Welfare Assessment

Positive and negative emotions in dairy cows: Can ear postures be used as a measure?

Applying objective measures to assess the emotional states of animals is an important area of research and essential for improving animal welfare. In this study, we have built upon previous research to test whether ear postures can be used as...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Lambert, H., Carder, G. 2019. Positive and negative emotions in dairy cows: Can ear postures be used as a measure? Behavioural Processes 158, 172-180.

Stable individual differences in vocalisation and motor activity during acute stress in the domestic cat

The behavioural assessment of individual animals in stressful situations should consider measures which are consistent across repeated testing, and therefore truly representative of an individual's behaviour. Here we report a study conducted on 40 neutered adult cats (Felis silvestris catus)...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Vocalization, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Urrutia, A., Martínez-Byer, S., Szenczi, P. et al. 2019. Stable individual differences in vocalisation and motor activity during acute stress in the domestic cat. Behavioural Processes 165, 58-65.

Optimising health & welfare tracking using the Sanger Mouse Database

Health tracking of animals is required legally under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) to prevent pain, avoidable suffering, distress or lasting harm. This is important with Genetically Modified (GM) animals as they are more likely to have unexpected...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Dench, J., McLaren-Jones, R., Vancollie, V. et al. 2019. Optimising health & welfare tracking using the Sanger Mouse Database. Animal Technology and Welfare 18(1), 62-64.

In-vivo imaging at NIBSC and how we use it to promote the 3Rs

In-vivo imaging is a revolutionary technology offering a powerful tool for constructing studies involving mice. In the Biological Services Department (BSD) at NIBSC, the IVIS® Spectrum In Vivo System model is used to perform our studies. Imaging has a wide...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Gurney, L. 2019. In-vivo imaging at NIBSC and how we use it to promote the 3Rs. Animal Technology and Welfare 18(2), 143-144. (IAT Congress 2018 Poster Presentation)

Non-invasive stress monitoring and temperament of chestnut-bellied seed-finch (Passeriformes, Thraupidae)

Songbirds are kept as pets around the world, and bird-singing contests occur in several countries. However, there is a lack of scientific support for songbird welfare and stress monitoring. Thus, we aimed to validate the measurement of glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM)...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Finch

Citation: Moyano Barbosa, H., Gama Nogueira-Filho, S. L., Nogueira de Morais, R. et al. 2019. Non-invasive stress monitoring and temperament of chestnut-bellied seed-finch (Passeriformes, Thraupidae). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 220, 104859.

Refining canine welfare assessment in kennels: Evaluating the reliability of Field Instantaneous Dog Observation (FIDO) scoring

Accurate assessments of behavior and welfare are needed to evaluate the state of domestic dogs maintained in commercial breeding (CB) and other types of kennels. Field assessments of dogs' states of being must be valid, reliable, and efficient. However, concerns...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Mugenda, L., Shreyer, T., Croney, C. 2019. Refining canine welfare assessment in kennels: Evaluating the reliability of Field Instantaneous Dog Observation (FIDO) scoring. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 221, 104874.

Conceptual and methodological issues relating to pain assessment in mammals: The development and utilisation of pain facial expression scales

Effective management of pain is critical to the improvement of animal welfare. For this to happen, pain must be recognised and assessed in a variety of contexts. Pain is a complex phenomenon, making reliable, valid, and feasible measurement challenging. The...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: McLennan, K. M., Miller, A. L., Dalla Costa, E. et al. 2019. Conceptual and methodological issues relating to pain assessment in mammals: The development and utilisation of pain facial expression scales. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 217, 1-15.

Only when it feels good: Specific cat vocalizations other than meowing

Our objective was to identify and characterize the types of vocalization other than meowing (VOM) in two contexts, a pleasant and an aversive situation, and to study the effect of the sex of the animal. A total of 74 cats...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Vocalization, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Fermo, J. L., Schnaider, M. A., Silva, A. H. P. et al. 2019. Only when it feels good: Specific cat vocalizations other than meowing. Animals 9(11), 878.

The reliability and accuracy of palpation, radiography, and sonography for the detection of keel bone damage

Palpation is the most popular method of measuring keel bone damage on live birds, although it has been criticized for being subjective and inaccurate. The goals of this study were to examine intra- and inter-rater reliability when trained with feedback...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Tracy, L. M., Temple, S. M., Bennett, D. C. et al. 2019. The reliability and accuracy of palpation, radiography, and sonography for the detection of keel bone damage. Animals 9(11), 894.

3Rs-related and objective indicators to help assess the culture of care

Within animal research and testing, the need for an effective Culture of Care is widely recognized and described in terms of an establishment-wide commitment to improving the implementation of the 3Rs, animal welfare, scientific quality, care of the staff, and...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Hawkins, P., Bertelsen, T. 2019. 3Rs-related and objective indicators to help assess the culture of care. Animals 9(11), 969.