Body Modification/Mutilation

Pain and pessimism affect calves’ play behaviours post-disbudding

Calves are expected to play less when in pain, and more pessimistic individuals may be more affected by painful events, such as hot-iron disbudding (i.e., horn-bud removal). We explored 1) the impact of disbudding on different play behaviours, predicting that...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: St John Wallis, A., Held, S. D. E., Mendl, M. T. et al. 2025. Pain and pessimism affect calves’ play behaviours post-disbudding. Discover Animals 2(1), 50.

Dynamics of biochemical parameters, inflammatory and stress markers in lambs undergoing caudectomy using two different methods

Zootechnical practices such as tail docking are still in use in dairy sheep farming, performed in the first week of life, mainly by rubber ring and only rarely by surgical methods. In this study, we evaluated the impact of caudectomy...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Body Modification/MutilationAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Pilo, G., Tedde, G., Peli, A. et al. 2025. Dynamics of biochemical parameters, inflammatory and stress markers in lambs undergoing caudectomy using two different methods. Animals 15(17), 2614.

Efficacy of pain management for cattle castration: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Much research has assessed methods of pain control for cattle castration, but there remains a lack of consensus regarding best practice. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published research including both an untreated control (i.e. castrated without pain...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Body Modification/MutilationAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Nogues, E., Stojkov, J., Stojkova, B. J. et al. 2025. Efficacy of pain management for cattle castration: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Animal Welfare 34, e43.

Assessing the welfare of spiny lobsters and true lobsters in aquaria: Biology-informed best-practice guidelines for captive conditions

The welfare of decapod crustaceans held in captivity, whether in aquariums, holding facilities, seafood restaurants, supermarkets, or fishmongers, is attracting growing attention and concern. This review focuses on three species that are commonly found in European commercial environments: the European...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Husbandry & Management, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Fruscella, L., Elwood, R. W., Passantino, A. 2025. Assessing the welfare of spiny lobsters and true lobsters in aquaria: Biology-informed best-practice guidelines for captive conditions. Animals 15(16), 2397.

Self-administration of meloxicam via medicated molasses lick blocks may improve welfare of castrated calves (2025)

The self-administration of meloxicam via medicated feed is a novel concept that could enable non-invasive, pre-emptive and long-term analgesia. Forty Bos taurus male calves were randomly allocated to four treatment groups: no castration (PC), surgical castration (NC), surgical castration with...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Analgesia, Body Modification/MutilationAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Rudd, S., Lomax, S., White, P. J. et al. 2025. Self-administration of meloxicam via medicated molasses lick blocks may improve welfare of castrated calves. Animals 15(3), 442.

Fin clipping does not increase opercular beat rate in tricaine-treated zebrafish

To carry out research with genetically modified animals, their genotype has to be assessed. A standard protocol to obtain required tissue samples from zebrafish is finclipping. However, some studies reported considerable stress induced by this protocol. We therefore assessed ventilation...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Body Modification/MutilationAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Burkhalter, M. D., Philipp, M. 2024. Fin clipping does not increase opercular beat rate in tricaine-treated zebrafish. Laboratory Animals 58(6), 616–620.

Does tail docking prevent Cochliomyia hominivorax myiasis in sheep? A six-year retrospective cohort study

Tail docking is a husbandry practice widely incorporated in sheep farms around the world. It is an irreversible mutilation that impairs animal welfare, both immediately and in the longer term. The defence of tail docking as a practice is centred...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Body Modification/MutilationAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Barros, G. P. de, Hötzel, M. J., Silva, M. C. da et al. 2024. Does tail docking prevent Cochliomyia hominivorax myiasis in sheep? A six-year retrospective cohort study. Animal Welfare 33, e26.

Metabolic and behavioural effects of hermit crab shell removal techniques: Is heating less invasive than cracking?

Hermit crabs (Paguroidea; Latreille 1802) offer great opportunities to study animal behaviour and physiology. However, the animals' size and sex cannot be determined when they are inside their shell; information crucial to many experimental designs. Here, we tested the effects...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Handling, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Burciaga, L. M., Alcaraz, G. 2023. Metabolic and behavioural effects of hermit crab shell removal techniques: Is heating less invasive than cracking? Animal Welfare 32, e24.

Understanding the behaviour and improving the welfare of pigs

With growing concern from consumers and regulatory agencies about the welfare of farmed animals such as pigs, the livestock sector must assess how animal welfare can be improved whilst ensuring livestock production remains economically and environmentally sustainable. Understanding the behaviour...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Euthanasia, Husbandry & Management, Reproduction, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Edwards, S. (Ed.) 2021. Understanding the behaviour and improving the welfare of pigs. Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing Limited, Sawston, Cambridge, UK. 594 p.

Comparative study of pain-related responses of male piglets up to seven days of age to the application of different local anaesthetics and subsequent castration

To evaluate pain responses to intratesticular and subscrotal injection of three local anaesthetics and their efficacy during castration a randomized controlled study was conducted. In groups of 20 piglets, procaine (2%), lidocaine (2%), or mepivacaine (2%) were administered subscrotal and...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Body Modification/MutilationAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Söbbeler, F. J., Wendt, S., Briese, A. et al. 2022. Comparative study of pain-related responses of male piglets up to seven days of age to the application of different local anaesthetics and subsequent castration. Animals 12(20), 2833.