Читать книгу Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff - Группа авторов - Страница 169

Many medications have the potential to affect behavior. When using any medication, its potential side effects must always be kept in mind, and the ways in which those side effects might change behavior should be considered. For example, medications that have the side effect of increasing thirst may result in increased drinking and lead to housesoiling because the animal suddenly needs to urinate more frequently.

Corticosteroids are one of the most commonly used drugs in veterinary medicine. They have a high likelihood of affecting behavior, and despite well‐described behavioral effects in humans, very little research has examined the possibility of behavioral changes associated with the administration of corticosteroids in animals. In studies performed by Notari and Mills (2011; Notari et al. 2015) several behavioral changes were noted in dogs after the administration of corticosteroids. These included nervousness or restlessness, fearfulness, startling, barking, food‐guarding behavior, and irritable aggression. In addition, they were also often less playful and more withdrawn from people and situations. Until more research is performed, reasonable precautions should be used when handling animals who are being treated with corticosteroids. See Chapter 22 for more information about behavioral pharmacology.