Publications

Efficacy and adverse effects of three delivery methods for aerosolized salbutamol in anesthetized European moose (Alces alces alces): A case series

Wild and captive European moose (Alces alces alces) are routinely anesthetized with drug combinations including alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonists, dissociative anesthetics, and opioids. Reportedly, severe respiratory depression, ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) mismatch, and hypoxemia are common complications in this species, requiring perianesthetic oxygen...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Other Animal

Citation: Morelli, J., Hoby, S., Heiderich, E. et al. 2026. Efficacy and adverse effects of three delivery methods for aerosolized salbutamol in anesthetized European moose (Alces alces alces): A case series. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 68(1), 11.

Musical stimulation in lactating sows affects pre-weaning piglet mortality and maternal behavior

Functional veterinary music, defined as music specifically designed in its tempo, rhythm, harmonic structure, and frequency ranges to modulate animal emotional states and behavior, has emerged as an innovative strategy for managing lactating sows. Exposure to functional music in other...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Montoya-Zuluaga, J., Álvarez-Hernández, N., Betancourth-Chaves, P. et al. 2026. Musical stimulation in lactating sows affects pre-weaning piglet mortality and maternal behavior. Scientific Reports 16(1), 4049.

Video based heart rate detection in unrestrained laboratory rats: A feasibility analysis

Continuous monitoring of vital signs in laboratory animals is often essential for reliable scientific results and severity assessment. It still depends on invasive approaches such as transponder implementation, which affect the animals well-being. To minimize this impact, a camera-based method...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Monissen, J., Mösch, L., Monissen, M. et al. 2025. Video based heart rate detection in unrestrained laboratory rats: A feasibility analysis. Scientific Reports 15(1), 37935.

Nondestructive larval genotyping of Danio rerio for mitochondrial and nuclear DNA genetics

The rapid advancement of nuclear and mitochondrial genomic editing tools has created an urgent need for efficient, nonlethal larval genotyping methods in zebrafish (Danio rerio) research. This study optimizes and validates a nondestructive proteinase K digestion method for mitochondrial and...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Body Modification/MutilationAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Mitra, K. S., Holmberg, S. R., Mota, M. et al. 2025. Nondestructive larval genotyping of Danio rerio for mitochondrial and nuclear DNA genetics. Zebrafish 22(6), 197–207.

Temperature-dependence of early development of zebrafish and the consequences for laboratory use and animal welfare

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are widely used in biological research, but the impact of incubation temperatures on developmental endpoints is still insufficiently studied. This study quantifies developmental differences in zebrafish embryos incubated at 26°C and 28°C, focusing on key endpoints (heartbeat...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Miller, A., Schröder, K. L., Braun, K. E. et al. 2025. Temperature-dependence of early development of zebrafish and the consequences for laboratory use and animal welfare. PLOS ONE 20(12), e0340193.

The successful introduction of an early rabbit to human habituation programme to reduce stress and aggressive behaviour

Rabbits as a species, are naturally overly sensitive to stress which is a source of concern and consideration for the use in research settings; both in terms of their interaction with humans, and in terms of the quality of the...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Human-Animal Interaction, Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Mikkelsen, L. F., Rudolph, T., Ganivet, I. et al. 2025. The successful introduction of an early rabbit to human habituation programme to reduce stress and aggressive behaviour. Scandinavian Journal of Laboratory Animal Science 51, 33–37.

Prevalence and management practices of ophthalmic lesions in laboratory mice

The regular inspection of the eye health is an essential part of the veterinary care task in an animal facility in order to achieve robust results during experimentation. The aim of the study was to find out, when and how...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Husbandry & Management, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Matzek, D., Rumpel, S., Kassumeh, S. et al. 2026. Prevalence and management practices of ophthalmic lesions in laboratory mice. Scientific Reports 16(1), 8732.

EPI-DOM framework for fish welfare assessment: External and internal indicators for tilapia in aquaculture

Introduction: The EPI-DOM framework proposes an applied epidemiological approach to evaluate and manage tilapia welfare in laboratory and production systems, integrating animal-based indicators with risk factors organized into operational domains (management, environment, interaction). Methods: An integrative review (2000–2025) was conducted...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Tilapia

Citation: Martínez-Yáñez, R. 2026. EPI-DOM framework for fish welfare assessment: External and internal indicators for tilapia in aquaculture. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 13.

Impact of transport source (dairy farms vs. collection center) and post-arrival housing in combination with prophylactic antibiotic treatment on performance, lung health and microbiota of veal calves

Transport via a collection center and early life administration of antibiotics are two major challenges faced by calves in current veal husbandry management. The main aim of this proof of concept study was to investigate the effects of these two...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Marcato, F., Schokker, D., Stockhofe-Zurwieden, N. et al. 2026. Impact of transport source (dairy farms vs. collection center) and post-arrival housing in combination with prophylactic antibiotic treatment on performance, lung health and microbiota of veal calves. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 13.

Main husbandry practices and health conditions that affect welfare in calves: A narrative review

Calf welfare is critically influenced by early-life husbandry practices and health conditions. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on key management practices affecting calf welfare, including calving, colostrum intake, milk feeding, water provision, weaning, housing, mutilations, and transport. A structured...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Rearing & Weaning, Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Mainau, E., Goby, L., Manteca, X. 2025. Main husbandry practices and health conditions that affect welfare in calves: A narrative review. Animals 15(21).