Welfare Assessment

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.

Changes in saliva analytes correlate with horses’ behavioural reactions to an acute stressor: A pilot study

Acute stress induces an array of behavioural reactions in horses that vary between individuals. Attempts to relate behavioural patterns and physiological responses have not always given clear-cut results. Here, we measured the changes in a panel of salivary components: salivary...

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

Citation: Contreras-Aguilar, M. D., Henry, S., Coste, C. et al. 2019. Changes in saliva analytes correlate with horses' behavioural reactions to an acute stressor: A pilot study. Animals 9(11), 993.

Assessing and enhancing the welfare of animals with equivocal and reliable cues

The actions of human caretakers strongly influence animals living under human care. Here, we consider how intentional and unintentional signals provided by caretakers can inform our assessment of animals' well-being as well as help to support it. Our aim is...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Animal Training, Human-Animal Interaction, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Watters, J. V., Krebs, B. L. 2019. Assessing and enhancing the welfare of animals with equivocal and reliable cues. Animals 9(9), 680.

How can we assess positive welfare in ruminants?

Until now, most research has focused on the development of indicators of negative welfare, and relatively few studies provide information on valid, reliable, and feasible indicators addressing positive aspects of animal welfare. However, a lack of suffering does not guarantee...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle, Chicken, Equine, Fowl, Goat, Pig, Sheep

Citation: Mattiello, S., Battini, M., De Rosa, G. et al. 2019. How can we assess positive welfare in ruminants? Animals 9(10), 758.

What is so positive about positive animal welfare?—A critical review of the literature

It is claimed that positive animal welfare (PAW) developed over the last decade in reaction to animal welfare focusing too much on avoiding negatives. However, it remains unclear what PAW adds to the animal welfare literature and to what extent...

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

Citation: Lawrence, A. B., Vigors, B., Sandøe, P. 2019. What is so positive about positive animal welfare?—A critical review of the literature. Animals 9(10), 783.