{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,15]],"date-time":"2025-12-15T10:25:19Z","timestamp":1765794319541,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":94,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,28]],"date-time":"2025-11-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764288000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Veterinary Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Only a limited number of studies have investigated objective indicators to assess donkey welfare during Animal-Assisted Services. Objective: The present research follows a single-subject design and its objective is to evaluate the neurovegetative indicators of the well-being of a donkey through spectral analysis of the R-R signal in the frequency domain. Methods: The experimental protocol of the Animal-Assisted Therapy project involved one donkey, previously selected through behavioral protocol evaluation, and ten patients with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Spectral analysis of the R-R signal in the frequency domain was performed, providing objective data on the activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems of the donkey (before, during, and after the sessions). Results: The significance of the variations, both statistically significant and not, supports the hypothesis that the affiliative human\u2013donkey interaction within the context of AAS is associated with modifications in the neurovegetative components of the donkey involved in AAT. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of objective and non-invasive monitoring tools to detect early signs of discomfort in donkeys involved in AAT, supporting the development of selection and management strategies that safeguard animal welfare.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci12121131","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,1]],"date-time":"2025-12-01T08:13:49Z","timestamp":1764576829000},"page":"1131","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Heart Rate Variability Spectral Analysis for Monitoring Autonomic Activation in a Donkey Involved in Animal-Assisted Therapy: A Single Subject Design During Animal-Assisted Therapy Sessions"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Michele","family":"Panzera","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Messina, Via Palatucci sn, 98168 Messina, Italy"},{"name":"Centro Universitario Specializzato per gli Interventi Assistiti con gli Animali, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alessandra","family":"Statelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Prevenzione Veterinaria Asp Ragusa, Via S. Giovanni Bosco 6, 97100 Ragusa, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"376","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jevs.2015.03.005","article-title":"Donkeys Are Different","volume":"35","author":"Burden","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Equine Vet. Sci."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.1016\/j.applanim.2016.11.006","article-title":"Temperament Test for Donkeys to Be Used in Assisted Therapy","volume":"186","author":"Mendoza","year":"2017","journal-title":"Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"Jegatheesan, B., Beetz, A., Ormerod, E., Johnson, R., Fine, A., Yamazaki, K., Dudzik, C., Garcia, R.M., Winkle, M., and Choi, G. (2014). The IAHAIO Definitions for Animal-Assisted Intervention and Guidelines for Wellness of Animals Involved in AAI. 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