Publications

The welfare of domestic goats (Capra hircus) in a zoo-based animal-visitor interaction program

We investigated whether the welfare of domestic goats in an animal-visitor interaction experience at a zoo was affected by the presence and behavior of visitors. We considered how the number of visitors in the goats' habitat and visitor proximity to...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Handling, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Goat

Citation: Ramont, M., Leahy, M., Cronin, K. A. 2021. The welfare of domestic goats (Capra hircus) in a zoo-based animal-visitor interaction program. Animal Behavior and Cognition 8(4), 493–506.

Evidence-based comparative severity assessment in young and adult mice

In animal-based research, welfare assessments are essential for ethical and legal reasons. However, accurate assessment of suffering in laboratory animals is often complicated by the multidimensional character of distress and pain and the associated affective states. The present study aimed...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Reiber, M., Schumann, L. von, Buchecker, V. et al. 2023. Evidence-based comparative severity assessment in young and adult mice. PLOS ONE 18(10), e0285429.

Emotions on the loose: Emotional contagion and the role of oxytocin in pigs

We studied emotional contagion, a simple form of empathy, and the role of oxytocin herein in pigs. Two training pigs per pen (n = 16 pens) were subjected to a positive treatment (pairwise access to a large compartment filled with...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Reimert, I., Bolhuis, J. E., Kemp, B. et al. 2015. Emotions on the loose: Emotional contagion and the role of oxytocin in pigs. Animal Cognition 18(2), 517–532.

Therapy and prevention of noise fears in dogs—A review of the current evidence for practitioners

Noise fears represent the most common behavioural problem in dogs. This manuscript provides an overview of diverse approaches for alleviating fear of noises in dogs and the supporting evidence. In the treatment of noise fears, both short-term solutions to prevent...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Abnormal/Problematic BehaviorAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Riemer, S. 2023. Therapy and prevention of noise fears in dogs—A review of the current evidence for practitioners. Animals 13(23), 3664.

Does social environment influence learning ability in a family-living lizard?

Early developmental environment can have profound effects on individual physiology, behaviour, and learning. In birds and mammals, social isolation during development is known to negatively affect learning ability; yet in other taxa, like reptiles, the effect of social isolation during...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Lizard, Reptile

Citation: Riley, J. L., Noble, D. W. A., Byrne, R. W. et al. 2017. Does social environment influence learning ability in a family-living lizard? Animal Cognition 20(3), 449–458.

Judgement bias in pigs is independent of performance in a spatial holeboard task and conditional discrimination learning

Biases in judgement of ambiguous stimuli, as measured in a judgement bias task, have been proposed as a measure of the valence of affective states in animals. We recently suggested a list of criteria for behavioural tests of emotion, one...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Roelofs, S., Murphy, E., Ni, H. et al. 2017. Judgement bias in pigs is independent of performance in a spatial holeboard task and conditional discrimination learning. Animal Cognition 20(4), 739–753.

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.

Xylazine infusion during equine colic anesthesia with isoflurane and lidocaine: A retrospective study

This retrospective study investigated the effect of a xylazine infusion on heart rate; mean arterial pressure; blood gases; anesthetic and dobutamine requirements; recovery quality and duration; percentage of death/survival; and days to die/discharge in horses after colic surgery under partial...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Ruíz-López, P., Cuypers, C., Schauvliege, S. 2023. Xylazine infusion during equine colic anesthesia with isoflurane and lidocaine: A retrospective study. Animals 13(18), 2902.

Non-invasive biomarkers in saliva and eye infrared thermography to assess the stress response of calves during transport

Animal transport is currently a stressful procedure. Therefore, animal-based indicators are needed for reliable and non-invasive welfare assessment. Saliva is a biospecimen with potential validity for the determination of cortisol and oxidative stress, although its use to assess calf welfare...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Lei, M. C., Félix, L., Cardoso, R. et al. 2023. Non-invasive biomarkers in saliva and eye infrared thermography to assess the stress response of calves during transport. Animals 13(14), 2311.

Aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate welfare

Invertebrates are a diverse group of animals that make up the majority of the animal kingdom and encompass a wide array of species with varying adaptations and characteristics. Invertebrates are found in nearly all of the world's habitats, including aquatic,...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: Cephalopod, Insect & Spider, Invertebrate, Other Invertebrate

Citation: Lewbart, G. A., Zachariah, T. T. 2023. Aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate welfare. Animals 13(21), 3375.