Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement

Infrared thermography—A non-invasive method of measuring respiration rate in calves

Respiration rate (RR) is commonly used to assess states of cattle health and welfare such as pain, stress and disease. Traditionally, RR is measured by counting flank movements, a method often considered to be labour-intensive and impractical. This study investigated...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Lowe, G., Sutherland, M., Waas, J. et al. 2019. Infrared thermography—A non-invasive method of measuring respiration rate in calves. Animals 9(8), 535.

Characterization of the normal portal and hepatic blood flow of adult Holstein-Friesian cows

Knowledge of physiological portal and hepatic blood flow in cattle is essential for the use of Doppler ultrasound for diagnostic purposes. In this paper, we describe a protocol for the systematic ultrasonography evaluation of the portal and hepatic system in...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Barreiro-Vázquez, J. D., Miranda, M., Barreiro-Vilanova, M. I. et al. 2019. Characterization of the normal portal and hepatic blood flow of adult Holstein-Friesian cows. Animals 9(6), 386.

Noninvasive cardiac psychophysiology as a tool for translational science with marmosets

The importance of marmosets for comparative and translational science has grown in recent years because of their relatively rapid development, birth cohorts of twins, family social structure, and genetic tractability. Despite this, they remain understudied in investigations of affective processes....

Year Published: 2019Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Murphy, A. M., Ross, C. N., Bliss‐Moreau, E. 2019. Noninvasive cardiac psychophysiology as a tool for translational science with marmosets. American Journal of Primatology 81(9), e23037.

Thermography as a non-invasive measure of stress and fear of humans in sheep

No data have been published on the use of infrared thermography (IRT) to evaluate sheep emotions. We assessed whether this technique can be used as a non-invasive measure of negative emotions. Two voluntary animal approach (VAA) tests were conducted (and...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Cannas, S., Palestrini, C., Canali, E. et al. 2018. Thermography as a non-invasive measure of stress and fear of humans in sheep. Animals 8(9), 146.

No-touch measurements of vital signs in small conscious animals

Measuring the heartbeat and respiration of small conscious animals is important for assessing their health and behavior, but present techniques such as electrocardiogram (ECG), ultrasound, and auscultation rely on close skin contact with the animal. These methods can also require...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: X. Hui, Kan, E. C. 2019. No-touch measurements of vital signs in small conscious animals. Science Advances 5, eaau0169.

Aversiveness of husbandry procedures for pre-weaned foals: A comparison using behavioural and physiological indices

Husbandry procedures are necessary for different purposes in horse breeding. The aim of the present study was to assess the aversiveness and effects on the horse-human relationship of a range of common husbandry procedures, in pre-weaned non-habituated Konik polski foals....

Year Published: 2017Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Identification MethodAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Górecka-Bruzda, A., Jaworski, Z., Suwała, M. et al. 2017. Aversiveness of husbandry procedures for pre-weaned foals: A comparison using behavioural and physiological indices. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 191, 31-38.

Automated microsampling technologies and enhancements in the 3Rs

Data collected in vivo is essential for advising decisions on drug screening and development and basic research, and animal models are used extensively for acquiring experimental measurements. Traditionally, collection of specimens has been invasive, stressful to animal subjects, labor intensive,...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Hopper, L. D. 2016. Automated microsampling technologies and enhancements in the 3Rs. ILAR Journal 57(2), 166-177.

Report of the 2016 RSPCA/UFAW Rodent and Rabbit Welfare Group meeting

The RSPCA/UFAW Rodent (and now Rabbit) Welfare Group held a one-day meeting on 1 November 2016 at the University of Edinburgh and was attended by 70 delegates. Presentation topics included refinements in blood sampling rodents, reducing suffering in projects involving...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Disease/Experimental Model, Husbandry & Management, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hawkins, P., McNeilly, A., Watson, J. et al. 2017. Report of the 2016 RSPCA/UFAW Rodent and Rabbit Welfare Group meeting. Animal Technology and Welfare 16(2), 77-86.

Spider and chips: The use of internal Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips as a minimally invasive method to measure internal body temperatures in invertebrates

Internal RFID transponders have been used in vertebrates for many years, however studies into their use in invertebrates are less well represented in the literature. The use of RFID transponders for internal temperature measurement represents a less invasive alternative to...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, External Bodily EquipmentAnimal Type: Insect & Spider, Invertebrate

Citation: Baker, S., Knight, E., Pellett, S. et al. 2018. Spider and chips: The use of internal Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips as a minimally invasive method to measure internal body temperatures in invertebrates. Animal Technology and Welfare 17(1), 1-7.

Measuring physiological stress in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus): Validation of a salivary cortisol collection and assay technique

Cortisol levels are often used as a physiological measure of the stress response in captive primates, with noninvasive measures of this being an important step in welfare assessment. We report a method of collecting saliva samples voluntarily from unrestrained captive...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Ash, H., Smith, T. E., Knight, S. et al. 2018. Measuring physiological stress in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus): Validation of a salivary cortisol collection and assay technique. Physiology & Behavior 185, 14-22.