Surgical placement of implantable cardiac loop recorders in great apes
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in zoologically managed adult great apes, accounting for 29%−77% of adult deaths in the North American population depending on the species. In an effort to better understand the underlying causes of heart disease, implantable loop recorders (ILRs) have been used in some cases to monitor […]
A comparison of a manual and an automated behavioural analysis method for assessing post-operative pain in mice
Current methods of identifying and analysing behavioural signs of pain in mice are highly time consuming and labour intensive. HomeCageScan (HCS) is an automated analysis system that may offer an alternative to manual scoring. Thirty-two male mice undergoing vasectomy were filmed before and at 1h following surgery. Their behaviour was analysed by manual scoring and […]
Successful mother- and group-rearing of a newborn capuchin monkey (Cebus Capucinus) following emergency major surgery
During capture, in order to separate him from a possessive adult female and return him to his mother, a newborn male in a laboratory group of Cebus Capucinus monkeys was found to have a seriously infected compound fracture of the humerus associated with a deep and extensive slash wound. Amputation of the affected limb was […]
Hair cortisol concentrations in New Zealand white rabbits subjected to surgery
The aim of this study was to assess hair cortisol concentrations in New Zealand white rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) that were subjected to relocation and surgery to evaluate HPA-axis activity; in addition, we used this marker of cortisol secretion to evaluate the allostatic load of animals undergoing surgery. After a period of acclimatisation, which lasted 40 […]