Helping Rabbits Cope with Veterinary Acts and Vaccine-Related Stress: The Effects of the Rabbit Appeasing Pheromone (RAP).

ABSTRACT: Rabbits are subjected to challenges that induce stress and require them to continuously adapt. Veterinary procedures represent an important source of stress. In other pets, pheromone use was shown to help patients better cope with these procedures. This study aimed to evaluate whether continuous exposure to the rabbit appeasing pheromone (RAP) could help rabbits cope with the stress induced by routine clinical consultations and vaccinations. Twenty-four 5-week-old rabbits were housed in two identical rooms for 43 days, one in which the rabbits underwent continuous RAP treatment and one with the placebo. The rabbits were vaccinated 8 days afterwards, and their behaviour was evaluated using visual analogic scales (VASs) and videos. The rabbits were also examined seven times, on a weekly basi

SUBMITTER: Asproni P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11639917 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature