Welfare Assessment

The influence of isoflurane anaesthesia on the rat grimace scale

Over 234,000 rats were used in regulated procedures in the UK in 2014, many of which may have resulted in some degree of pain. When using animals in research, there is an ethical and legal responsibility to alleviate or at...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Miller, A. L., Golledge, H. D. R., Leach, M. C. 2016. The influence of isoflurane anaesthesia on the rat grimace scale. PLOS ONE 11(11), e0166652.

Low plasma cortisol and fecal cortisol metabolite measures as indicators of compromised welfare in domestic horses (Equus caballus)

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to chronic stress is far from straight forward, particularly with regards to animal welfare. There are reports of no effect as well as both decreases and increases in cortisol after chronic stressors. Therefore, the first...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Pawluski, J., Jego, P., Henry, S. et al. 2017. Low plasma cortisol and fecal cortisol metabolite measures as indicators of compromised welfare in domestic horses (Equus caballus). PLOS ONE 12(9), e0182257.

The Sheep Grimace Scale as an indicator of post-operative distress and pain in laboratory sheep

The EU Directive 2010/63/EU changed the requirements regarding the use of laboratory animals and raised important issues related to assessing the severity of all procedures undertaken on laboratory animals. However, quantifiable parameters to assess severity are rare, and improved assessment...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Häger, C., Biernot, S., Buettner, M. et al. 2017. The Sheep Grimace Scale as an indicator of post-operative distress and pain in laboratory sheep. PLOS ONE 12(4), e0175839.

A screen peck task for investigating cognitive bias in laying hens

Affect-induced cognitive judgement biases occur in both humans and animals. Animals in a more negative affective state tend to interpret ambiguous cues more negatively than animals in a more positive state and vice versa. Investigating animals' responses to ambiguous cues...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Deakin, A., Browne, W. J., Hodge, J. J. L. et al. 2016. A screen peck task for investigating cognitive bias in laying hens. PLOS ONE 11(7), e0158222.

Can sleep and resting behaviours be used as indicators of welfare in shelter dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)?

Previous research on humans and animals suggests that the analysis of sleep patterns may reliably inform us about welfare status, but little research of this kind has been carried out for non-human animals in an applied context. This study explored...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Owczarczak-Garstecka, S. C., Burman, O. H. P. 2016. Can sleep and resting behaviours be used as indicators of welfare in shelter dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)? PLOS ONE 11(10), e0163620.

Diffusion modelling reveals the decision making processes underlying negative judgement bias in rats

Human decision making is modified by emotional state. Rodents exhibit similar biases during interpretation of ambiguous cues that can be altered by affective state manipulations. In this study, the impact of negative affective state on judgement bias in rats was...

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

Citation: Hales, C. A., Robinson, E. S. J., Houghton, C. J. 2016. Diffusion modelling reveals the decision making processes underlying negative judgement bias in rats. PLOS ONE 11(3), e0152592.

Animal Suffering – The Science of Animal Welfare

I wrote this book because I believe that the welfare of animals is a very important subject but one about which there is a lot of confusion and muddled thinking. I wanted to great deal write a book which straightened...

Year Published: 1980Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Dawkins, M. S. 1980. Animal Suffering - The Science of Animal Welfare. Chapman and Hall, London, UK.

Monitoring welfare and evaluating the impact of environmental manipulations in non-human primates housed under laboratory conditions

The need for a sound scientific environmental enrichment methodology is underscored.

Year Published: 1992Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Scott, L. 1992. Monitoring welfare and evaluating the impact of environmental manipulations in non-human primates housed under laboratory conditions. Congress of the International Primatological Society , 36 (Abstract).

Recent findings in chimpanzee well-being research

Some environmental enrichment options for chimpanzees are summarized.

Year Published: 1993Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Bloomsmith, M. A. 1993. Recent findings in chimpanzee well-being research . American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) Regional Conference Proceedings, 382-386.

Psychological wellness for captive chimpanzees: An evaluative program

Authors describe the "Wellness Program" of the Primate Foundation of Arizona (PFA) devoted to producing physically and behaviorally normal chimpanzees. Psychological well-being is a major focus. In this paper, the authors present protocols specific to the provision of stimulation enrichment,...

Year Published: 1993Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Fritz, J., Howell, S. M. 1993. Psychological wellness for captive chimpanzees: An evaluative program. Humane Innovations and Alternatives in Animal Experimentation 7, 426-434.