Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Salivary stress markers alpha-amylase and cortisol in dogs
By Kang, Eun-Ha et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2022·Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Assessment of salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol as a pain related stress biomarker in dogs pre-and post-operation.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 35 dogs undergoing surgery for pain-related issues had their saliva tested for stress markers before and after their operations. The results showed that after surgery, the dogs experienced significantly less pain, as indicated by lower pain scores and reduced levels of cortisol in their saliva. The study found that measuring salivary alpha-amylase could be a helpful way to assess pain and stress in dogs without invasive procedures. This could help veterinarians better understand and manage pain in their canine patients.
People also search for: dog surgery pain relief · salivary alpha-amylase in dogs · how to assess dog pain after surgery
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The use of salivary biomarkers has garnered attention because the composition of saliva reflects the body's physiological state. Saliva contains a wide range of components, including peptides, nucleic acids, electrolytes, enzymes, and hormones. It has been reported that salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol are biomarkers of stress related biomarker in diseased dogs; however, evaluation of salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol pre- and post- operation has not been studied yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol levels in dogs before and after they underwent surgery and investigate the association between the salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol activity and pain intensity. For this purpose, a total of 35 dogs with disease-related pain undergoing orthopedic and soft tissue surgeries were recruited. Alpha-amylase and cortisol levels in the dogs' saliva and serum were measured for each using a commercially available canine-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit, and physical examinations (measurement of heart rate and blood pressure) were performed. In addition, the dogs' pre- and post-operative pain scores determined using the short form of the Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale (CMPS-SF) were evaluated. RESULTS: After surgery, there was a significant decrease in the dogs' pain scores (0.4-fold for the CMPS-SF, p < 0.001) and serum cortisol levels (0.73-fold, p < 0.01). Based on their pre-operative CMPS-SF scores, the dogs were included in either a high-pain-score group or a low-pain-score group. After the dogs in the high-pain-score group underwent surgical intervention, there was a significant decrease in their CMPS-SF scores and levels of salivary alpha-amylase, serum alpha-amylase, and serum cortisol. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between salivary alpha-amylase levels and CMPS-SF scores in both the high- and low-pain-score groups. CONCLUSIONS: The measurement of salivary alpha amylase can be considered an important non-invasive tool for the evaluation of pain-related stress in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35027050/