Welfare Assessment

Evaluating the accuracy of facial expressions as emotion indicators across contexts in dogs

Facial expressions potentially serve as indicators of animal emotions if they are consistently present across situations that (likely) elicit the same emotional state. In a previous study, we used the Dog Facial Action Coding System (DogFACS) to identify facial expressions...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Bremhorst, A., Mills, D. S., Würbel, H. et al. 2022. Evaluating the accuracy of facial expressions as emotion indicators across contexts in dogs. Animal Cognition 25(1), 121–136.

Stereotyping starlings are more ‘pessimistic

Negative affect in humans and animals is known to cause individuals to interpret ambiguous stimuli pessimistically, a phenomenon termed ‘cognitive bias'. Here, we used captive European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) to test the hypothesis that a reduction in environmental conditions, from...

Year Published: 2010Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Other Bird

Citation: Brilot, B. O., Asher, L., Bateson, M. 2010. Stereotyping starlings are more ‘pessimistic.' Animal Cognition 13(5), 721–731.

A promising novel judgement bias test to evaluate affective states in dogs (Canis familiaris)

The judgement bias test represents one of the most applied tools to evaluate animals' optimistic/pessimistic attitude and to infer their emotional and welfare state accordingly. The judgement bias test (JBT) has been used several times with dogs (Canis familiaris), in...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Burani, C., Pelosi, A., Valsecchi, P. 2022. A promising novel judgement bias test to evaluate affective states in dogs (Canis familiaris). Animal Cognition 25(4), 837–852.

Unexpected appetitive events promote positive affective state in juvenile European sea bass

Some animal species exhibit considerable physiological and behavioural alterations in response to captivity. It has been hypothesized, but rarely tested, that such changes reflect a negative affective state that is associated to this specific context. In the last years, judgement...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish

Citation: Alvarado, M. V., Felip, A., Espigares, F. et al. 2023. Unexpected appetitive events promote positive affective state in juvenile European sea bass. Scientific Reports 13(1), 22064.

Laterality as an indicator of emotional stress in ewes and lambs during a separation test

We assessed motor laterality in sheep to explore species-specific brain hemi-field dominance and how this could be affected by genetic or developmental factors. Further, we investigated whether directionality and strength of laterality could be linked to emotional stress in ewes...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Barnard, S., Matthews, L., Messori, S. et al. 2016. Laterality as an indicator of emotional stress in ewes and lambs during a separation test. Animal Cognition 19(1), 207–214.

Animal welfare: Could adult play be a false friend?

There is no consensus regarding the functions of play. As play behavior is a characteristic of young stages of development, it has been suggested that the higher prevalence of adult play observed in domestic animals could be the result of...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Natural Behavior, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Equine, Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Blois-Heulin, C., Rochais, C., Camus, S. et al. 2015. Animal welfare: Could adult play be a false friend? Animal Behavior and Cognition 2(2), 156–185.

Trends and treatment approaches for complications in neuroscience experiments with monkey species

Our goal in this manuscript is to advance the assessment and treatment of monkey species in neuroscience research. We hope to begin a discussion and establish baseline data on how complications are identified and treated. We surveyed the neuroscience research...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Capuchin, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Jain, A. K., Tansey, G., Hartig, R. et al. 2023. Trends and treatment approaches for complications in neuroscience experiments with monkey species. Comparative Medicine 73(3), 216–228.

A new tool for quantifying mouse facial expressions

Facial expressions are an increasingly used tool to assess emotional experience and affective state during experimental procedures in animal models. Previous studies have successfully related specific facial features with different positive and negative valence situations, most notably in relation to...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Moëne, O. L., Larsson, M. 2023. A new tool for quantifying mouse facial expressions. ENeuro 10(2) ENEURO.0349-22.2022.

Reassessing cow comfort measures on Canadian dairy farms after a recommendation of improvements

In a previous study (Assessment 1), an on-farm assessment tool was used to establish a standard across 60 Quebec dairy farms using animal-, stall-, and management-based measures of cow comfort. The objective of the present follow-up study (Assessment 2) was...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Housing, Husbandry & Management, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Palacio, S., Zambelis, A., Adam, S. et al. 2023. Reassessing cow comfort measures on Canadian dairy farms after a recommendation of improvements. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 103(2), 174–184.

Welfare and quality of life assessments for shelter cats: A scoping review

The aim of this scoping review was to provide an overview of the published welfare and quality of life assessments that are available for shelter cats. The specific objectives were to identify the available assessments, characterize the assessments as validated...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Lamon, T. K., Slater, M. R., Moberly, H. K. et al. 2023. Welfare and quality of life assessments for shelter cats: A scoping review. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 258, 105797.