Welfare Assessment

Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research

Expanding on the National Research Council's Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, this book deals specifically with mammals in neuroscience and behavioral research laboratories. It offers flexible guidelines for the care of these animals, and guidance on...

Year Published: 2003Topics: Regulations & Ethical Review, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Baboon, Capuchin, Cat, Chimpanzee, Chinchilla, Dog, Ferret, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Other Rodent, Owl Monkey, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: National Research Council. 2003. Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research. National Academic Press: Washington, DC, 223 pp.

The Welfare of Cats

This book covers the major issues affecting the welfare of domestic cats. It covers recent developments in our understanding of cat behaviour, considers the ways in which cat welfare is assessed, and addresses the successes and failures of the relationship...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Reproduction, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Rochlitz, I. (Ed.) 2007. The Welfare of Cats. Springer: Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 283 pp.

Alopecia scoring: the quantitative assessment of hair loss in captive macaques

Many captive animals show forms of pelage loss that are absent in wild or free-living conspecifics, which result from grooming or plucking behaviours directed at themselves or at other individuals. For instance, dorsal hair loss in primates such as rhesus...

Year Published: 2005Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Honess, P., Gimpel, J., Wolfensohn, S. et al. 2005. Alopecia scoring: the quantitative assessment of hair loss in captive macaques. ATLA (Alternatives to Laboratory Animals) 33, 193-206.

Preparing New World monkeys for laboratory research

New World monkeys represent an important but often poorly understood research resource. The relatively small size and low zoonotic risk of these animals make them appealing as research subjects in a number of areas. However, historic portrayal of many of...

Year Published: 2006Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Handling, Husbandry & Management, Relocation & Transport, Restraint, Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Marmoset, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Squirrel Monkey

Citation: Tardif, S. D., Bales, K., Williams, L. et al. 2006. Preparing New World monkeys for laboratory research. ILAR Journal 47(4), 307-315.

Stress and distress: A discussion by the Refinement and Enrichment Forum

The question was asked: "The terms 'stress' and 'distress' are often used in the scientific literature but usually without a definition. If you use these terms, how do you define them? What are the signs that tell you that an...

Year Published: 2006Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Roberts, S., Van Loo P., Schultz, P. et al. 2006. Stress and distress: A discussion by the Refinement and Enrichment Forum. Animal Technology and Welfare 5(2), 99-102.

Impaired well-being, pain and suffering

There are general signs - reduced alertness, lack of interest in food and enrichment gadgets, unusual coat condition, unusual response to human presence - and species-specific signs that tell you that an animal does not feel well. The response of...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: LAREF [Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum] 2007. Impaired well-being, pain and suffering. In: Making Lives Easier for Animals in Research Labs: Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum. Baumans, V., Coke, C., Green, J., Moreau, E., Morton, D., Patterson-Kane, E., Reinhardt, A., Reinhardt, V., Van Loo, P. (eds), 32-35. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC.

Non-invasive measurement of adrenocortical activity in male and female rats

Rats are widely used in biomedical research as animal models for human diseases. However, due to their small body size, blood sampling is complicated and invasive and thereby can seriously interfere with endocrine functions and possibly compromise the animals' welfare....

Year Published: 2007Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Lepschy, M., Touma, C., Hruby, R. et al. 2007. Non-invasive measurement of adrenocortical activity in male and female rats. Laboratory Animals 41(3), 372-387.

Tools to measure and improve animal welfare: Reward-related behaviour

This paper presents a descriptive overview of the evidence obtained thus far for the three proposed uses of reward-related behavior. First, it was shown that previous experiences influence anticipatory behaviour to rewards in rats. This natural behavioural response may serve...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Van der Harst, J. E., Spruijt, B. M. 2007. Tools to measure and improve animal welfare: Reward-related behaviour. Animal Welfare 16(S), 67-73.

Does cortisol provide an objective measure of subjective feelings? Maybe not

Although our results do not negate the use of cortisol as a welfare indicator in Lemur catta, they do highlight the myriad of behavioural and environmental factors in addition to stress that modify cortisol excretion in this species in captivity.

Year Published: 2007Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Lemur, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: McCusker, C., Elwood, R. W., Smith, T. E. 2007. Does cortisol provide an objective measure of subjective feelings? Maybe not. Animal Welfare 16(Supplement 1), 174 (Poster Abstract).

Recognition and Alleviation of Distress in Laboratory Animals

The book focuses specifically on the scientific understanding of the causes and the functions of stress and distress, the transformation of stress to distress, and the identification of principles for the recognition and alleviation of distress. This book discusses the...

Year Published: 2008Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: National Research Council. 2008. Recognition and Alleviation of Distress in Laboratory Animals. The National Academies Press: Washington, DC, 136 pp.