Publications

Only when it feels good: Specific cat vocalizations other than meowing

Our objective was to identify and characterize the types of vocalization other than meowing (VOM) in two contexts, a pleasant and an aversive situation, and to study the effect of the sex of the animal. A total of 74 cats...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Vocalization, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Fermo, J. L., Schnaider, M. A., Silva, A. H. P. et al. 2019. Only when it feels good: Specific cat vocalizations other than meowing. Animals 9(11), 878.

Artificial grass as an alternative laneway surface for dairy cows walking to pasture

Softer surfaces can alleviate pressure on the claw during claw–surface contact, which is especially important for cows with painful claws. The benefits of softer barn floors are well known, but as cows often walk long distances twice daily between pasture...

Year Published: 2019Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Buijs, S., Scoley, G., McConnell, D. 2019. Artificial grass as an alternative laneway surface for dairy cows walking to pasture. Animals 9(11), 891.

The reliability and accuracy of palpation, radiography, and sonography for the detection of keel bone damage

Palpation is the most popular method of measuring keel bone damage on live birds, although it has been criticized for being subjective and inaccurate. The goals of this study were to examine intra- and inter-rater reliability when trained with feedback...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Tracy, L. M., Temple, S. M., Bennett, D. C. et al. 2019. The reliability and accuracy of palpation, radiography, and sonography for the detection of keel bone damage. Animals 9(11), 894.

Anaesthetic and perioperative management of 14 male New Zealand white rabbits for calvarial bone surgery

Calvarial bone surgery on rabbits is frequently performed. This report aims to document a simple and practical anaesthetic and perioperative management for this procedure. Fourteen male New Zealand white rabbits were included in the study. Subcutaneous (SC) dexmedetomidine, ketamine and...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Analgesia, Anesthesia & Sedation, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Raillard, M., Detotto, C., Grepper, S. et al. 2019. Anaesthetic and perioperative management of 14 male New Zealand white rabbits for calvarial bone surgery. Animals 9(11), 896.

Pasture access affects behavioral indicators of wellbeing in dairy cows

Dairy cows are increasingly housed indoors, either year-round or for long stretches over the winter and around parturition. This may create health and welfare issues. In cattle, lying and walking are highly motivated, and herds synchronize lying behavior when they...

Year Published: 2019Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Crump, A., Jenkins, K., Bethell, E. J. et al. 2019. Pasture access affects behavioral indicators of wellbeing in dairy cows. Animals 9(11), 902.

Humanely ending the life of animals: Research priorities to identify alternatives to carbon dioxide

The use of carbon dioxide (CO2) for stunning and killing animals is considered to compromise welfare due to air hunger, anxiety, fear, and pain. Despite decades of research, no alternatives have so far been found that provide a safe and...

Year Published: 2019Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken, Mouse, Pig, Rat

Citation: Steiner, A. R., Axiak Flammer, S., Beausoleil, N. J. et al. 2019. Humanely ending the life of animals: Research priorities to identify alternatives to carbon dioxide. Animals 9(11), 911.

Physiological and behavioral indicators to measure crustacean welfare

The purpose of this project was to determine how neural circuits were affected during warming by examining sensory neurons, the neuromuscular junction, and the cardiac function and behavior of the commercially important crustacean species, the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii)....

Year Published: 2019Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Adams, R., Stanley, C. E., Piana, E. et al. 2019. Physiological and behavioral indicators to measure crustacean welfare. Animals 9(11), 914.

3Rs-related and objective indicators to help assess the culture of care

Within animal research and testing, the need for an effective Culture of Care is widely recognized and described in terms of an establishment-wide commitment to improving the implementation of the 3Rs, animal welfare, scientific quality, care of the staff, and...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Hawkins, P., Bertelsen, T. 2019. 3Rs-related and objective indicators to help assess the culture of care. Animals 9(11), 969.

Changes in saliva analytes correlate with horses’ behavioural reactions to an acute stressor: A pilot study

Acute stress induces an array of behavioural reactions in horses that vary between individuals. Attempts to relate behavioural patterns and physiological responses have not always given clear-cut results. Here, we measured the changes in a panel of salivary components: salivary...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Contreras-Aguilar, M. D., Henry, S., Coste, C. et al. 2019. Changes in saliva analytes correlate with horses' behavioural reactions to an acute stressor: A pilot study. Animals 9(11), 993.

Parental behavior and anxiety in isogenic and outbred mice given access to two types of nesting materials

The objective was to investigate if providing two types of nesting materials could modulate parental behavior and anxiety in laboratory mice. For that, 54 full-sib BALB/cJ and 50 randomly mated Swiss Webster mouse pairs were employed in a completely randomized...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Moreira, V. B., Mattaraia, V. G. M., Rodrigues, M. V. et al. 2019. Parental behavior and anxiety in isogenic and outbred mice given access to two types of nesting materials. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 215, 68-76.