Welfare Assessment

Where are we heading? Challenges in evidence-based severity assessment

Evidence-based severity assessment in laboratory animals is, apart from the ethical responsibility, imperative to generate reproducible, standardized and valid data. However, the path towards a valid study design determining the degree of pain, distress and suffering experienced by the animal...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Keubler, L. M., Hoppe, N., Potschka, H. et al. 2020. Where are we heading? Challenges in evidence-based severity assessment. Laboratory Animals 54(1), 50–62.

Blink rate as a measure of stress and attention in the domestic horse (Equus caballus)

Measuring animal stress is fundamentally important for assessing animal emotional state and welfare. Conventional methods of quantifying stress (cortisol levels, heart rate/heart rate variability) require specialist equipment and are not instantly available. Spontaneous blink rate (SBR) has previously been used...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Mott, R. O., Hawthorne, S. J., McBride, S. D. 2020. Blink rate as a measure of stress and attention in the domestic horse (Equus caballus). Scientific Reports 10(1), 21409.

In-person caretaker visits disrupt ongoing discomfort behavior in hospitalized equine orthopedic surgical patients

Horses have evolved to show little indication of discomfort or disability when in the presence of potential predators, including humans. This natural characteristic complicates the recognition of pain in equine patients. It has been our clinical impression that, whenever a...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Torcivia, C., McDonnell, S. 2020. In-person caretaker visits disrupt ongoing discomfort behavior in hospitalized equine orthopedic surgical patients. Animals 10(2), 210.

Tilapia on-farm welfare assessment protocol for semi-intensive production systems

The aim of this study was to develop and test a tilapia on-farm welfare assessment protocol, based on Brazilian semi-intensive production systems. The study included two mains steps: the elaboration of tilapia welfare protocol and its on-field feasibility test. The...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Euthanasia, Husbandry & Management, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Tilapia

Citation: Pedrazzani, A. S., Quintiliano, M. H., Bolfe, F. et al. 2020. Tilapia on-farm welfare assessment protocol for semi-intensive production systems. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7, 606388.

Indicators of horse welfare: State-of-the-art

Animal welfare is defined as a chronic state reflecting an individual’s subjective perception of its situation. Because it is possible to be in a good welfare state and nevertheless experience acute fear or pain, and conversely, short-term positive emotions can...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Lesimple, C. 2020. Indicators of horse welfare: State-of-the-art. Animals 10(2), 294.

Too cute to kill? The need for objective measurements of quality of life

The recognition of animal suffering is influenced by cultural and societal prejudices and the cuteness of an animal leads to bias in the way it is treated. It is important to consider the animal’s behaviour and its environment—not just its...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Wolfensohn, S. 2020. Too cute to kill? The need for objective measurements of quality of life. Animals 10(6), 1054.

Towards a fully automated surveillance of well-being status in laboratory mice using deep learning: Starting with facial expression analysis

Assessing the well-being of an animal is hindered by the limitations of efficient communication between humans and animals. Instead of direct communication, a variety of parameters are employed to evaluate the well-being of an animal. Especially in the field of...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Andresen, N., Wöllhaf, M., Hohlbaum, K. et al. 2020. Towards a fully automated surveillance of well-being status in laboratory mice using deep learning: Starting with facial expression analysis. PLOS ONE 15(4), e0228059.

A ten-stage protocol for assessing the welfare of individual non-captive wild animals: Free-roaming horses (Equus ferus caballus) as an example

Knowledge of the welfare status of wild animals is vital for informing debates about the ways in which we interact with wild animals and their habitats. Currently, there is no published information about how to scientifically assess the welfare of...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Equine

Citation: Harvey, A., Beausoleil, N., Ramp, D. et al. 2020. A ten-stage protocol for assessing the welfare of individual non-captive wild animals: Free-roaming horses (Equus ferus caballus) as an example. Animals 10(1), 148.

Undirected singing rate as a non-invasive tool for welfare monitoring in isolated male zebra finches

Research on the songbird zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) has advanced our behavioral, hormonal, neuronal, and genetic understanding of vocal learning. However, little is known about the impact of typical experimental manipulations on the welfare of these birds. Here we explore...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Finch

Citation: Yamahachi, H., Zai, A. T., Tachibana, R. O. et al. 2020. Undirected singing rate as a non-invasive tool for welfare monitoring in isolated male zebra finches. PLOS ONE 15(8), e0236333.

Development of a donkey grimace scale to recognize pain in donkeys (Equus asinus) post castration

The objectives of this study were to establish a donkey ethogram, followed by a donkey grimace scale to be applied to donkeys pre- and post-castration and to test if there was a notable difference in scores based on observer knowledge,...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Reproduction, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Orth, E. K., Navas González, F. J., Iglesias Pastrana, C. et al. 2020. Development of a donkey grimace scale to recognize pain in donkeys (Equus asinus) post castration. Animals 10(8), 1411.