Welfare Assessment

Bovine pain scale: A novel tool for pain assessment in cattle undergoing surgery in the hospital setting

Pain negatively impacts animal welfare and it is still neglected in ruminants. This original study aimed to develop and validate the Bovine Pain Scale (BPS) for acute pain assessment in hospitalized cattle undergoing surgery. This was a blinded, randomized, prospective...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Tomacheuski, R. M., Klostermann, C., Frank, D. et al. 2025. Bovine pain scale: A novel tool for pain assessment in cattle undergoing surgery in the hospital setting. PLOS ONE 20(5), e0323710.

Exploring the effect of play on heart rate variability as a measure of positive emotional states in pigs (2025)

Play behaviour has been suggested to be inherently rewarding for animals, inducing positive emotional states. The psychophysiological effect of emotions can be assessed through heart rate variability (HRV), serving as a proxy measure of sympathovagal balance. This study investigated how...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Natural Behavior, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Steinerová, K., Krause, A., Parker, S. E. et al. 2025. Exploring the effect of play on heart rate variability as a measure of positive emotional states in pigs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 12.

Hematological reference intervals for Danish crossbred Landrace Yorkshire Duroc (LYD) pigs used in biomedical research (2025)

The health and welfare of pigs used in biomedical research is essential to research quality and compliance with the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement). Hematological variables are objective markers to quantitatively determine health issues and evaluate physiological differences before and...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Præstegaard, K. F., Winther-Larsen, A., Kousholt, B. S. 2025. Hematological reference intervals for Danish crossbred Landrace Yorkshire Duroc (LYD) pigs used in biomedical research. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 67(1), 11.

Validation of indicators for the welfare assessment of captive Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) (2025)

The Five Domains model (FDM) is a widely accepted framework for developing welfare assessment tools across various contexts, including wild animals under human care. However, only two protocols have been developed for captive cetaceans. This study aimed to create a...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Platto, S., Serres, A., Normando, S. C. et al. 2025. Validation of indicators for the welfare assessment of captive Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). Animal Welfare 34, e31.

A surgical recovery matrix to evaluate post-surgical recovery in mice using sham and myocardial infarction models of cardiac surgery as prototypes (2025)

Examinations of biomarkers are useful in measuring overall health. Endpoints are critical to assess the threshold where the scientific aim of the study does not prevail over the wellbeing of experimental laboratory animal. However, parameters able to assess health and...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Surgery & Post-Op, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Pal, E., Shokoples, B., Naik, S. et al. 2025. A surgical recovery matrix to evaluate post-surgical recovery in mice using sham and myocardial infarction models of cardiac surgery as prototypes. PLOS ONE 20(5), e0323317.

Modifying the attention bias test to assess the emotional state of dogs (2025)

The attention bias test is an established cognitive method used to evaluate emotional states in farm animals by examining their response to a stimulus under varying emotional conditions. This study adapted this test for dogs, utilizing naturally induced emotional states...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Molinaro, H. G., Smith, E., Crawford-Paz Soldán, E. et al. 2025. Modifying the attention bias test to assess the emotional state of dogs. Animals 15(6), 840.

Facial expressions during compound interventions of nociception, conspecific isolation, and sedation in horses

Facial expressions in prey animals such as equines can convey information regarding their internal state and are therefore often used as cues for welfare and pain evaluation. The state of pain is commonly compared to a neutral state with little...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Lundblad, J., Rhodin, M., Hernlund, E. et al. 2025. Facial expressions during compound interventions of nociception, conspecific isolation, and sedation in horses. Scientific Reports 15(1), 5373.

Exploring the induction and measurement of positive affective state in equines through a personality-centred lens (2025)

There is increasing focus on how to induce and measure positive affective states in animals and the development of social license to operate has brought this to the forefront within equestrianism. This study aimed to utilise a range of methods...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Personality, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Loftus, L., Newman, A., Leach, M. et al. 2025. Exploring the induction and measurement of positive affective state in equines through a personality-centred lens. Scientific Reports 15(1), 18550.

Heart rate monitoring during behavioral stress tests in bold and shy rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Monitoring stress in captive fish is crucial for their welfare, but continuous physiological measures in unrestrained animals are challenging. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exhibit divergent personalities, ranging from bold to shy, which correlate with cortisol-mediated stress responses. To determine whether...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Trout

Citation: Kasiouras, E., Riberolles, G., Gräns, A. et al. 2025. Heart rate monitoring during behavioral stress tests in bold and shy rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Fishes 10(1), 23.

Successive negative contrast: An appropriate approach to measure affective state in dogs? (2025)

Successive negative contrast (SNC) is a decrease in response when animals unexpectedly face reward devaluation to levels below those of animals always receiving low-value rewards. SNC appears to be influenced by background affective states and has thus been proposed as...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Castro, A. C. V. de, Baria-Unwalla, P., Cabrita, A. R. et al. 2025. Successive negative contrast: An appropriate approach to measure affective state in dogs? Animal Welfare 34, e34.