Emotions and stress in animals
by Safih Choat

The word stress means "pressure", "tension" or "insistence", therefore being stressed means "being under pressure" or "being under the action of an insistent stimulus".

Any stimulus capable of provoking the appearance of a set of organic, mental, psychological and/or behavioral responses related to standard stereotypical physiological changes, which end up resulting in hyperfunction of the adrenal gland and the sympathetic autonomic nervous system, is called stress. These responses initially aim to adapt the organism to the new situation, generated by the stressful stimulus, and the set of them, assuming a considerable time, is called stress. 

The state of stress is therefore related to the adaptation response, being essentially a degree of wear and tear on the body and mind, which can reach degenerative levels.

Types of stress:

Stress can be physical, emotional or mixed. 

Mixed stress is the most common, since physical stress (associated with events such as surgeries, traumas, hemorrhages and injuries in general) also compromises the emotional, since pain induces very intense emotional states. 

Emotional stress results from events that affect the body emotionally, without any primary relationship with organic injuries. 

Mixed stress occurs when a physical injury is accompanied by psychological (emotional) impairment or vice versa.

However, organisms differ in their way of reacting to stress. While some are able to overcome it quickly, others may trigger other disorders. Thus, individual variables play a decisive role in the formation of a psychosomatic problem. 

At this point, homeopathy understands these variables, understanding how stress presents itself to the body, in what forms it is using for defense (vital alteration - diseases), prescribing a single medicine to the patient according to the personal complaint in order to restore vital energy. On the other hand, allopathy prescribes a single medicine for the diversity of different organisms, which may alleviate the symptom (adaptive diseases) but not the cause, or consequently allow, according to this individual variation of each organism, the development of other diseases.

In addition to stressful events, Barlow (1993) suggests the existence of a biological and individual vulnerability necessary for the formation of an anxiety disorder (stress). As Dr. Moisés, a renowned homeopathic physician, would say, during heavy rain, some people may catch the flu, others may develop pneumonia, and others may not develop any illness. The rain is the same, but each person reacts in a different way to defend themselves.

Popularly speaking, the term stress is often used to justify our tiredness, our failures, and also to reinforce our values ​​as a person, in the face of the attitudes that cause us stress.
Who hasn't praised a certain friend precisely because in your day-to-day life you consider their tasks stressful, right?

There are "N" situations that we are subject to, so the word "stress" somehow acquires a more commonplace and less important meaning than it involves.

On the other hand, imagining stress that has already set in, in these situations we are blessed, as humans, with the option of choosing between activities that can relieve this discomfort. For example, for those with depression, it is common to indicate activities that trigger the production of cortisone, which beneficially alters symptoms, since it is responsible for relieving pain in the body, among other things. But what about animals? They can't speak and depend solely on us to relieve them!

Animals, just like us, also suffer from stress. Whether it's the owner's absence, a change of residence, an unstable family situation, a lack of routine, a trip to the vet, a possible hospitalization... There are many situations that can trigger stress in animals, and unlike us humans, they don't understand many things.

For example : You're going on a trip, but you'll be back in 2 days. For a child, no matter how much you explain it and how much they don't understand how long 2 days would last, given their age, they're able to assimilate this absence. But how do you explain it to an animal, right? 

Changing the situation under the same approach, how do you make the animal understand that you're going to the vet, whether or not you're hospitalized for its own good? He arrives at the office, smells countless things, since we know how sensitive his sense of smell is, and this is already stressful. Suddenly, he is housed in a small place, without the comfort of his home, without contact with his owner, together with many other animals or alone, depending on the demand, barking, complaining, crying, grumbling, every hour a shift, an assistant, a prick, an exam... How can we explain that it is only for a few days? For a few moments, for a few minutes?

Unfortunately, he is able to feel your gaze, and his actions show good intentions, but even so, this chronological notion is not the same as our human one, which can lead to a possible worsening of the animal's stress, not to mention, of course, and in addition to the complaint previously presented (and assuming his already low immunity), if not considered and treated appropriately, it will demonstrably harm his recovery and will certainly lead to the emergence of other diseases that, in turn, are treated separately, like parts of a clock, in most cases, and that can even lead, depending on worsening and inadequate management, to the decision to euthanize or abandon him later.

In stressful situations, the animal can trigger a series of compulsive behaviors, for example, which we easily confuse with bad manners or stubbornness, and which are actually a demonstration of dissatisfaction, since they have no choice of activities for relief other than by us, the owners.

Among the symptoms in the behavioral area, we have:

Restlessness - Exaggerated reaction to things - Barking, howling and whining - Trembling - Biting oneself - Lack of concentration - Biting or chewing inappropriate things, such as furniture - Licking oneself - Chasing one's own tail - Fixation on things - Aggression - doing something other than the command given, etc.  

The effects of stress are cumulative. 

Imagine that we are putting water in a glass. When it is full, we either stop or it will overflow. 

If your animal is subjected to continuous stress and cannot recover from its effects, then, like the glass full of water, it will become full of stress and this stress will overflow. Then we will have an animal that will probably present a series of health problems, skin problems, aggressiveness, destruction, restlessness, then moving on to the next step which is somatization, the overflow of this water to other organs, that is, the beginning of adaptation diseases.

Any animal, for example, that faces aggression, presents a neurovegetative (autonomic) change through an increase in heart and respiratory rate. Its pupils dilate, its digestive function is inhibited, its hairs stand up, etc., but this is what is seen externally. Internally, however, a true organic revolution occurs, mainly in relation to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

In works published from 1936 onwards, Selye demonstrated that when the organism is exposed to an effort triggered by a stimulus perceived as threatening to homeostasis (vital balance), be it physical, chemical, biological or even psychosocial, it tends to respond in a uniform and non-specific way, both anatomically and physiologically. He called this set of non-specific reactions in which the organism as a whole participates the General Adaptation Syndrome. 

It is important to note that these non-specific changes should be considered in accordance with what we saw above about individual variants, that is, what may seem normal to you may be extremely stressful to the animal, depending on its history and predisposition. It is also worth mentioning that the reactions are undefined for each animal, that is, as in the example of the rain above, some may trigger another serious disease “x”, others “Y”, and others none at all.

This syndrome consists of three phases:

Alarm Reaction,
Resistance Phase;
Exhaustion Phase. 

It is not necessary for the phase to develop until the end for stress to occur and it is evidently only in the most serious situations that the last phase, that of exhaustion, is reached.

Let us now understand these phases step by step:

Stage One: The alarm reaction stage.

In this situation, there is an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, to allow blood to circulate more quickly and, therefore, to reach the skeletal muscles and brain with more oxygen and nutrients, facilitating mobility and movement;

The spleen contracts, bringing more red blood cells into the bloodstream, bringing more oxygen to the body, particularly in strategically favored areas;

The liver releases stored glucose into the bloodstream to be used as food and, consequently, more energy for the muscles and brain;

There is a redistribution of blood, decreasing the flow to the skin and viscera, increasing it to the muscles and brain;

The respiratory rate increases and there is dilation of the bronchi, so that the body can capture and receive more oxygen;

Pupil dilation and exophthalmos are noticed, that is, the protrusion of the eye out of the eyeball, to increase visual efficiency;

The number of lymphocytes in the bloodstream increases to repair possible tissue damage caused by aggressive external agents.

At the same time, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is activated, triggering slower and more prolonged responses and playing a crucial role in the body's adaptation to the stress to which it is being subjected. 

In technical terms, the acute stimulus causes the secretion of the hormone "corticotropin releasing hormone" in the hypothalamus, which in turn determines the release of ACTH from the adenohypophysis, in addition to other neurohormones and brain peptides, such as beta-endorphins, STH, prolactin, etc. ACTH triggers the synthesis and secretion of glucocorticoids by the adrenal cortex. A negative feedback mechanism is then established with the glucocorticoids acting on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. 

By now, we can see how stress is a serious issue and that its occurrence can even influence medication and recovery, as well as trigger diseases, since it can even occur when going to the pet shop for a simple bath. Another important aspect is that the symptoms can often be confused with other diseases, where the administration of specific medicines for that disease and not for the one that caused the stress can lead to an overdose of medication.

Unfortunately, the issue of the importance of stress and the assessment of the environment by veterinarians is perhaps poorly addressed by the vast majority of veterinarians. Consequently, medication is often given to eliminate the disease, but later, because the animal continues to live in the environment that caused stress and the onset of the disease, it inevitably returns, often more severe. In the case of compulsive behaviors, typical of stress, a sedative is usually prescribed, which, instead of trying to understand what in the environment is causing the symptoms to appear, simply numbs the animal.

Thus, we have:

If the stressors disappear, such reactions tend to regress; however, if the organism is forced to maintain its efforts to adapt, it enters a new phase, which is called the Resistance Phase.

Stage Two: The Resistance Stage. 

During this stage, the animal tries to deal with the current situation by lowering its resistance, increasing its cortisol levels, promoting the appearance of digestive ulcers, changes in blood pressure, inflammatory changes in the gastrointestinal tract, various metabolic changes, etc. 

In technical terms, this is caused by the reaction of cortico-adrenal hyperactivity, under diencephalon-pituitary mediation, with increased volume of the adrenal cortex, atrophy of the spleen and lymphatic structures, leukocytosis, decreased eosinophils and ulcerations.

Stage Three: The Exhaustion Stage. 

When stress persists continuously, the animal can no longer deal with its implications organically. Then there is a loss of general balance in the tissues and organs, the body's immune defense is reduced, and thus "adaptation diseases" appear. It is as if in a basketball game, the animal passed the ball to another player, who would actually be another organ, in an attempt to find a way out when it already feels deprived.

Every organism is capable of adapting to an unfavorable environment, but this adaptation does not occur with impunity.

The big problem with stress in animals is how to identify which of the three phases above it is in, how to alleviate it and prevent it as much as possible from completing this course and reaching the third phase, what is the importance and what repercussions the medications prescribed in this situation can alleviate or completely undermine its adaptive capacity.

Another major underlying issue is that our ego, and obviously that of the professional, since a career in medicine induces an unconscious feeling of omnipotence, the supposed power to deal with/control life and death, the lack of information, together with the media and common sense, end up qualifying the search for complementary therapies to work on the animal and its organism as a whole, as reasons to belittle, disqualify their work or mitigate professional incompetence, not as an interest in caring about the health and well-being of the animal. After all, if a negative emotion triggers stress, the opposite, an emotion or set of positive emotions can increase its immunity, collaborating in the recovery.

Here we also have, on the one hand, that in emergencies, this "small" issue of stress becomes insignificant and almost "dispensable" in light of the procedures that the professional will conduct in response to the presented complaint. On the other hand, according to the implications that we will see below, it is necessary to correctly understand this issue, including the fact that it triggers other diseases or even contributes to the exhaustion of the animal's vital capacity. 

Let us now move on to the influence of stress on the body:

The limbic system :

This is the highest regulatory system of visceral-emotional functioning. Several interactions occur from it between the nervous, endocrine and immune systems.
The immune response to stress occurs through a joint action between these systems, and any injury to one of them will consequently affect the balance of the functioning of the interconnected systems.

The immune system explains the interactions between psychosocial phenomena, such as autoimmune, neoplastic and allergic diseases.

Stress plays an inhibitory role on the immune system or stimulates an important part of its components, which in certain cases could lead to an increase in morbidity or mortality, according to the coping mechanisms (set of individual strategies used by the organism to adapt to stressful situations, somatization being one of them).

The brain, particularly the hypothalamus and associated structures of the limbic system, integrates internal and external stimuli and regulates the pituitary gland, which in turn controls the function of other major endocrine glands through tropic hormones and which have direct actions on bodily functions.

In contrast to the effects of the autonomic nervous system, hormones have a long-lasting effect on the body, whose secretion is altered directly or indirectly during stress.

The gastrointestinal system is especially sensitive to general stress. 

Loss of appetite is one of the first symptoms, due to the paralysis of the gastrointestinal tract under sympathetic action, and may be followed by vomiting, constipation and diarrhea in the case of emotional blockages. 

Signs of irritation and disturbance of the digestive organs may occur in any type of emotional stress.

Studies of ulcers in monkeys have shown that emotional tension apparently causes ulcers if its period coincides with some natural rhythm of the gastrointestinal system, in its blockage phase.

Despite the great growth of scientific information regarding the nutrition of sick animals, this knowledge is still not part of the medical routine of veterinary clinics and hospitals, which usually do not have nutrition as part of the therapeutic treatment (REMILLARD, et al. 2000). 

Malnutrition of hospitalized animals is more common than is usually recognized. 

In a study involving 276 dogs and 821 days of hospitalization, REMILLARD et al. (2001) found that on only 27% of days did the animals consume enough food to achieve a positive caloric balance. 

BUTTERWORTH (1974) and TORRANCE (1996) identified numerous reasons for failures in nutritional management, and thus for the high prevalence of hospital malnutrition: 

* Diffusion of responsibility for patient care; 
* Prolonged use of intravenous saline and glucose solutions;
* Failure to quantify patient food intake;
* Fasting for diagnostic tests;
* Failure to recognize increased nutritional needs due to injury or disease;
* Failure to provide nutritional support after surgery;
* Failure to recognize the role of nutrition in the prevention and recovery of infections; 
* Lack of communication and interaction between clinicians and nutritionists. 

Nutritional care for hospitalized patients aims to maintain or prevent the decrease in immunocompetence, tissue synthesis and repair, and intermediate drug metabolism, the three main consequences of malnutrition (DONOGHUE, 1989; CROWE, 1990; CARNEVALE et al., 1991; HAND et al., 2000; REMILLARD et al., 2001; REMILLARD, 2002; CHAN, 2004).

Correct nutritional management of hospitalized animals depends on adequate collection of nutritional information from the patient during the anamnesis and physical examination (including body condition or score) and on the performance of specific laboratory tests, when necessary. 

Internal protocols and procedures must be structured to define the animal's caloric needs, type of food, route of administration and the amount of food to be provided. Monitoring mechanisms and daily records of actual food consumption and feces production are also essential (CARCIOFI et al., 2003). 

In both human and veterinary nutrition, the Resting Energy Requirement (REN) intake, estimated for dogs and cats as 70 x Live Weight 0.75 kcal per day (KLEIBER, 1932), has been considered as the criterion for considering the animal in positive energy balance.

Unfortunately, these aspects are rarely addressed in clinics, as mentioned by the author of the above research, Marco Antonio Brunetto. Once, when I admitted another kitten to a 24-hour hospital, I could only visit her once a day, for one hour. Obviously, her loss of appetite due to all the stress was significant, and the professionals, instead of facilitating it more frequently, since she was recovering for a later surgery, only after my concerns and complaints, suggested a gastric tube. Conclusion: I took her out of there, according to another professional approach given the abovementioned case, she was treated at home according to her care and spent the last months of her life well. 

I wonder what would have happened if she had been subjected to more stress and how many more medications would have been imposed on her instead of being spared, considering the knowledge they have about stress...

Continuing, some clinicians still believe that nutritional intervention is not so necessary and that if there is adequate therapy, appetite can be regulated in up to 5 days (BURKHOLDER, 1995). 

It is now known, however, that contrary to the above concept, food intake is essential for the success of the animal's therapy and recovery (LEWIS et al., 1994; SIMPSON et al., 1993; HILL, 1994; CASE et al., 1995; TENNANT, 1996; REMILLARD et al., 2000). 

Most sick animals require critical attention regarding the quantity and quality of what they eat. 

Nutritional support can be as vital as any therapy, such as fluids or antibiotics (DEVEY et al., 1995), and should always be initiated gradually, regardless of the final caloric goal to be achieved. 

Benefits of nutritional support for hospitalized dogs and cats include:

Collaboration in the patient's recovery;
Reduction in mortality;
Improvement in the organic response to trauma and stress. 

One of its primary objectives is to prevent tissue protein catabolism, since hospitalized patients often present with a negative protein balance, which can be achieved by providing sufficient calories and dietary protein in optimal proportions (DONOGHUE, 1994).

Most hospitalized patients are under metabolic stress due to infections or trauma. Some are hypermetabolic and others hypometabolic. Primary diseases can exacerbate nutritional imbalances and therapy can alter the animal's homeostatic capacity. 

Wounds and tumors can act as additional factors, leading to an increase in caloric requirements (DONOGHUE, 1989).

Hospitalized patients generally have a decreased appetite, not only due to the disease but also due to the stress of hospitalization, confinement, unfamiliar habitat and the presence of other animals (BOULCOTT, 1967). However, it is precisely at this moment that they need special nutritional attention, because in response to these changes, metabolic alterations are observed that result in an increase in nutritional needs, in the metabolic rate (hypermetabolism) and persistent loss of nitrogen associated with a negative nitrogen balance, which overlap or aggravate pre-existing nutritional deficiencies (BUTTERWICK & TORRANCE, 1995). 

The effects of caloric-protein malnutrition tend to be specific to each tissue and can become generalized the longer it takes to correct it. Long periods of food deprivation culminate in a great mobilization of amino acids, which are used in the synthesis of DNA and RNA, in the production of acute phase proteins and energy (gluconeogenesis), further aggravating the state of malnutrition (SEIM III & BARTGES, 2003).(4)


Hypothalamus and stress state:

The hypothalamus is the area of ​​the central nervous system that is responsible for several functions that are basic to the maintenance and survival of the organism. 

Through the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system, the hypothalamus promotes a series of organic changes necessary for maintaining balance during states of great physical and/or mental activity and through its own mechanisms, such as the hunger, thirst and body temperature regulation mechanisms, it produces subsidies that enable integrated functioning, maintaining organic harmony throughout the period in which the individual is under the influence of the stressor. 

The overall functioning of the hypothalamus is largely responsible for the genesis of the organic conditions so that the "stressed" individual can, within certain limits, adapt and overcome the changes responsible for stress.

All types of questions related to the situation that is presented (stressful) are happening in the brain and all structures connected to it are being influenced by the anxiety, discomfort and insecurity generated within it. This is due to the great responsibility of the hypothalamus in states of stress to supply the brain with all the elements necessary for its important activity, without neglecting the overall needs of the organism, especially in cases of physical stress, where tissue restoration is the hallmark of needs.

The state of stress implies an increased need for energy, because it is characterized by great activity at the level of the neuromuscular system and other tissues. A basal increase in skeletal muscle tone occurs right from the start, the organism needs an increased level of glucose, since the nervous system is directly dependent on blood glucose, and other nutrients such as amino acids, salts and vitamins, which are essential to sustain the increased activity.

Functions of the sympathetic nervous system and stress:

In both physical and emotional states of stress, the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for an increase in heart rate and ventricular contraction force, blood pressure, increasing blood flow to active muscles while decreasing blood flow to organs that are not necessary for that activity, blood glucose and cellular metabolism throughout the body, glucose and muscle strength, mental activity, blood clotting, etc.

Endocrine system and stress:

The hypothalamus also activates the endocrine system through the stimulation it is able to exert on the pituitary gland. The adrenal gland is the most important target in states of stress, due to its hormones secreted from the medullary regions and the cortical layer.

The adrenal medulla and stress:

The release of hormones produced by the medullary layer of the adrenal gland occurs mainly in response to sympathetic discharges. It secretes catecholamines (adrenaline and a small amount of noradrenaline) during emergency and stressful situations, producing sympathetic effects. Its main function is to provide "adrenergic" support through the blood to prolong the effects of neural origin, through hormonal mechanisms that spread through the bloodstream.


The adrenal cortex and stress:

The adrenal cortex secretes corticosteroids, a composition formed by three families of hormones: mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids and androgens. Glucocorticoids (GC) are of primary importance in states of stress. Excessive amounts of this hormone produce irregular fat distribution, centripetal distribution, with greater accumulation in the thoracic and cervical regions.

All these emergency mechanisms (glycogenesis, lipolysis, glycogen deposition in the liver, increased cholesterol, etc.) together protect the body from hypoglycemia and facilitate the storage of glycogen, the body's second source of energy.

The most pronounced effect of cortisol is its ability to increase blood glucose levels, but it also has an important effect on the cardiovascular system, central nervous system, other glands, and inflammatory and immunological responses.

In the cardiovascular system, they act by increasing vascular tone and the force of myocardial contraction, but they represent an aggression to the heart. 
Outside the limbic system, they reduce aggressiveness and defense capacity, increasing passivity in stressful situations.

GC (glucocorticoids) have a considerable degree of specificity in relation to the hormonal regulation of cell differentiation in various tissues. They have a negative effect on brain growth and the proliferation of cells that make up nervous tissue. Prolonged exposure of brain cells to GC, or to high levels of GC, causes a decrease in brain weight and reduces its DNA content, suggesting a decrease in its cell number. It negatively interferes with the formation of synapses, as it causes a delay in the growth of cortical dendrites and reduces the levels of cerebral gangliosides, which are essential in neuronal processes.

In short, so that the technical terms do not become exhausting, the body has very efficient mechanisms to sustain itself when subjected to stressful situations, but this efficiency can fail in the case of very intense or very prolonged stimulation, capable of rendering the body unable to promote its balance. 

In clinical terms, it is important to emphasize that changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis can lead, in cases of chronic stress, to a state of exhaustion of the adaptive capacity resulting from the hormonal failure of the adrenal glands. 

But if professionals come into contact with all this content when they attend university, why haven't their effects been properly assessed, promoting better improvement in what it involves?

Imagine yourself, in 5 years, inexperienced as a social being, since most of you, as we saw on another page, are in your 20s, having to learn a series of data, formulas, chemical components, that is, knowing not just one species but all of the species in the animal kingdom. 

Would it be possible for you to master everything in just 5 years?

Another issue is that traditional medicine, the basis of the veterinary medicine course, has a disease-prescription-symptom suppression approach, in other words, disease x cure. In this aspect, the focus of attention is on the action of medication, its effects, what is it for, considering only the most important environmental variables, behavior and zoonoses. Thus, if we were to study only the stress part, and everything that involves it, in addition to the simplified and practical study, it would already take a long time for the course. Not to mention that stress has its active and specific emotional component. 

How can we justify the part of the course that involves animal experimentation, if we emphasize the effects of stress on the “guinea pigs and study subjects”, thus showing that they feel pain, suffer and consequently open the door to unjustifying the entire disciplinary program? 

Everything follows a line of reasoning, as we have seen in other articles, more tending towards Cartesianism, so that underlying aspects that are not actual diseases either take a back seat or are left for specializations.

Fortunately, discontent occurs in many parts of the universe, as do developments and discoveries, and this scenario is gradually becoming more holistic. But even so, we still have human greed and individualism that often lead us to want to earn more than to provide decent service, and we then see so many errors and inattention, culminating in negligence regarding the most correct protocols to be followed, whether they are included in the code of ethics or not, but studied in class about their implications, and critical thinking is essential. Let's not forget the good ones! They exist.

Lastly, we, the owners, are also responsible for the continuity of this paradigm. If each of us were to learn more about various facts about the lives of animals, question, demand, contest, request, obviously adaptive changes would occur more quickly to meet a new demand.

We are indeed guilty, if a veterinarian replaces a medicine with a natural component, for example, and we think that he is not a good professional, when in fact his interest was so great as to suppress an excess that could, according to his knowledge, bring more loss than gain.

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We are guilty if we do not demand the correct care, especially when they are hospitalized or in a hotel and return with “N” problems.

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We are guilty if, when an illness is behavioral, we do not seek alternatives, another opinion, and accept huge doses of sedatives, when complementary therapies justify their success in these cases on sound grounds.

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We are guilty of not opening up opportunities for a new vision regarding the benefits of homeopathy, which can work together with allopathy and restore the animal's vital force, preferring a quick and strong remedy, instead of reflecting on the damage it may cause in the future, and so to speak that the others do not work without experimentation, when in fact they involve a discipline that would interfere in our selfish day-to-day lives.

We contribute with many things...

If you do not collaborate for change, then you are part of the problem.

We can make a difference, professionals, students and owners!

Final considerations:

All organisms are subject to stress. 

Although very common and commonplace on the one hand, and because of this it is often described as part of a routine, on the other hand, antagonistically, stress brings with it important and worrying considerations for the emergence of diseases, contrary to what it seems, and as important as the study of diseases itself.
Taking the example of veterinary students, during the course, this stress needs to be reassessed, because, as we have seen, it can affect not only the student's performance in conflict situations such as ethics and animal experimentation, but it can also be a trigger for diseases, even chronic ones, considering the repetitive classes during the 5 years of the course. 

From another perspective, we realize that stress has important implications for animals, whether companion animals, laboratory animals, wild animals or even invertebrates, leading us to the questioning of drug research on animals, since when faced with stressful effects, they can interfere with the results of the research, thus awakening an ethical rethinking of such procedures and their veracity, as consequences already seen on page 18 of this e-book.

Stress is directly related to the limbic system, known as the emotional brain, linked to emotional phenomena, also present in animals. The various areas of the Limbic System are linked to a series of activities related to basic survival and physiological needs, where, depending on the stressful stimuli, their duration, as well as the individual organic defense variables, they can lead to the onset of serious and chronic diseases, which can be easily confused with others or heavily medicated according to relapses, since the stressful effect may be the animal's own environment, the cause. 

These conditions include typical compulsions, skin problems and other common problems, usually treated with medications that can compromise other organs in the future, and can be improved with the help of homeopathy, phytotherapy, floral remedies, reiki, acupuncture, chromotherapy and many other complementary therapies.

In pets, the simple sweating of the pads (of the paws) and excessive panting are already indications that the animal is stressed. In other words, everyday events can become potential factors for diseases.

Many amateur handlers and even the owner himself may think that this reaction is synonymous with agility, determination, etc., but in fact, in high doses it can cause serious dysfunctions. 

For a future owner, for example, when acquiring an animal, it is not enough to just think that it is cute and feel that you have a lot of love to give it; it is important to consider it as a life, wrapped in a system to which a series of cares must be taken " daily ". 

For professionals in the field, it is important to highlight all these aspects of stress as preponderant factors in the emergence of diseases, that is, in a diagnostic analysis.

Food, for example, is important for the issue of animal hospitalization, although as observed in the research cited above, this aspect has received little attention in terms of evaluation.

Speaking from a more routine perspective, each time an animal goes to a pet shop/clinic, the baths, the care itself, all these factors are likely to cause stress in animals, mainly because they have a highly developed sense of smell and are capable of smelling various odors such as fear of other animals, products used for cleaning and asepsis, and medications, facts that already induce initial stress. Not to mention the issue of the place that is not always welcoming, sometimes due to hygiene factors that predetermine certain standard aspects of well-being for the animal itself, sometimes because it is minor in terms of other issues personally considered more important under focus during training. 

The location for the animal's hospitalization or recovery, considering what stress can cause, must be evaluated in terms of external noises, structure, location of cages, that is, structural aspects are essential as much as medication and assistance for the involutional course of the disease. 

The handling of the animal itself, removing it from a cage, administering medication and subsequently changing its accommodation, already becomes another aggressive stimulus.

For most people, this may be just a given, but when analyzing the body's defenses when dealing with the stress of the situation, whether they want to or not, the hospitalized animal ends up creating a relationship with the place where it is, trying to take advantage of it. When this inconsistency is created, faced with another already inconstant situation, that of hospitalization, whether they want to or not, it ends up inducing organic interference, since yet another readaptation, in addition to the unpleasant situation, is formed. Just to remind you, limbic system, emotions, stress, adaptive diseases (new or enhanced).

Therefore, these aspects, among many others that will arise over the course of the treatment, are essential to mobilize a rethinking of many behaviors. So far, we have only talked about stress and its psychosomatic influences!

Therefore, for each criticism to become constructive, it is necessary to suggest a reinterpretation of the procedures as well as the presentation of auxiliary procedures, which, when well-founded and studied in their influence, contribute to the relief and real consideration of the holistic nature of animal life.

“ Concern and interest in the influences of the local environment and the animal’s habitat, the way they are handled, treated, considered, the emotional aspects of the owners themselves, among other factors, are so important for their recovery that they must be included within the professional attitudes themselves, whether in a diagnostic analysis or regarding the responsibilities for which your clinic is intended. It is not enough to be a veterinarian. You must understand what is going on inside each animal. ”

 

Bibliographic References:

Endocrinology and psychosomatics
http://www.virtualpsy.org/psicossomatica/hipofise.html

From emotion to injury
http://gballone.sites.uol.com.br/psicossomatica/raiva.html

Immunology and emotion
http://gballone.sites.uol.com.br/psicossomatica/imuno.html

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Emotions and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
http://www.virtualpsy.org/psicossomatica/hipofise.html

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Learning to recognize and live with stress
http://www.agiliteiros.com/journal/stress.htm

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The brain circuit of stress 
http://www.psleo.com.br/psicologia29.htm

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Psychosomatic Diseases - Renan dos Santos - http://www.coladaweb.com/medicina/psico2.htm

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Assessment of nutritional support upon hospital discharge in dogs and cats

- Marco Antonio Brunetto

- http://www.fcav.unesp.br/download/pgtrabs/cmv/m/2778.pdf

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Homeopathic Doctor Dr.Moises http://www.doutormoises.com.br

The concept of Coping – A theoretical review – Adriane Scomazzon Antoniazzi, Débora Dalbosco Dell'Aglio and Denise Ruschel Bandeira
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/epsic/v3n2/a06v03n2.pdf