy is the solution to many behavior problems, but benzodiazepines can be a useful short-term measure to keep pets calm and owners patient.
Avoid the risk of serotonin syndrome in patients receiving certain medications for behavior problems by knowing the combinations and dosages that may cause this potentially life-threatening condition.
In this article, Dr. Crowell-Davis discusses how different motives for owning a pet may affect a client's willingness or ability to treat a pet's problem behaviors.
When clients ask your advice on training their pet, what resources do you recommend? Our behavior column editor reviews her top choices for new-and current-pet owners.
The question of what to do with an aggressive dog involves clinical, legal, and ethical considerations. This first column on the subject addresses the clinical aspects from the standpoint of the general veterinarian.
Physical examinations are even more difficult when the patient is nondomesticated, but behavior training can be used to make the veterinarian's job easier.
Although pet owners frequently have more than one species of pet, information on how to ensure a peaceful coexistence between species is scarce. Learn how to advise owners about safely introducing and keeping members of potential predator and prey species in the same house.
Aging pets can experience declines in memory, learning, perception, and awareness. These pets may be disoriented, forget previously learned behaviors, develop new fears and anxiety, or change their interactions with people. When these changes are due to cognitive dysfunction, behavioral and environmental adjustments along with medical therapy can s...
Every day veterinarians in practice are asked to treat pets exhibiting problem behaviors. In the last several years pharmacologic treatments of behavior have made significant advances and can serve as a critical part of therapy. Veterinary Pscyhopharmacology is a complete source of current knowledge on the subject of pharmacologic behavior modifica...
ActionOverview of IndicationsContraindications, Side Effects, and Adverse EventsAdverse Drug InteractionsOverdoseDiscontinuationClinical GuidelinesSpecific MedicationsImportant Information for Owners of Pets Being Placed on Any TCAClinical Examples
ActionOverview of IndicationsContraindications, Side Effects, and Adverse EventsClinical GuidelinesSpecific Medications
IntroductionPotentially Beneficial CombinationsAlgorithmsCytochrome P450 (CYP)Adverse InteractionsInteractions That Can Affect DosingConclusion
AcetylcholineNorepinephrineDopamine
ActionOverview of IndicationsContraindications, Side Effects, and Adverse EventsOverdoseClinical GuidelinesSpecific MedicationsImportant Information for Owners of Pets Being Placed on Any BenzodiazepineClinical Examples
IntroductionGlutamatergic SynapsesPharmacology of Ketamine and TiletamineGABAergic Synapses
ActionOverview of IndicationsContraindications, Side Effects, and Adverse EventsOverdoseClinical GuidelinesSpecific Medications
peptides;euphoria;tissue;gelatinosa;brain
ActionOverview of IndicationsSpecific MedicationsClinical Examples
ActionOverview of IndicationsGeneral PharmacokineticsContraindications, Side Effects, and Adverse EventsOverdoseClinical GuidelinesSpecific MedicationsImportant Information for Owners of Pets Being Placed on an AntipsychoticClinical Examples
ActionOverview of IndicationsContraindications, Side Effects, and Adverse EventsAdverse Drug InteractionsOverdoseClinical GuidelinesSpecific MedicationsClinical Examples
The mare is seasonally polyestrus, having an anovulatory period during the short light days of late fall and early winter, and beginning to ovulate as the days become longer during the winter. The complete estrus cycle is typically about 3 weeks, with 5 to 7 days of estrus and approximately 2 weeks of diestrus. When a mare lives within the natural...
Whenever resources allow, feral cats form complex, matrilineal societies called colonies. Within the colony, there is extensive co-operation between adult females in the care and rearing of kittens, including communal nesting, grooming, and guarding. Males may either be closely associated with a given colony, or they may have home ranges that overl...
Most behaviors exhibited by pet rabbits can be linked back to their ancestors' lifestyles. Understanding how to manage these natural behaviors in a home environment as well as knowing how to prevent and treat problem behaviors will help rabbits and owners coexist peacefully.
The domestic rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, is descended from the European rabbit, which lives in large social groups and digs extensive warrens. Behavior problems include urine spraying, failure to use the litter box, fear of humans and human-directed aggression, intraspecies aggression, destructive digging and chewing, and infanticide. These prob...
Dogs’ dysfunctional attachment relationships with their owners are assumed to be the underlying cause of separation anxiety. Thirty-two dogs with and 43 dogs without owner-reported separation anxiety (SA) participated in a formal attachment test (AT). After the AT, the dogs were videotaped for 30 minutes while alone at home. Dogs left free in the h...
To investigate the relationship of litter box location as it relates to cats' use of space in the house, elimination problems, and certain behaviors associated with elimination.
40 cats in single-cat house-holds with or without elimination behavior problems (20 cats/group).
Camcorders were used to record the cats' behaviors at the litter box and ot...
To determine whether the direction of dominance as determined by agonistic interactions away from food was different from the direction of dominance as determined by access to a resource in cats.
28 cats.
Dyadic relationships and hierarchy formed from observation of agonistic interactions away from food were compared with those formed from interact...
To determine the optimal dosage of clomipramine for the treatment of urine spraying in cats.
Randomized controlled multicenter clinical trial.
67 neutered cats.
Cats with a minimum 1-month history of spraying urine against vertical surfaces at least twice per week were randomly assigned to be treated with a placebo or with clomipramine at a dosage...
This double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed to evaluate the efficacy of clomipramine for the treatment of feather picking disorder in otherwise healthy cockatoos. Twenty cockatoos with chronic feather picking disorder were screened for medical conditions and then randomly assigned to either a clomipramine or placebo group. Based on ca...
An increasing body of research work has made it clear that, while Felis catus can survive in the solitary state, social groups with an internal structure, are formed whenever there are sufficient food resources to support them. Most people who have cats have two or more cats. Failure to understand what will promote either friendly or aggressive beh...
To evaluate associations between relatedness and familiarity with the affiliative behaviors of maintaining proximity and allogrooming in cats.
28 privately owned cats in 1 colony.
15 of the cats had 1 or more relatives present representing 5 genealogies. Each cat was observed in 15-minute intervals for 3.5 hours during the study. All occurrences of...
To identify factors (eg, familiarity, sex, neutering status, and time of year) associated with aggression between domestic ferrets and test a method for reducing aggression when introducing ferrets.
Prospective trial.
56 healthy domestic ferrets.
To identify variables associated with aggression, pairs were placed in an enclosed area and observed. T...
Pain management is an important post-operative concern. Pain scales may rely on the observer's subjective assessment of the level of discomfort and may not correlate with physiologic or pharmacologic measures of pain. The purpose of this study was to develop an objective measure of behavior in healthy pain-free horses recovering from anesthesia tha...
To evaluate use of clomipramine, alprazolam, and behavior modification for treatment of storm phobia in dogs.
Prospective open clinical trial.
40 dogs with storm phobia.
Dogs received clomipramine at a dosage of 2 mg/kg (0.9 mg/lb), PO, every 12 hours for 3 months; then 1 mg/kg (0.45 mg/lb), PO, every 12 hours for 2 weeks; then 0.5 mg/kg (0.23 mg/l...
The flehmen response is commonly seen in most ungulates as well as in several other species (e.g. felids). The behavior is most often thought to be part of the sexual behavioral repertoire of males. One reigning hypothesis suggests that this behavior allows the male to determine the estrous state of a female through the chemosensory functions of th...
Agonistic and affiliative behaviors and spatial positioning were studied in a small psittacine species, Nymphicus hollandicus. Subjects studied were flock-housed breeders including five hens and seven cocks. Fifteen-minute focal animal samples were collected for the entire flock in a randomly distributed order during mate selection and the onset of...
Aggression and social spacing were studied in 14 light horse mares and their foals living at pasture. Focal samples were collected on each mare-foal dyad for 6 to 10.5 h from 2 months of foal age until weaning at approximately 4 months of age. Observations on foals continued until approximately 6 months of age for 7.5 to 10.5 h per foal. Every 2 mi...
We examined the effect of supplemental exercise (either individually or with a conspecific) on the physical and psychological health of dogs by measuring immune, endocrine, and behavioral responses. Forty purpose-bred adult male beagles were assigned to one of four treatment conditions: exercised individually (EI), exercised with a conspecific (EC)...
Cats form social groups in which individuals recognize each other, and the cohesiveness of the group is maintained by a variety of amicable behaviors. Agonistic behavior may occur between group members and between group members and nongroup members. Within the domestic environment, agonistic behavior may become a problem when it is directed at hous...
Thirty-nine dogs were assigned to four treatment groups for weight loss. Breed, sex and initial body condition were similar across groups. Treatments included 0, 25, 40 or 50% caloric restriction, based on calculated maintenance energy requirements for the dog's estimated ideal body weight. True maintenance energy requirements and actual caloric re...
Thirty-nine dogs were assigned to four treatment groups for weight loss. Breed, sex and initial body condition were similar across groups. Treatments included 0, 25, 40 or 50% caloric restriction, based on calculated maintenance energy requirements for the dog's estimated ideal body weight. True maintenance energy requirements and actual caloric re...
The relationship between ten Belgian mares and their offspring was studied from the first day of foal life to 17 weeks of age. Mares and foals spent more time at greater distances from each other as foals matured. Mares exhibited the recumbency response, being in closer proximity to their foals when foals were recumbent than when they were upright....
A herd of 15 Belgian brood-mares and ten foals located at the Snyder Foundation Equine Research Center in Athens, Georgia was studied. Field data were collected using 30-min focal samples, such that 1 h of data was collected on each foal per week of its life. Social spacing was recorded at 2-min intervals. Social encounters during the focal sample...
Upright and recumbent rest of 15 Welsh pony foals and their mothers was studied over a 2 year period. During their first week of life, the foals spent 32% of the time in recumbent rest. Subsequently, the percentage of time spent in recumbent rest decreased, but was still greater than for the foal's mother by Week 21, when the foals spent 6.5% of th...
Eight mares were tested to determine if they remained near one of two stallions longer than would be expected if association was random. Six stallions were paired in 30 combinations and each mare was tested 30 times. The mares (Equus caballus) demonstrated a definite preference for individual stallions throughout the breeding season. This preferenc...
Draft mares and their mule foals were observed from the day of birth to Week 17 of each foal's life. The rate of nursing was recorded and the duration of nursing activity to the nearest second. The rate at which foals engaged in nursing activity varied at each age. The duration of nursing bouts varied slightly as the foals matured. Aggression was r...
Self-grooming behaviour of 15 mare-foal pairs was studied weekly for the first 24 weeks of the foal's life. Mares self-groomed at mean rates of 1.2–2.2 times h−1 depending on the 4-week period. Foals self-groomed more often, with a peak rate of 12.3 times h−1 occurring during Week 5–8 and a subsequent decline to 6.0 times h−1 by Weeks 21–24. Self-g...