Publications

Current welfare state of pet guinea pigs in the UK

Little research has been carried out into how guinea pigs are cared for in the UK, and information regarding potential welfare issues is sparse. This study was designed to examine the five welfare needs, collecting data on the extent to...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Rodent

Citation: Harrup, A. J., Rooney, N. 2020. Current welfare state of pet guinea pigs in the UK. Veterinary Record 186(9), 282.

Defining body-weight reduction as a humane endpoint: A critical appraisal

In many animal experiments scientists and local authorities define a body-weight reduction of 20% or more as severe suffering and thereby as a potential parameter for humane endpoint decisions. In this study, we evaluated distinct animal experiments in multiple research...

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

Citation: Talbot, S. R., Biernot, S., Bleich, A. et al. 2020. Defining body-weight reduction as a humane endpoint: A critical appraisal. Laboratory Animals 54(1), 99–110.

Design of composite measure schemes for comparative severity assessment in animal-based neuroscience research: A case study focussed on rat epilepsy models

Comparative severity assessment of animal models and experimental interventions is of utmost relevance for harm-benefit analysis during ethical evaluation, an animal welfare-based model prioritization as well as the validation of refinement measures. Unfortunately, there is a lack of evidence-based approaches...

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

Citation: van Dijk, R. M., Koska, I., Bleich, A. et al. 2020. Design of composite measure schemes for comparative severity assessment in animal-based neuroscience research: A case study focussed on rat epilepsy models. PLOS ONE 15(5): e0230141.

Developing an animal welfare assessment protocol for cows in extensive beef cow-calf systems in New Zealand

The intention of this study was to develop standards for a welfare assessment protocol by validating potential categorisation thresholds for the assessment of beef farms in New Zealand. Thirty-two measures, based on the Welfare Quality and the University of California...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Kaurivi, Y. B., Hickson, R., Laven, R. et al. 2020. Developing an animal welfare assessment protocol for cows in extensive beef cow-calf systems in New Zealand. Part 2: Categorisation and scoring of welfare assessment measures. Animals 10(9), 1592.

Developing an animal welfare assessment protocol for cows in extensive beef cow–calf systems in New Zealand

Potential measures suitable for assessing welfare in pasture-based beef cow–calf systems in New Zealand were identified from Welfare Quality and UC Davis Cow-Calf protocols. These were trialled on a single farm and a potential protocol of 50 measures created. The...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Kaurivi, Y. B., Laven, R., Hickson, R. et al. 2020. Developing an animal welfare assessment protocol for cows in extensive beef cow–calf systems in New Zealand. Part 1: Assessing the feasibility of identified animal welfare assessment measures. Animals 10(9), 1597.

Development and validation of broiler welfare assessment methods for research and on-farm audits

Required auditing of on-farm broiler welfare in the United States has increased; however, a lack of validated tools exists for assessment of enrichment. National Chicken Council (NCC) guidelines were used on a subset of 300 Ross 308 broilers out of...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Meyer, M. M., Johnson, A. K., Bobeck, E. A. 2020. Development and validation of broiler welfare assessment methods for research and on-farm audits. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 23(4), 433-446.

Development of a benchmarking tool for dairy herd management using routinely collected herd records

Continuous assessment of the herd status is important in order to monitor and adjust to changes in the welfare and health status but can be time consuming and expensive. In this study, herd status indicators from routinely collected dairy herd...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Warner, D., Vasseur, E., Villettaz Robichaud, M. et al. 2020. Development of a benchmarking tool for dairy herd management using routinely collected herd records. Animals 10(9), 1689.

Development of a facial expression scale using farrowing as a model of pain in sows

Changes in facial expression have been shown to be a useful tool to assess pain severity in humans and animals, but facial scales have not yet been developed for all species. A facial expression scale in sows was developed using...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Reproduction, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Navarro, E., Mainau, E., Manteca, X. 2020. Development of a facial expression scale using farrowing as a model of pain in sows. Animals 10(11), 2113.

Development of a rabbit enrichment program and contribution to a culture of transparency and care

The Becton Dickinson (BD) Research Animal Care Program has developed an acclimation and enrichment program that has enhanced animal welfare for studies requiring single housing, contributed to a culture of care, increased transparency, and improved compassion satisfaction for the animal...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Worlds, T., Kearney, M., De La Garza, F. et al. 2020. Development of a rabbit enrichment program and contribution to a culture of transparency and care. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(6) (November/December), 38-40.

Development of bed-building behaviors in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Implication for critical period hypothesis and captive management

Wild great apes build beds for sleeping by combining tree branches or other vegetation, but the development of this behavior is poorly understood. We investigated the development of bed-building behaviors by conducting complementary cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of captive chimpanzees....

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Yamanashi, Y., Bando, H., Matsunaga, M. et al. 2020. Development of bed-building behaviors in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Implication for critical period hypothesis and captive management. Primates 61(5), 639-646.