Publications

Do fish perceive anaesthetics as aversive?

This study addresses a fundamental question in fish welfare: are the anaesthetics used for fish aversive? Despite years of routine general use of many agents, within both scientific research and aquaculture, there is a paucity of information regarding their tolerance...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Readman, G. D., Owen, S. F., Murrell, J. C. et al. 2013 Do fish perceive anaesthetics as aversive? PLOS ONE. 8(9), e73773.

Refinement of analgesia following thoracotomy and experimental myocardial infarction using the Mouse Grimace Scale

What is the central question of this study? There is an ethical imperative to optimize analgesia protocols for laboratory animals, but this is impeded by our inability to recognize pain reliably. We examined whether the Mouse Grimace Scale (MGS) provides...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Faller, K. M., McAndrew, D. J., Schneider, J. E. et al. 2015. Refinement of analgesia following thoracotomy and experimental myocardial infarction using the Mouse Grimace Scale. Experimental Physiology 100(2), 164-172.

The effect of gentle handling on depressive-like behavior in adult male mice: Considerations for human and rodent interactions in the laboratory

Environmental factors play a significant role in well-being of laboratory animals. Regulations and guidelines recommend, if not require, that stressors such as bright lighting, smells, and noises are eliminated or reduced to maximize animal well-being. A factor that is often...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Handling, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Neely, C., Lane, C., Torres, J. et al. 2018. The effect of gentle handling on depressive-like behavior in adult male mice: Considerations for human and rodent interactions in the laboratory. Behavioural Neurology 2018, 2976014.

Welfare of Cultured and Experimental Fishes

This open access book is a printed edition of the Special Issue on Welfare of Cultured and Experimental Fishes that was published in the journal Fishes. The PDF is free for download.

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish, Salmon, Tilapia, Trout, Zebrafish

Citation: Arechavala-Lopez, P., Saraiva, J. L. 2019. Welfare of Cultured and Experimental Fishes. Basel, Switzerland: MDPI, 132 pages.

Sham dustbathing in cages by subordinate hens is increased by a partition providing isolation

Subordinate hens express less sham dustbathing in cages than higher ranked hens, their bouts often being disturbed by a higher ranked hen. However, seeing conspecifics seems to encourage this behaviour by hens. So to avoid being disturbed, a partition between...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Moroki, Y. 2019. Sham dustbathing in cages by subordinate hens is increased by a partition providing isolation. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 210, 68-72.

A novel emotional and cognitive approach to welfare phenotyping in rainbow trout exposed to poor water quality

Recent scientific evidence for fish sentience has stressed the need for novel sentience-based detection tools of fish welfare impairment in commercial farms. In order to mimic a well-characterised stress situation, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were exposed to poor water quality...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Human-Animal Interaction, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Trout

Citation: Colson, V., Mure, A., Valotaire, C. et al. 2019. A novel emotional and cognitive approach to welfare phenotyping in rainbow trout exposed to poor water quality. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 210, 103-112.

Can access to an automated grooming brush and/or a mirror reduce stress of dairy cows kept in social isolation?

In dairy farming, social isolation of cattle is commonly practiced for husbandry procedures such as artificial insemination, claw trimming and at times, for provision of medical treatment. When isolated, cows express physiological and behavioural signs of stress, such as elevated...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Mandel, R., Wenker, M. L., van Reenen, K. et al. 2019. Can access to an automated grooming brush and/or a mirror reduce stress of dairy cows kept in social isolation? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 211, 1-8.

Effects of familiarity on individual growth and feeding behaviour of European seabass Dicentrarchus labrax

Available literature indicates that fish are able to recognize familiar conspecifics and that familiarity may offer important benefits (e.g. more stable social environment, improved foraging behavior, growth, survival). In the practice of intensive rearing of European seabass Dicentrarchus labrax mixing...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Batzina, A., Drossos, I.-P., Karakatsouli, N. 2019. Effects of familiarity on individual growth and feeding behaviour of European seabass Dicentrarchus labrax. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 211, 112-117.

The effect of group-housing with free-farrowing pens on reproductive traits and the behaviour of low-risk and high-risk crushing sows

Free-farrowing systems and group-housing systems for lactating sows are sensitive systems and require an optimal interaction of different environmental factors to be successful. The aim of the present study was to compare sows' reproductive traits during lactation in two group-housing...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Rearing & Weaning, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Grimberg-Henrici, C. G. E., Büttner, K., Lohmeier, R. Y. et al. 2019. The effect of group-housing with free-farrowing pens on reproductive traits and the behaviour of low-risk and high-risk crushing sows. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 211, 33-40.

Effects of surface type in an uncovered stand-off pad system on comfort and welfare of non-lactating dairy cows during winter

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of stand-off surface type on cow lying behaviour, cleanliness and lameness. One hundred and sixty Friesian × Jersey crossbreed, pregnant non-lactating dairy cows were blocked into five groups of 32...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Al-Marashdeh, O., Cameron, K. C., Bryant, R. H. et al. 2019. Effects of surface type in an uncovered stand-off pad system on comfort and welfare of non-lactating dairy cows during winter. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 211, 17-24.