All/General

Refinement benefits animal welfare and quality of science

In this article I present several examples of how Refinement of procedures and holistic Refinement can improve the welfare of laboratory animals and, at the same time, provide better-quality experimental results. Refinement techniques aim to minimise any pain, suffering or...

Year Published: 2006Animal Type: All/General

Citation: Ritskes-Hoitinga, M., Jegstrup, I. M. 2006. Refinement benefits animal welfare and quality of science. NC3Rs [National Center for the Replacement Refinement Reduction of Animals in Research] 6, 1-9.

Can non-invasive glucocorticoid measures be used as reliable indicators of stress in animals?

Refinement techniques are being increasingly employed in all fields of animal research to try to ensure that the highest standards of welfare are upheld. This review concerns one of the main emerging techniques for the assessment of welfare itself, namely...

Year Published: 2006Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Lane, J. 2006. Can non-invasive glucocorticoid measures be used as reliable indicators of stress in animals? Animal Welfare 15(4), 331-342.

Scientific method and statistical analysis in animal technology

Introduction to and overview of scientific method, fundamental principles of statistical analysis and all the statistical tests (both parametric and non-parametric) with real examples and data sets with tables in the appendix.

Year Published: 2006Animal Type: All/General

Citation: Langley, J. 2006. Scientific method and statistical analysis in animal technology. Animal Technology and Welfare 5(2), 61-85.

Pain and distress: what really matters? Lab Animal 35(5), 27-32

Federal regulations mandate the minimization of both pain and distress in laboratory animals. That no clear definition exists for 'distress' complicates its recognition, quantification, and alleviation. The author argues that IACUCs and investigators should shift their focus from pain to...

Year Published: 2006Animal Type: All/General

Citation: Koch, V. W. 2006. Pain and distress: what really matters? Lab Animal 35(5), 27-32.

Social buffering: relief from stress and anxiety

Communication is essential to members of a society not only for the expression of personal information, but also for the protection from environmental threats. Highly social mammals have a distinct characteristic: when conspecific animals are together, they show a better...

Year Published: 2006Animal Type: All/General

Citation: Kikusui, T., Winslow, J. T., Mori, Y. 2006. Social buffering: relief from stress and anxiety. Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society B 361, 2215-2228.

Human-animal relationship in the research lab: a discussion by the Refinement and Enrichment Forum

The question was asked: "Does the regular, affectionate interaction with adult animals help the subject overcome the fear of humans, and hence buffer the stress response to being handled during experimental procedures?" I think an affectionate human-animal relationship makes a...

Year Published: 2006Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Abney, D., Conlee, K., Cunneen, M. et al. 2006. Human-animal relationship in the research lab: a discussion by the Refinement and Enrichment Forum. Animal Technology and Welfare 5(2), 95-98.

Scientific approaches to enrichment and stereotypies in zoo animals: what’s been done and where should we go next?

The zoo scientific community was among the first to focus attention on captivity-induced stereotypic behaviors, their causes, and methods of eradication. Environmental enrichment has emerged recently as the main husbandry tool for tackling this problem. An increasing number of research...

Year Published: 2006Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Swaisgood, R. R., Shepherdson, D. J. 2006. Scientific approaches to enrichment and stereotypies in zoo animals: what's been done and where should we go next? Zoo Biology 24, 499-518.

Stress and distress: A discussion by the Refinement and Enrichment Forum

The question was asked: "The terms 'stress' and 'distress' are often used in the scientific literature but usually without a definition. If you use these terms, how do you define them? What are the signs that tell you that an...

Year Published: 2006Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Roberts, S., Van Loo P., Schultz, P. et al. 2006. Stress and distress: A discussion by the Refinement and Enrichment Forum. Animal Technology and Welfare 5(2), 99-102.

Noise exposure, music, and animal in the laboratory: A commentary based on Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF) discussions

Evidence supports the use of quiet music during nonhuman animals' activity periods, if this practice is introduced with an awareness of the risks to welfare and research.

Year Published: 2006Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Patterson-Kane, E. G., Farnworth, M. J. 2006. Noise exposure, music, and animal in the laboratory: A commentary based on Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF) discussions. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 9, 327-332.

Making Lives Easier for Animals in Research Labs: Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum

This book is a collection of electronic discussions that took place on the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum (LAREF) between October 2002 and May 2007. The forum serves the international animal care and animal research community to promote animal...

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: All/General

Citation: Baumans, V., Coke, C. S., Green, J. et al. 2007. Making Lives Easier for Animals in Research Labs: Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC.