All/General

The least inhibitive, functionally effective (LIFE) model: A new framework for ethical animal training practices

The ethics of animal training procedures have seen dramatic changes in the last few decades, with a movement toward reward-based training methods. These reward-based training practices have also been directly impacted by the behavioral and animal welfare sciences, including their...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Animal TrainingAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Fernandez, E. J. 2024. The least inhibitive, functionally effective (LIFE) model: A new framework for ethical animal training practices. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 71, 63–68.

Don’t use it? Don’t lose it! Why active use is not required for stimuli, resources or “enrichments” to have welfare value

Current frameworks for designing and evaluating good enclosures and “enrichments” typically focus on animals' active interactions with these features. This has undoubtedly improved the welfare of zoo-housed animals over the last 30 years or more. However, literature reviews from this...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Decker, S., Lavery, J. M., Mason, G. J. 2023. Don't use it? Don't lose it! Why active use is not required for stimuli, resources or “enrichments” to have welfare value. Zoo Biology 42(4), 467–475.

Vivarium lighting and the new measurement metrics

In February 2023, a workshop entitled The 3rd International Workshop on Circadian and Neurophysiological Photometry was held in Manchester, UK to address the problem of light measurement in laboratory animal research. This workshop resulted in a consensus view of an...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Dauchy, R. T. 2023. Vivarium lighting and the new measurement metrics. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 11(6) (November/December), 16-18.

Why all healthy laboratory animals should be rehomed, no matter how small

This paper explores the ethical imperative of rehoming all healthy animals of sentient species after experiments have finished or when they have become otherwise redundant. We take into account disparate perspectives in animal ethics and see how they point in...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General, Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Van Loo, P. L. P., Janssens, M. R. E. 2023. Why all healthy laboratory animals should be rehomed, no matter how small. Animals 13(17), 2727.

As the world turns: Identifying and documenting continuing education for IACUC committee members and staff

In this column, we will describe how the IACUC Office at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) identifies and documents the participation of IACUC members and staff in continuing education opportunities. The prioritization of continuing education (CE) in...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Wilkerson, J., Cavanaugh, K. 2022. As the world turns: Identifying and documenting continuing education for IACUC committee members and staff. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 10(6) (November/December), 36-38.

Unmasking the adverse impacts of sex bias on science and research animal welfare

Sex bias in biomedical and natural science research has been prevalent for decades. In many cases, the female estrous cycle was thought to be too complex an issue to model for, and it was thought to be simpler to only...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Nunamaker, E. A., Turner, P. V. 2023. Unmasking the adverse impacts of sex bias on science and research animal welfare. Animals 13(17), 2792.

Knowledge of lateralized brain function can contribute to animal welfare

The specialized functions of each hemisphere of the vertebrate brain are summarized together with the current evidence of lateralized behavior in farm and companion animals, as shown by the eye or ear used to attend and respond to stimuli. Forelimb...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Personality, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Rogers, L. J. 2023. Knowledge of lateralized brain function can contribute to animal welfare. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 10.

The agency domain and behavioral interactions: Assessing positive animal welfare using the Five Domains Model

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Dog, Other Animal

Citation: Littlewood, K. E., Heslop, M. V., Cobb, M. L. 2023. The agency domain and behavioral interactions: Assessing positive animal welfare using the Five Domains Model. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 10.

Non-invasive assessment of the intraventricular pressure using novel color M-mode echocardiography in animal studies: Current status and future perspectives in veterinary medicine

The assessment of diastolic function has received great interest in order to comprehend its crucial role in the pathophysiology of heart failure and for the early identification of cardiac events. Silent changes in the intraventricular flow (IVF) dynamics occur before...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Cannulation, Catheterization, & IntubationAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Mandour, A. S., Farag, A., Helal, M. A. Y. et al. 2023. Non-invasive assessment of the intraventricular pressure using novel color M-mode echocardiography in animal studies: Current status and future perspectives in veterinary medicine. Animals 13(15), 2452.

European Union legislation for the welfare of animals used for scientific purposes: Areas identified for further discussion

The Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council has been in force for more than a decade and has brought about significant improvements and novel requirements for the welfare of animals used for scientific purposes, while safeguarding...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Marinou, K. A., Dontas, I. A. 2023. European Union legislation for the welfare of animals used for scientific purposes: Areas identified for further discussion. Animals 13(14), 2367.