Welfare Assessment

Osteotomy models – the current status on pain scoring and management in small rodents

Fracture healing is a complex regeneration process which produces new bone tissue without scar formation. However, fracture healing disorders occur in approximately 10% of human patients and cause severe pain and reduced quality of life. Recently, the development of more...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Lang, A., Schulz, A., Ellinghaus, A. et al. 2016. Osteotomy models – the current status on pain scoring and management in small rodents. Laboratory Animals 50(6), 433-441.

Morbidity scoring after abdominal surgery

Postoperative monitoring of pain and distress in small rodents is not standardized, and widely accepted score sheets are not available. Here we describe a score sheet used in abdominal surgery of rodents, with particular reference to procedures involving the liver.

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Graf, R., Cinelli, P., Arras, M. 2016. Morbidity scoring after abdominal surgery. Laboratory Animals 50(6), 453-458.

Recommendation for severity assessment following liver resection and liver transplantation in rats: Part I

Score sheets were first introduced 30 years ago to assess pain, distress and suffering in animals. To date, however, there is still no general agreement on their use in research practice, and only a few publications can be found on...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Kanzler, S., Rix, A., Czigany, Z. et al. 2016. Recommendation for severity assessment following liver resection and liver transplantation in rats: Part I. Laboratory Animals 50(6), 459-467.

Severity assessment in rabbits after partial hepatectomy: Part II

Although the recognition of pain, distress and discomfort has already been described in 1985 by Morton and Griffiths there is still very little known about the establishment of score sheets especially, regarding postsurgical pain and severity assessment for laboratory animals...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Drude, N., Pawlowsky, K., Tanaka,H. et al. 2016. Severity assessment in rabbits after partial hepatectomy: Part II. Laboratory Animals 50(6), 468-475.

Report from the 2017 Annual SGV (Swiss Laboratory Animal Science Association ) Meeting

The Scientific Committee of the Swiss Laboratory Animal Science Association (Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Versuchstierkunde, SGV) reports on the Annual SGV Meeting held on 28 and 29 November 2017, at Technopark, Zürich, Switzerland. Feedback after the 2016 meeting and recent developments...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Euthanasia, Humane Endpoint, Husbandry & Management, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Deurinck, M., Schindler, S., Bugnon, P. et al. 2018. Report from the 2017 Annual SGV (Swiss Laboratory Animal Science Association ) Meeting. Laboratory Animals 52(2), 211-213. [Meeting Report]

Non-invasive detection and successful treatment of a Helicobacter pylori infection in a captive rhesus macaque

Gastritis is a commonly diagnosed condition in non-human primates used in biomedical research. As in humans, Helicobacter pylori infection may cause gastritis. The following report presents a method of non-invasive detection and a successful treatment protocol for this common pathogen.

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Semrau, A., Gerold, S., Frick, J.S. et al. 2017. Non-invasive detection and successful treatment of a Helicobacter pylori infection in a captive rhesus macaque. Laboratory Animals 51(2), 208-211.

Daily salivary cortisol levels in response to stress factors in captive common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): A potential welfare indicator

Dolphins in a captive setting can be occasionally subjected to a variety of potentially stressful situations. The stress response comprises a variety of biological reactions to internal or external stimuli elicited when an individual perceives (real or not) a threat...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Monreal-Pawlowsky, T., Carbajal, A., Tallo-Parra, O. et al. 2017. Daily salivary cortisol levels in response to stress factors in captive common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): A potential welfare indicator. Veterinary Record 180(24), 593.

Definitive Glasgow acute pain scale for cats: validation and intervention level

Previously the authors described the derivation of an intervention level for the Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale (CMPS) short form tool for assessing acute pain in dogs. More recently, the authors reported the validation of a behaviour-based tool (the revised...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Reid, J., Scott, E. M., Calvo, G. et al. 2017. Definitive Glasgow acute pain scale for cats: validation and intervention level. Veterinary Record 180(18), 449.

The impact of social context on behaviour and the recovery from welfare challenges in zebrafish, Danio rerio

Understanding how animals experience stress in a laboratory environment is crucial for improving their welfare. Increasing numbers of fish are being used in scientific studies and further research is required to ensure appropriate conditions are used to promote good conduct...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: White, L. J., Thomson, J. S., Pounder, K. C. et al. 2017. The impact of social context on behaviour and the recovery from welfare challenges in zebrafish, Danio rerio. Animal Behaviour 132, 189-199.

Hens vary their vocal repertoire and structure when anticipating different types of reward

The vocalizations of nonhuman animals are considered potential indicators of motivational or internal state. In many species, different call types, and structural variation within call types, encode information about physical characteristics such as age or sex, or about variable traits...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: McGrath, N., Dunlop, R. Dwyer, C. et al. 2017. Hens vary their vocal repertoire and structure when anticipating different types of reward. Animal Behaviour 130, 79-96.