Publications

The effect of light level, CO2 flow rate, and anesthesia on the stress response of mice during CO2 euthanasia

Euthanasia protocols are designed to mitigate the stress experienced by animals, and an environment that induces minimal stress helps achieve that goal. A protocol that is efficient and practical in a typical animal research facility is also important. Light intensity,...

Year Published: 2016Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Powell, K., Ethun, K., Taylor, D. K. 2016. The effect of light level, CO2 flow rate, and anesthesia on the stress response of mice during CO2 euthanasia. Lab Animal 45(10), 386-395.

Evaluation of buprenorphine hydrochloride Pluronic® gel formulation in male C57BL/6NCrl mice

Providing adequate analgesia while minimizing handling and stress post-surgery can be challenging. Recently, there have been commercial products made available for providing long acting analgesia in rodents. However, we find there are limitations for use in mice due to the...

Year Published: 2016Topics: AnalgesiaAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Blankenship-Paris, T. L., Dutton, J. W., Goulding, D. R. et al. 2016. Evaluation of buprenorphine hydrochloride Pluronic® gel formulation in male C57BL/6NCrl mice. Lab Animal 45(10), 370-379.

The enrichment club

Regulatory requirements provide instructions on enrichment specifically for nonhuman primates, but we believe all animals can benefit from enrichment if it is structured for that species. Hired as the Director of Behavior Management and Environmental Enrichment at the Icahn School...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Johnson, C. H., Carter, K. 2016. The enrichment club. Lab Animal 45(9), 341.

Perioperative support reduces mortality of obese BALB/c mice after ovariectomy

The incidence of obesity is on the rise in most western countries and represents major risks to health. Obesity causes complex metabolic dysfunctions and can be associated with a large number of secondary diseases. To investigate causal mechanisms of obesity...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Reproduction, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Mattheis, L., Jung, J.-S., Hiebl, B. et al. 2016. Perioperative support reduces mortality of obese BALB/c mice after ovariectomy. Lab Animal 45(7), 262-267.

Laboratory mouse housing conditions can be improved using common environmental enrichment without compromising data

Animal welfare requires the adequate housing of animals to ensure health and well-being. The application of environmental enrichment is a way to improve the well-being of laboratory animals. However, it is important to know whether these enrichment items can be...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: André, V., Gau, C., Scheideler, A. et al. 2018. Laboratory mouse housing conditions can be improved using common environmental enrichment without compromising data. PLOS Biology 16(4), e2005019.

Unbridle biomedical research from the laboratory cage

Many biomedical research studies use captive animals to model human health and disease. However, a surprising number of studies show that the biological systems of animals living in standard laboratory housing are abnormal. To make animal studies more relevant to...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Housing, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Lahvis, G. 2017. Unbridle biomedical research from the laboratory cage. eLife 6, e27438.

Managing aged animals in zoos to promote positive welfare: A review and future directions

Improvements in veterinary care, nutrition, and husbandry of animals living in zoos have led to an increase in the longevity of these animals over the past 30 years. In this same time period, the focus of animal welfare science has...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Krebs, B., Marrin, D., Phelps, A. et al. 2018. Managing aged animals in zoos to promote positive welfare: A review and future directions. Animals 8(7), 116.

The use of qualitative behaviour assessment for the on-farm welfare assessment of dairy goats

This research investigated whether using qualitative behaviour assessment (QBA) with a fixed list of descriptors may be related to quantitative animal- (ABM) and resource-based (RBM) measures included in the AWIN (Animal Welfare Indicators) welfare assessment prototype protocol for goats, tested...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Goat

Citation: Battini, M., Barbieri, S., Vieira, A. et al. 2018. The use of qualitative behaviour assessment for the on-farm welfare assessment of dairy goats. Animals 8(7), 123.

Free dietary choice and free-range rearing improve the product quality, gait score, and microbial richness of chickens

Poultry welfare has been extensively studied; however, there is a lack of rigorous scientific knowledge relating to the different aspects of welfare factors and how this may contribute to the production quantity and product quality as well as the welfare...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Chen, S., Xiang, H., Zhu, X. et al. 2018. Free dietary choice and free-range rearing improve the product quality, gait score, and microbial richness of chickens. Animals 8(6), 84.

Evaluation of two compressed air foam systems for culling caged layer hens

Outbreaks of avian influenza (AI) and other highly contagious poultry diseases continue to be a concern for those involved in the poultry industry. In the situation of an outbreak, emergency depopulation of the birds involved is necessary. In this project,...

Year Published: 2018Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Benson, E., Weiher, J., Alphin, R. et al. 2018. Evaluation of two compressed air foam systems for culling caged layer hens. Animals 8(5), 61.