Behavioral assessment of dogs with naturally occurring hypercortisolism using the C-BARQ: Is there improvement after trilostane treatment?

Abstract

Neuropsychiatric disorders have been described in people with Cushing’s syndrome (CS), but studies on the effects of hypercortisolism on dog behavior are lacking. The aims of this study were to evaluate the behavioral profile of dogs with CS and to evaluate whether it changes after trilostane treatment. Family-owned dogs with newly diagnosed naturally occurring hypercortisolism were prospectively enrolled between January 2020 and December 2021. The behavior of dogs was evaluated at the time of diagnosis of hypercortisolism (T0) and three months after trilostane treatment (T1) by having their owners complete an online copy of the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ). The responses of sixty-three dog owners were obtained at T0 and T1. At T0 dogs with CS scored higher in owner-directed aggression (p =0.0003), dog-directed fear (p =0.0257), nonsocial fear (p =0.024), separation-related behavior (p =0.048) and attachment (p <0.0001), and scored lower in chasing (p = 0.0003), compared to a reference population without CS. At T1, they showed a similar profile plus higher touch-sensitivity (p <0.0001) and lower trainability (p =0.0442) and energy scores (p <0.0001). Comparison between T0 and T1 showed decreased attachment (p = 0.0308), excitability (p =0.0116), chasing (p =0.0290) and energy scores (p =0.0002). The results of this study suggest that the behavior of dogs with CS differs from that of a reference population without CS and that these differences persist or worsen over time despite treatment with trilostane and do not correlate strongly with the level of clinical control. Although caution is needed when interpreting the results, this study highlights the importance of considering the behavioral progression in patients with CS alongside their metabolic and clinical course.