Publications

Exploration feeding and higher space allocation improve welfare of growing-finishing pigs

Lack of environmental enrichment and high stocking densities in growing-finishing pigs can lead to adverse social behaviors directed to pen mates, resulting in skin lesions, lameness, and tail biting. The objective of the study was to improve animal welfare and...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & Management, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Vermeer, H., Dirx-Kuijken, N., Bracke, M. 2017. Exploration feeding and higher space allocation improve welfare of growing-finishing pigs. Animals 7(5), 36.

Environmental enrichment in kennelled pit bull terriers (Canis lupus familiaris)

Although social enrichment can be considered beneficial in helping dogs cope with the kennel environment, when taking individual needs into account, it places a large demand on the carers and may not be appropriate in under-resourced kennels. Some kennels are...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Kiddie, J., Bodymore, A., Dittrich, A. 2017. Environmental enrichment in kennelled pit bull terriers (Canis lupus familiaris). Animals 7(4), 27.

Research tools for the measurement of pain and nociception

There are many ways in which pain in animals can be measured and these are based on a variety of phenomena that are related to either the perception of pain or alterations in physical or behavioural features of the animal...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Johnson, C. 2016. Research tools for the measurement of pain and nociception. Animals 6(11), 71.

Moving beyond the “Five Freedoms” by updating the “Five Provisions” and introducing aligned “Animal Welfare Aims”

Although the Five Freedoms paradigm has been very influential in shaping animal welfare thinking for the last two decades, it has two key disadvantages. First, the focus on “freedom” from a range of negative experiences and states has been misunderstood...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Mellor, D. 2016. Moving beyond the “Five Freedoms” by updating the “Five Provisions” and introducing aligned “Animal Welfare Aims”. Animals 6(10), 59.

Comparison of intramuscular or subcutaneous injections vs. castration in pigs—impacts on behavior and welfare

Physical castration (PC) is painful and stressful for nursing piglets. One alternative to PC is immunological castration (IC), but the pain and stress of handling associated with injections have not been assessed. The objectives of this study were to measure...

Year Published: 2016Topics: ReproductionAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: McGlone, J., Guay, K., Garcia, A. et al. 2016. Comparison of intramuscular or subcutaneous injections vs. castration in pigs—impacts on behavior and welfare. Animals 6(9), 52.

Side effects of pain and analgesia in animal experimentation

This review highlights selected effects of untreated pain and of widely used analgesics such as opioids, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and antipyretics, to illustrate the relevance of carefully planned, appropriate and controlled analgesia for greater reproducibility in animal experiments involving laboratory...

Year Published: 2017Topics: AnalgesiaAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Jirkof, P. 2017. Side effects of pain and analgesia in animal experimentation. Lab Animal 46(4), 123-128.

Laboratory environmental factors and pain behavior: The relevance of unknown unknowns to reproducibility and translation

The poor record of basic-to-clinical translation in recent decades has led to speculation that preclinical research is “irreproducible”, and this irreproducibility in turn has largely been attributed to deficiencies in reporting and statistical practices. There are, however, a number of...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Mogil, J. S. 2017. Laboratory environmental factors and pain behavior: The relevance of unknown unknowns to reproducibility and translation. Lab Animal 46(4), 136-141.

Stressed out: providing laboratory animals with behavioral control to reduce the physiological effects of stress

Laboratory animals experience a large amount of environmental stress. An animal's environment can include both physiological and social stressors that may require an animal to adapt to maintain allostatic balance. For example, thermal stress can lead to changes in behavior,...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Gaskill, B. N., Garner, J. P. 2017. Stressed out: providing laboratory animals with behavioral control to reduce the physiological effects of stress. Lab Animal 46(4), 142-145.

Aggression in group-housed laboratory mice: Why can’t we solve the problem?

Group housing is highly important for social animals. However, it can also give rise to aggression, one of the most serious welfare concerns in laboratory mouse husbandry. Severe fighting can lead to pain, injury and even death. In addition, working...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Weber, E. M., Dallaire, J. A., Gaskill, B. N. et al. 2017. Aggression in group-housed laboratory mice: Why can't we solve the problem? Lab Animal 46(4), 157-161.

The effect of early life experience, environment, and genetic factors on spontaneous home-cage aggression-related wounding in male C57BL/6 mice

Aggression is a major welfare issue in mice, particularly when mice unfamiliar to each other are first placed in cages, as happens on receipt from a vendor, and following cage cleaning. Injuries from aggression are the second leading cause of...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Gaskill, B. N., Stottler, A. M., Garner, J. P. et al. 2017. The effect of early life experience, environment, and genetic factors on spontaneous home-cage aggression-related wounding in male C57BL/6 mice. Lab Animal 46(4), 176-184.