PMID- 38546181
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20240329
LR  - 20240418
IS  - 1532-2750 (Electronic)
IS  - 1098-612X (Linking)
VI  - 26
IP  - 3
DP  - 2024 Mar
TI  - Impact of stress on the tear production of healthy cats.
PG  - 1098612X241233116
LID - 10.1177/1098612X241233116 [doi]
AB  - OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the impact of acute stress on tear 
      production in companion cats to provide a basis for minimizing stress-inducing 
      stimuli during ophthalmic evaluations. METHODS: A total of 24 healthy owned cats 
      (12 males, 12 females) of mixed breed, aged 8 months to 7 years, with no history 
      of ocular diseases, were selected for the study. The cats were housed in 
      individual cages under controlled conditions for 6 days. The Schirmer tear test-1 
      (STT-1) was performed in the morning (between 9:00 am and 11:00 am) using test 
      strips from the same batch. The first test (without stress) was conducted on the 
      fifth day of acclimation, and the second test (with stress) on the sixth day. The 
      stress stimulus consisted of recordings of barking dogs, cats fighting and the 
      murmuring of people. For both tests, the heart rate was assessed with a 
      stethoscope before, during and after the tests, and the environmental stress 
      level was also evaluated. Results are presented as mean +/- SD and 95% confidence 
      interval (CI). RESULTS: The study found that STT-1 values were significantly 
      higher (P = 0.009) with stress (22.2 +/- 6.0 mm/min [95% CI 19.9-24.6]) than 
      without stress (17.5 +/- 6.9 mm/min [95% CI 14.8-20.2]). Similarly, the heart rate 
      was significantly higher (P = 0.028) in stress vs non-stress conditions 
      (213.4 +/- 37.5 beats per minute [bpm] [95% CI 198.7-228.1] vs 171.5 +/- 28.6 bpm 
      [95% CI 160.3-182.7], respectively), and the environmental stress score was 
      significantly higher (P <0.001) in stress vs non-stress conditions (3.3 +/- 0.5 
      [95% CI 3.1-3.5] vs 1.2 +/- 0.4 [95% CI 1.1-1.4], respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND 
      RELEVANCE: Stress increased tear production in cats. Although the mean STT-1 
      value obtained under stress conditions was within the normal range, stress can 
      influence the test results. The use of cat friendly handling techniques 
      facilitates execution of the STT-1.
FAU - Donat Almagro, Larissa
AU  - Donat Almagro L
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0002-8132-7739
AD  - Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul, 
      Realeza, Parana, Brazil.
FAU - Moutinho, Izabelle
AU  - Moutinho I
AUID- ORCID: 0009-0004-5931-2540
AD  - Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul, 
      Realeza, Parana, Brazil.
FAU - Mendes de Oliveira, Victor
AU  - Mendes de Oliveira V
AUID- ORCID: 0009-0008-9933-3396
AD  - Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul, 
      Realeza, Parana, Brazil.
FAU - Ferreira Goncalves, Gentil
AU  - Ferreira Goncalves G
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0003-0554-5782
AD  - Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul, 
      Realeza, Parana, Brazil.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - England
TA  - J Feline Med Surg
JT  - Journal of feline medicine and surgery
JID - 100897329
SB  - IM
MH  - Male
MH  - Female
MH  - Cats
MH  - Animals
MH  - Dogs
MH  - *Tears/physiology
MH  - *Lacrimal Apparatus
MH  - Reference Values
MH  - Physical Examination
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Schirmer tear test
OT  - acute stress
OT  - stressors
OT  - tear
COIS- Conflict of interestThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with 
      respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
EDAT- 2024/03/28 12:46
MHDA- 2024/03/29 06:45
CRDT- 2024/03/28 08:43
PHST- 2024/03/29 06:45 [medline]
PHST- 2024/03/28 12:46 [pubmed]
PHST- 2024/03/28 08:43 [entrez]
AID - 10.1177/1098612X241233116 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Feline Med Surg. 2024 Mar;26(3):1098612X241233116. doi: 
      10.1177/1098612X241233116.