Publications

Effect of a new housing system on skin lesions, performance and soiling of fattening rabbits: A German case study

The aim of the present study was to develop and evaluate a new housing system for fattening rabbits. Data were collected on a farm with rabbits housed either under new conditions (NC) or established (conventional) conditions (CC). NC housing was...

Year Published: 2019Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Rauterberg, S. L., Bill, J., Kimm, S. 2019. Effect of a new housing system on skin lesions, performance and soiling of fattening rabbits: A German case study. Animals 9(9), 650.

Understanding how infrared beak treatment affects the beak tissue and the healing response of brown and white feathered layer pullets

Infrared beak treatment has less of a negative impact on laying hen welfare compared to other methods of beak treatment; however, it is still not fully understood how infrared beak treatment affects the beak tissue during the first few days...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Body Modification/MutilationAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Struthers, S., Gupta, A., Gomis, S. et al. 2019. Understanding how infrared beak treatment affects the beak tissue and the healing response of brown and white feathered layer pullets. Animals 9(9), 665.

Damaging behaviour and associated lesions in relation to types of enrichment for finisher pigs on commercial farms

EU legislation states that all pigs must have access to material that allows them to perform investigation and manipulation activities, thereby reducing the risk of pigs performing damaging behaviours (e.g., tail, ear and flank biting). We aimed to determine associations...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: van Staaveren, N., Hanlon, A., Boyle, L. A. 2019. Damaging behaviour and associated lesions in relation to types of enrichment for finisher pigs on commercial farms. Animals 9(9), 677.

Use of the rat grimace scale to evaluate visceral pain in a model of chemotherapy-induced mucositis

The rat grimace scale (RGS) is a measure of spontaneous pain that evaluates pain response. The ability to characterize pain through a non-invasive method has considerable utility for numerous animal models of disease, including mucositis, a painful, self-limiting side-effect of...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: George, R. P., Howarth, G. S., Whittaker, A. L. 2019. Use of the rat grimace scale to evaluate visceral pain in a model of chemotherapy-induced mucositis. Animals 9(9), 678.

Assessing and enhancing the welfare of animals with equivocal and reliable cues

The actions of human caretakers strongly influence animals living under human care. Here, we consider how intentional and unintentional signals provided by caretakers can inform our assessment of animals' well-being as well as help to support it. Our aim is...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Animal Training, Human-Animal Interaction, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Watters, J. V., Krebs, B. L. 2019. Assessing and enhancing the welfare of animals with equivocal and reliable cues. Animals 9(9), 680.

Aggressiveness, mating behaviour and lifespan of group housed rabbit does

Aggressiveness is one of the main problems in group housing of rabbit does. The aim of the experiment was to investigate the frequency of aggressiveness and mating behaviour as well as the lifespan of does depending on group composition. The...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Gerencsér, Z., Matics, Z., Szabó, R. et al. 2019. Aggressiveness, mating behaviour and lifespan of group housed rabbit does. Animals 9(10), 708.

How far are we from providing pigs appropriate environmental enrichment?

Limitations to the fulfilment of ethological and physiological needs can cause countless negative effects on animal welfare and lead to the development of abnormal behaviours. EU legislation on pig welfare does not allow routine tail docking unless other measures such...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Fàbrega, E. 2019. How far are we from providing pigs appropriate environmental enrichment? Animals 9(10), 721.

The 3Rs and humane experimental technique: Implementing change

In 1959, the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) Scholars Russell & Burch published the Principles of Humane Experimental Technique in which they laid out the principles of the Three Rs. However, the Three Rs owed much to others. It...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Hubrecht, R. C., Carter, E. 2019. The 3Rs and humane experimental technique: Implementing change. Animals 9(10), 754.

How can we assess positive welfare in ruminants?

Until now, most research has focused on the development of indicators of negative welfare, and relatively few studies provide information on valid, reliable, and feasible indicators addressing positive aspects of animal welfare. However, a lack of suffering does not guarantee...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle, Chicken, Equine, Fowl, Goat, Pig, Sheep

Citation: Mattiello, S., Battini, M., De Rosa, G. et al. 2019. How can we assess positive welfare in ruminants? Animals 9(10), 758.

What is so positive about positive animal welfare?—A critical review of the literature

It is claimed that positive animal welfare (PAW) developed over the last decade in reaction to animal welfare focusing too much on avoiding negatives. However, it remains unclear what PAW adds to the animal welfare literature and to what extent...

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

Citation: Lawrence, A. B., Vigors, B., Sandøe, P. 2019. What is so positive about positive animal welfare?—A critical review of the literature. Animals 9(10), 783.