Canine coprophagic behavior is influenced by coprophagic cohabitant
Coprophagia is a common canine habit, although it is aversive for human beings. Despite absence of clinical risk to animals and their owners, this behavior may lead the owners to get rid of their dogs. The lack of information and effective corrective methods make it difficult for veterinary clinicians to contribute to eradication of this […]
Interobserver agreement and sensitivity to climatic conditions in sheltered dogs’ welfare evaluation performed with welfare assessment protocol (Shelter Quality protocol)
The Shelter Quality protocol (SQP) is a concise and easily implemented tool for assessing dog welfare and to identify critical aspects of the shelter environment. A first version of the protocol has been modified to improve its performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of the measures included in the second […]
An investigation using different data gathering methods into the prevalence of behavioral problems in shelter dogs—A pilot study
Behavioral problems in shelter dogs, especially stereotypies, may be an indication of poor management practices within the shelters. To facilitate the inclusion of behavioral problems in an official standardized protocol for shelter assessment, it is necessary to identify a method to gather prevalence data. The method must be both valid and feasible in terms of […]
Assessment of welfare and brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome signs in young, breeding age French Bulldogs and Pugs, using owner questionnaire, physical examination and walk tests
Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) is a major welfare problem in short-nosed breeds, such as the French Bulldog and Pug. In addition to respiratory difficulties, exercise intolerance and impaired recovery are major signs of BOAS. To select healthier breeding animals, exercise tolerance tests, such as the 1,000-m walk test, are already used in several countries […]
The recognition of canine pain behaviours, and potentially hazardous Catch-Neuter-Return practices by animal care professionals
The assessment of animal welfare is reliant upon the application of animal- and resource-based indicators. Animal-based indicators (physical, physiological and behavioural) are considered to be more representative of an animal’s welfare state but are more difficult for an assessor to interpret. In order to build a robust composite framework for the assessment of welfare of […]
Noise in the Animal Shelter Environment: Building Design and the Effects of Daily Noise Exposure
Sound levels in animal shelters regularly exceed 100 dB. Noise is a physical stressor on animals that can lead to behavioral, physiological, and anatomical responses. There are currently no policies regulating noise levels in dog kennels. The objective of this study was to evaluate the noise levels dogs are exposed to in an animal shelter […]
Do dogs distinguish rational from irrational acts?
Range et al. (2007, Current Biology, 17, 868-872) found that dogs, Canis familiaris, copy others’ means to achieve a goal more often when those means are the rational solution to a problem than when they are irrational. In our first experiment, we added a further control condition and failed to replicate this result, suggesting that dogs […]
Assessment of animal welfare in a veterinary context–A call for ethologists
With the increasingly advanced treatments offered in veterinary medicine, the need to evaluate not only the treatment itself but also the implications of the treatment for the welfare of the animal has become more apparent. Follow-up studies are important sources of information for veterinarians concerning the potential outcome of a treatment and some of these […]
Feed intake and digestion in the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus): Consequences for dietary management
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430130410.abs Captive maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus) often consume diets high in prey and meat items even though they are omnivorous in the wild. These soft, high protein diets may exacerbate conditions of gingivitis and cystinuria in this species. Feed intakes were monitored in wolves provided with prey and meat-based diets (3 periods) and subsequently […]
How well do dingoes, Canis dingo, perform on the detour task?
The [`]detour task’ assesses spatial problem-solving abilities, requiring the subject to travel around a transparent barrier to obtain a reward. Recent studies have found that domestic dogs, Canis familiaris, generally perform poorly on this task, and fail to improve performance significantly after repeated trials or generalize problem-solving strategies when conditions are reversed. In contrast, wolves, […]