2016 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

This multi-institutional study used a questionnaire based on the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (CBARQ), that has been previously validated for its ability to analyze canine behavior. Owners of dogs that had been diagnosed with genetic epilepsy were asked to complete the questionnaire and a 10-point seizure severity scale. Sections of the CBARQ relating to separation, attachment and attention seeking, and obedience and training behaviors were modified to include additional parameters for detecting anxiety based behavioral changes associated with different phases of the seizure episode. The questionnaire was also distributed to primary care clients presenting dogs for wellness examinations and owners of dogs with intervertebral disc disease (IVDD). Veterinarians of the dogs in the study also completed a brief questionnaire as well to identify and verify the diagnoses of each dog that participated in this study. Fischer's exact tests were utilized, to assess for differences in behavioral traits exhibited between the epileptic, IVDD and primary care groups. If a significant difference between the groups was detected, then post hoc testing with Fischer's exact tests for pairwise comparisons was performed and a Bonferroni correction was applied to account for multiple comparisons.