Welfare Assessment

Integrating measures of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites and giving-up densitites to assess adrenocortical activity and well-being in zoo-housed three-banded armadillos

To monitor adrenocortical activity in zoo-housed species, we propose using physiological and behavioral indicators that are non-invasive and practical to implement. We explore this model in the southern three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus; armadillo), which is a near-threatened species commonly found...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Other Animal

Citation: Howell-Stephens, J., Potratz, E. J., Brown, J. S. et al. 2023. Integrating measures of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites and giving-up densitites to assess adrenocortical activity and well-being in zoo-housed three-banded armadillos. Animals 13(12), 1975.

Beyond “doing better”: Ordinal rating scales to monitor behavioural indicators of well-being in cats

Safeguarding the well-being of cats is essential to the mission of any responsible animal shelter. Environmental enrichment and behaviour modification are often key to this goal. Measuring response to these interventions is essential to ensure strategies are successful. There are...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Ellis, J. J. 2022. Beyond “doing better”: Ordinal rating scales to monitor behavioural indicators of well-being in cats. Animals 12(21), 2897.

Horse grimace scale does not detect pain in horses with equine gastric ulcer syndrome

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is a highly prevalent and presumptively painful condition, although the amount of pain horses might experience is currently unknown. The aims of this study were to determine if the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) could identify...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Ferlini Agne, G., May, B. E., Lovett, A. et al. 2023. Horse grimace scale does not detect pain in horses with equine gastric ulcer syndrome. Animals 13(10), 1623.

“Do not look at me like that”: Is the facial expression score reliable and accurate to evaluate pain in large domestic animals? A systematic review

Facial expression scoring has proven to be useful for pain evaluation in humans. In the last decade, equivalent scales have been developed for various animal species, including large domestic animals. The research question of this systematic review was as follows:...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle, Goat, Pig, Sheep

Citation: Fischer-Tenhagen, C., Meier, J., Pohl, A. 2022. “Do not look at me like that”: Is the facial expression score reliable and accurate to evaluate pain in large domestic animals? A systematic review. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9, 1002681.

Development and validation of unesp-botucatu goat acute pain scale

We aimed to develop and validate the Unesp-Botucatu goat acute pain scale (UGAPS). Thirty goats (5 negative controls and 25 submitted to orchiectomy) were filmed for 7 min at the time points 24 h before and 2 h, 3 h...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Goat

Citation: Fonseca, M. W., Trindade, P. H. E., Pinho, R. H. et al. 2023. Development and validation of unesp-botucatu goat acute pain scale. Animals 13(13), 2136.

Morphometrics of Xenopus laevis kept as laboratory animals

Morphometric data that provide information on body conditions can be used to monitor the health and well-being of animals. In laboratory animals, they can help to evaluate the stress due to experiments or treatments, following the 3R principles. The aim...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Amphibian, Frog & Toad

Citation: Böswald, L. F., Matzek, D., Mohr, H. et al. 2022. Morphometrics of Xenopus laevis kept as laboratory animals. Animals 12(21), 2986.

The effect of stabling routines on potential behaviour indicators of affective state in horses and their use in assessing quality of life

Increasing interest in equine welfare has emphasised the need for objective and reliable behavioural indicators of horses' affective state. However, research has yielded mixed results regarding behaviours suited for industry use largely because they are subject to anthropomorphic interpretation. Stabling...

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

Citation: Bradshaw-Wiley, E., Randle, H. 2023. The effect of stabling routines on potential behaviour indicators of affective state in horses and their use in assessing quality of life. Animals 13(6), 1065.

Social behaviors as welfare indicators in teleost fish

Animal welfare is a key issue not only for aquaculture industry and food production, but also for daily husbandry practices in research topics related to physiology in wild and farmed animals. In this context, teleost fish constitute interesting models to...

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

Citation: Cavallino, L., Rincón, L., Scaia, M. F. 2023. Social behaviors as welfare indicators in teleost fish. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 10, 1050510.

Review of rat (Rattus norvegicus), Mouse (Mus musculus), Guinea pig (Cavia procellus), and rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) indicators for welfare assessment

The monitoring and assessment of animals is important for their health and welfare. The appropriate selection of multiple, validated, and feasible welfare assessment indicators is required to effectively identify compromises or improvements to animal welfare. Animal welfare indicators can be...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Mouse, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Cohen, S., Ho, C. 2023. Review of rat (Rattus norvegicus), Mouse (Mus musculus), Guinea pig (Cavia procellus), and rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) indicators for welfare assessment. Animals 13(13), 2167.

Investigating attentional scope as a novel indicator of emotional state in animals

In humans, contrasting emotional states can lead to a broadening or narrowing of attentional scope. Whether this is also the case in animals has yet to be investigated. If confirmed, measurement of attentional scope has potential as a novel cognitive...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Dog

Citation: Hamlaoui, A., Keeling, L., Burman, O. et al. 2022. Investigating attentional scope as a novel indicator of emotional state in animals. Scientific Reports 12(1), 17452.