Publications

Is that a rat in your pocket? A novel pocket method for rat restraint

At the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign (UIUC), we routinely teach novice research personnel how to appropriately handle, restrain, and perform basic experimental techniques on rats. Barriers to teaching include fear of animal bites to the handler, stress to...

Year Published: 2020Topics: RestraintAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Ludwig, J. L. 2020. Is that a rat in your pocket? A novel pocket method for rat restraint. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(1) (January/February), 48-49.

Isoflurane and carbon dioxide elicit similar behavioral responses in rats

Euthanasia in rodents is an ongoing topic of debate due to concerns regarding the aversive nature of gases with anesthetic properties such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and isoflurane. The aim of this study was to expand upon previously published work...

Year Published: 2020Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Kulkarni, S., Hickman, D. 2020. Isoflurane and carbon dioxide elicit similar behavioral responses in rats. Animals 10(8), 1431.

It’s Okay to Cry – Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum [LAREF], Volume V

This is the 5th volume of selected discussions that took place on the electronic Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum between February 2016 and December 2019. The forum was created in October 2002; it allows the international animal care community...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Animal Training, Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Drug/Substance Administration, Environmental Enrichment, External Bodily Equipment, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Cat, Chinchilla, Dog, Ferret, Guinea Pig, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Reinhardt, V. (ed.) 2020. It’s Okay to Cry - Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum [LAREF], Volume V. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC.

Just hanging out: Elevating rat enrichment in small spaces

This article describes how an Animal Care Technician at Mayo Clinic Rochester campus designed and created a novel enrichment item for rats: a ‘hammock’ made of PVC tunnels hung onto the lid of standard laboratory rat cages.

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Brekke, J., Scholz, J. 2020. Just hanging out: Elevating rat enrichment in small spaces. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(3) (May/June), 40-42.

Licking and agonistic interactions in grazing dairy cows as indicators of preferential companies

The quality of the social environment should be studied as one of the welfare components of dairy herds. Licking and preference between cows are important socio-positive experiences in this context.The aims of this study were: 1) to describe the behaviours...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Pinheiro Machado, T. M., Pinheiro Machado Filho, L. C., Daros, R. R. et al. 2020. Licking and agonistic interactions in grazing dairy cows as indicators of preferential companies. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 227, 104994.

Long-term consistency of personality traits of cattle

Personality is often defined as the behaviour of individual animals that is consistent across contexts and over time. Personality traits may become unstable during stages of ontogeny from infancy to adulthood, especially during major periods of development such as around...

Year Published: 2020Topics: PersonalityAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Neave, H. W., Costa, J. H. C., Weary, D. M. 2020. Long-term consistency of personality traits of cattle. Royal Society Open Science 7(2), 7191849.

Long-term effect of environmental enrichment on reproductive performance of Swiss Webster mice and their female offspring

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an environmental enrichment (EE) plan on the reproductive performance of Swiss Webster mice and their female offspring used as recipients for embryo transfer. A total of 54 breeder mice...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Meikle, M. N., Arévalo, A. P., Schlapp, G. et al. 2020. Long-term effect of environmental enrichment on reproductive performance of Swiss Webster mice and their female offspring. Animals 10(8), 1438.

Pessimistic dairy calves are more vulnerable to pain-induced anhedonia

Pain induces deficits in appreciation of rewards (i.e. anhedonia) and variation in response to pain may be partly explained by individual differences in general expectations (i.e. optimism). Dairy calves are routinely subjected to painful procedures such as hot-iron disbudding. We...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Body Modification/MutilationAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Lecorps, B., Nogues, E., von Keyserlingk, M. A. G. et al. 2020. Pessimistic dairy calves are more vulnerable to pain-induced anhedonia. PLOS ONE 15(11), e0242100.

Philosophy of a “good death” in small animals and consequences for euthanasia in animal law and veterinary practice

Moral stress is a major concern in veterinary practice. Often, it is associated with the challenges in end-of-life situations. Euthanasia, however, is also meant to bring relief to animal patients and their owners. The reasons for the moral strain euthanizing...

Year Published: 2020Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Persson, K., Selter, F., Neitzke, G. et al. 2020. Philosophy of a “good death” in small animals and consequences for euthanasia in animal law and veterinary practice. Animals 10(1), 124.

Piggy see, piggy do: A swine training program enhances animal welfare and research

Becton Dickinson (BD) Animal Research Program developed an extensive training and environmental enrichment program to acclimate newly arrived swine to daily husbandry routines. The program seeks to build trust between swine and animal care and research staff from human-animal interactions....

Year Published: 2020Topics: Animal Training, Environmental Enrichment, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: de la Garza, F., Cannon, C. Z. 2020. Piggy see, piggy do: A swine training program enhances animal welfare and research. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(2) (March/April), 54-57.