Publications

Aggregation and social interaction in garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)

Previous research has shown that competition, familiarity, diet, and relatedness can all influence aggregation patterns in garter snakes. We controlled for these factors and examined social aggregation patterns in juvenile Eastern garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis). We assayed snakes individually...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Reptile, Snake

Citation: Skinner, M., Miller, N. 2020. Aggregation and social interaction in garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 74, 51.

Alternatives to shipping live mice

Many in the lab animal field are familiar with shipping animals from vendor to investigator, from investigator to vendor, and from investigator to investigator. Sharing mouse models represents being good stewards of our animal resources and prevents unnecessary duplication of...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Relocation & Transport, ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Larson, M. A. 2020. Alternatives to shipping live mice. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(5) (September/October), 52-54.

An Anglocentric history of anaesthetics and analgesics in the refinement of animal experiments

Previous histories of animal experimentation, e.g., Franco (2013) have focused on ethics, the law and the personalities involved, but not on the involvement of anaesthetics or analgesics. Given that these were major subjects of (UK) Parliamentary debates on vivisection in...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Analgesia, Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Clutton, R. E. 2020. An Anglocentric history of anaesthetics and analgesics in the refinement of animal experiments. Animals 10(10), 1933.

Animal welfare assessment protocol for does, bucks, and kit rabbits reared for production

Rabbits are the third species in terms of number of animals reared for meat production in the world. However, in comparison to other species, very few studies have focused on their welfare. The aim of the present study is to...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Dalmau, A., Moles, X., Pallisera, J. 2020. Animal welfare assessment protocol for does, bucks, and kit rabbits reared for production. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7, 445.

Assessing pain in models of rheumatoid arthritis

A hallmark symptom of rheumatoid arthritis in humans is painful swollen joints. Pain can manifest before any inflammation is noticeable as well as persist long after inflammation has resolved. In rodent models of arthritis, ankle or footpad width is a...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Singleton, S., Nefla, M., Dennison, N. et al. 2020. Assessing pain in models of rheumatoid arthritis. Animal Technology and Welfare 19(2), 149-152.

Assessing the motivation to learn in cattle

Cognitive challenges may provide a form of enrichment to improve the welfare of captive animals. Primates, dolphins, and goats will voluntarily participate in learning tasks suggesting that these are rewarding, but little work has been conducted on livestock species. We...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Meagher, R. K., Strazhnik, E., von Keyserlingk, M. et al. 2020. Assessing the motivation to learn in cattle. Scientific Reports 10, 6847.

Assessment of hematologic and corticosterone response in free-living eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) at capture and after handling

Hematology is a common tool for wildlife health assessments. Manual leukocyte counts are required in reptiles, however, disagreement between quantification methods has been observed in some chelonians. This study determined agreement between two methods of leukocyte quantification, eosinophilic leukopet, and...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, HandlingAnimal Type: Reptile, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Boers, K. L., Allender, M. C., Novak, L. J. et al. 2020. Assessment of hematologic and corticosterone response in free-living eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) at capture and after handling. Zoo Biology 39(1), 13-22.

Assessment of non-contact infrared thermometer measurement sites in birds

The standard method of obtaining body temperature in a bird can be a stressful event, making routine evaluations challenging. Twenty-eight privately owned birds in good health were enrolled in the study to compare digital and infrared (IR) temperature readings. Digital...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken, Finch, Other Bird, Parrot

Citation: Anderson, J., Kaplan-Stein, S., Adolph, S. et al. 2020. Assessment of non-contact infrared thermometer measurement sites in birds. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 23(2), 131-139.

Association between attitude and empathy with the quality of human-livestock interactions

The human-animal interactions are a key component of human and animal welfare. The quality of this interaction can therefore be assessed by measuring the reaction response of the animals to the handler’s behavior. The aim of this study was to...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Leon, A. F., Sanchez, J. A., Romero, M. H. 2020. Association between attitude and empathy with the quality of human-livestock interactions. Animals 10(8), 1304.

Attention bias test measures negative but not positive affect in sheep: A replication study

An attention bias test has been developed as a measure of negative affective states in sheep. The test measures an individual’s allocation of attention between a threatening (previous location of a dog) and positive (conspecific photo) stimulus over a 3...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Monk, J. E., Lee, C., Dickson, E., Campbell, D. L. M. 2020. Attention bias test measures negative but not positive affect in sheep: A replication study. Animals 10(8), 1314.