Publications

You can have your cone and eat too! Soft cone collars lead to improved postoperative rabbit care

There are various adaptations of collars and restraints for rabbits on the market. No one size fits all; therefore, finding the right one with the least number of modifications and restrictions is important. Most importantly, they should accommodate the rabbit’s...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Barrera, R., Haynes, G., Kearney, M. et al. 2025. You can have your cone and eat too! Soft cone collars lead to improved postoperative rabbit care. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 13(5) (September/October), 36-39.

Germinating a novel idea to rodent heat support

An external heat source is frequently used to help rodents maintain optimal body temperature. The current gold standard for providing heat support to laboratory rodents is circulating warm water blankets. However, these come with certain drawbacks, including cost, the need...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Husbandry & Management, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Glaspell, S., Welch Jernigan, R. 2025. Germinating a novel idea to rodent heat support. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 13(3) (May/June), 23-24.

Effect of transport stress on apoptosis and autophagy in goat lung cells

Introduction Road transportation exposes goats to thermal, mechanical, and microbial stressors that can compromise their welfare by triggering pulmonary apoptosis and autophagy processes associated with tissue damage and immunosuppression. Methods To explore potential biomarkers for transport-related welfare assessment, this study...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Goat

Citation: Zhuo, Y., Hu, Y., Jin, Y. et al. 2025. Effect of transport stress on apoptosis and autophagy in goat lung cells. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 12.

Effects of different ways of music stimulation on exploring, playing and aggressive behavior

In the breeding of farm animals, music serves as an environmental enrichment factor that can improve the mood and welfare level of animals. However, it is not clear whether pigs receiving different modes of musical stimulation can improve cognitive performance....

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Wu, M., Wang, Z., Zhou, S. et al. 2025. Effects of different ways of music stimulation on exploring, playing and aggressive behavior. Animals 15(18), 2721.

The effects of artificial UV-B provision on positional sleeping behaviour and vitamin D3 metabolites of captive aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis)

Zoological environments aim to promote natural behaviours and optimal welfare conditions. Over the past decade, research on the use of artificial ultraviolet-B (UV-B) exposure has improved vitamin D3 levels and reduced incidences of metabolic bone disease in diurnal primates; however,...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Walker, D., Bwye, P., Richdon, S. 2025. The effects of artificial UV-B provision on positional sleeping behaviour and vitamin D3 metabolites of captive aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis). Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 6(3), 39.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of physical environmental enrichment to improve animal welfare-related outcomes in indoor cattle

This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of various physical environmental enrichment items such as brushes, ropes, teats, chains, balls, cowhides/blocks, at improving the welfare of indoor-housed calves, heifers, and cattle. This review of 33 peer-reviewed papers and one...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Unsal, G., Johnson, K. F., Stergiadis, S. et al. 2025. A systematic review and meta-analysis of physical environmental enrichment to improve animal welfare-related outcomes in indoor cattle. Animal Welfare 34, e37.

Investigating lameness in high containment swine

The Pirbright Institute is a world leading centre for the research and surveillance of viral diseases. The high containment animal facility (ISO11) is a bespoke working environment designed to house multiple species and viruses for in vivo vaccine research. Due...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Trussler, O. 2025. Investigating lameness in high containment swine. Animal Technology and Welfare 24(2), 168–171.

Impact of sequential administration of detomidine, butorphanol, and midazolam on sedation, ataxia, stimulus response, and bispectral index in horses

Background Standing sedation is a safe and cost-effective alternative to general anesthesia in horses, but challenges include achieving adequate drug effect to block the stimulus response without inducing ataxia or recumbency. A benefit of midazolam has been reported in equine...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Thorn, C. A., Wilson, D. V., Wang, S. et al. 2025. Impact of sequential administration of detomidine, butorphanol, and midazolam on sedation, ataxia, stimulus response, and bispectral index in horses. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 12.

Recovery of male Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) after overland shipping

Ornamental fish shipped by road or rail may spend days in transit without food, leading to a reduction in somatic growth after transportation and during acclimatization. In the present study, a time-series (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish

Citation: Thongprajukaew, K., Malawa, S., Poolthajit, S. et al. 2025. Recovery of male Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) after overland shipping. Animals 15(14), 2156.

Effects of enclosure size on the preferences of juvenile chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera)

This study investigated the cage size preferences of juvenile chinchillas using enclosures that allowed free choice between different dimensions. Three comparisons were tested: (1) small floor area (0.15 m2) vs. double floor area (0.30 m2) at constant height; (2) low...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Chinchilla, Rodent

Citation: Szendrő, Z., Łapiński, S., Matics, Z. et al. 2025. Effects of enclosure size on the preferences of juvenile chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera). Animals 15(17), 2483.