Search publications on improving welfare for animals in research

Introduction Selecting an appropriate analgesic for cats can be challenging due to potential unwanted side effects, short duration of action, or unsuitable presentation for home administration. This study aimed to evaluate the analgesic efficacy and safety of a fixed-dose oral combination of dipyrone and tramadol (Sindolor Cats® tablets) for postoperative pain control in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy. Methods Thirty-six healthy female cats were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 12): GTD (dipyrone 12.5 mg/kg + tramadol 2 mg/kg), GT (tramadol 2 mg/kg), and GD (dipyrone 12.5 mg/kg). Treatments were administered orally every 12 h for 5 days. Anesthesia was induced with propofol and maintained with isoflurane; all cats also received sacrococcygeal epidural lidocaine under ultrasound guidance. Pain was assessed using the CMPS-Feline and the Feline Grimace Scale (FGS). Physiological parameters (heart rate, respiratory rate) and serum cortisol were measured at baseline and at 2, 4, 6, and 24 h postoperatively. Rescue analgesia with morphine was administered when pain scores exceeded threshold values. Results The GTD group required less rescue analgesia (1/12) compared to GT (4/12) and GD (5/12). Although not statistically significant, pain scores were consistently lower in GTD. Cortisol concentrations were significantly reduced in GTD at 4 h compared to GT and GD. Side effects such as sialorrhea were markedly lower in GTD (2/12) versus GT (9/12) and GD (12/12). No signs of cardiovascular or respiratory depression were observed in any group. Discussion The combination of dipyrone and tramadol in a single oral formulation provided superior analgesia and fewer adverse effects than either drug alone. Cats in the combination group required less rescue medication, had significantly lower cortisol values, and experienced fewer side effects.

Monitoring the health and well-being of research animals is essential for both ethical and scientific purposes. In songbirds, body weight is one of the main indicators of their overall condition, yet traditional weighing methods can be intrusive and stress-inducing, which could decrease their song rate. We developed an automated system for monitoring the weight of multiple birds in longitudinal neuroscience experiments, which often include birds tethered to data acquisition systems. Building on previous models that were mostly designed for weighing birds outdoors and in large housing cages, our design serves as a perch for the bird to stand on (a perch-scale) and meets the needs of neuroscience experiments by (i) minimizing cable entanglement to safely accommodate tethered birds, (ii) supporting long-term monitoring of individually-housed birds, and (iii) linking multiple devices into a unified control unit that oversees setup, calibration, and data acquisition. We deployed the system in the cages of six canaries for ten days and validated its accuracy against daily manual weighing. The precision and continuous monitoring of the perch-scale allowed observing physiological patterns such as overnight weight loss. Our system detected 22 sequences of overnight perching in five different birds, showing an average decrease of ≈4% of the bird’s body-weight overnight. We also found that daily weight estimates, derived from perch-scale data, were within the range of daily weight fluctuations (5–10%), as they deviated by less than 5% on average when compared to the manual weights. These results validate the device’s sensitivity for detecting subtle and health-related changes. By eliminating the need for manual handling of birds, this system offers a non-invasive, hands-free approach that reduces stress and improves the accuracy of health assessments. Future applications could integrate additional health metrics to provide a more comprehensive understanding of animal welfare in neurophysiology and behavioral studies.

The largest survey to date of behavioral management practices among facilities breeding and housing nonhuman primates (NHPs) for research was conducted from 2019 to 2020. Its primary objective was to analyze and compare practices across the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States of America (US), identify regional differences, and highlight opportunities for refinement. Detailed information was captured on the management of NHPs at 49 facilities in these regions. Most respondents reported the number of NHPs at their institutions, which totaled 50,842. The findings suggest large variation in NHP behavioral management practices between world regions. Facilities in the UK and EU are at the forefront of best practice in many components of behavioral management. These involve the proportion of NHP populations housed socially, the age at which infants are removed from dams, the provision of pen enclosures, caging exceeding the regulatory/accreditation minimum floor space, and destructible enrichment (including floor substrates). Comparisons with the results of previous surveys conducted in the US in 2003 and 2014 show positive changes and progress over time, including a greater proportion of facilities providing access to exercise enclosures with more frequent implementation. Some previously reported impediments to social housing involving clinical and staffing constraints as well as scientific instrumentation eased over time. While there were increases in the use of social housing for some species, there was no increase across all species over the six-year interval since 2014. The proportion of US facilities providing destructible enrichment for caged NHPs remained the same. Importantly, overall, the data demonstrate that, with knowledge transfer and sufficient resources, perceived constraints on key elements of behavioral management can be overcome to improve NHP welfare and facilitate good science. The findings have been used to identify and discuss recommendations for best practice to improve animal welfare.

Animal Welfare InstituteRefinement Database

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Search scientific articles, books, and other publications related to improving or safeguarding the welfare of animals used in research and testing.

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Analgesic efficacy of oral tramadol–dipyrone combination in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy (2026)

Automated, stress-free, and precise measurement of songbird weight in neuroscience experiments (2026)

Biopierces: Drug-eluting ear tags for infection prevention in animal tagging (2026)

Euthanasia methods in invertebrates: A critical narrative review of methodological and welfare standards (2026)

Evaluating behavioral management practices for laboratory nonhuman primates: An international survey (2026)

Fecal glucocorticoid metabolites as stress biomarkers in common buzzards (Buteo buteo) across rehabilitation phases: Implications for raptor welfare (2026)

Fish welfare in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS): The imperative for environmental enrichment (EE) (2026)

Impact of different stocking densities on growth performance, welfare and physiology of Litopenaeus vannamei in RAS (2026)

Influence of group size on performance and tail biting in growing-finishing pigs with intact tails (2026)

Intertwining of the IGF system and animal welfare (2026)

Nutritional insights into octopus diets in aquaria (2026)

Potential new biomarkers in pig saliva for differentiating between the effects of different conditions of mixing and density at pre-slaughter: A preliminary proteomicstudy (2026)

The inoculation fallacy: why early enrichment cannot compensate for poor adult environments (2026)

When pain outlasts our drugs: The case for sustained-release analgesia in sheep (2026)

3Rs champions team: Empowering animal technicians (2025)

A case of thanatosis in domestic sheep (2025)

A computational model to support the welfare-based management of a laboratory colony of common marmosets (2025)

A consensus on the definition of positive animal welfare (2025)

A cross-sectional study to investigate associations between flooring substrates and prevalence of limb and paw abnormalities of dogs housed in commercial breeding facilities (2025)

A customised combination of environmental enrichment reduces aggression in CD-1 male mice (2025)