NWO-project on animal welfare in aquaculture Fishes should be given a face
Labrador retrievers are more attracted to water than to social stimuli: A pilot study
The Labrador retriever is a breed of domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris/Canis familiaris) of great importance to our current society. This breed was selected to be an excellent water dog and to work with fishermen. Because of its origins, the popular belief is that Labrador retrievers are “keen water lovers.” However, the extent to which […]
Should stress management be part of the clinical care provided to chronically ill dogs?
As a consequence of their physical and/or psychological effects, on-going diseases may have the potential to induce chronic stress in dogs. Chronic stress may contribute to disease progression and negatively affect welfare. By investigating whether on-going illnesses cause chronic stress in dogs and exploring the relationship between hair cortisol and potential disease-dependent and disease-independent stressors, […]
Development of automatic surveillance of animal behaviour and welfare using image analysis and machine learned segmentation technique
In this paper the feasibility to extract the proportion of pigs located in different areas of a pig pen by advanced image analysis technique is explored and discussed for possible applications. For example, pigs generally locate themselves in the wet dunging area at high ambient temperatures in order to avoid heat stress, as wetting the […]
Effect of new training technique on affinity of cynomolgus monkeys for animal care personnel
To confirm our hypothesis that the sex and age of cynomolgus monkeys influences the effect of training, we employed a new training technique designed to increase the animal’s affinity for animal care personnel. During 151 days of training, monkeys aged 2 to 10 years accepted each 3 raisins/3 times/day, and communicated with animal care personnel […]
Guidelines for the Care and Welfare of Cephalopods in Research -A consensus based on an initiative by CephRes, FELASA and the Boyd Group
This paper is the result of an international initiative and is a first attempt to develop guidelines for the care and welfare of cephalopods (i.e. nautilus, cuttlefish, squid and octopus) following the inclusion of this Class of approximate to 700 known living invertebrate species in Directive 2010/63/EU. It aims to provide information for investigators, animal […]
Coat and claws as new matrices for noninvasive long-term cortisol assessment in dogs from birth up to 30 days of age
The last stage of fetal development and the neonatal period represent the most critical phases for the mammals’ offspring. In the dog, the knowledge about the final intrauterine fetal development and biology, as well as about the neonatal physiology, remains scarce. Hormonal changes occurring in the last intrauterine fetal phase and during the early neonatal […]
Assessment of behavior and physical condition of shelter cats as animal-based indicators of welfare
Surveillance of cat shelters by official veterinarians in Austria is based on legal requirements and does not directly assess cat welfare. The aim of this study was to develop animal-based parameters that are feasible to measure in a surveillance setting, stable over time, and reproducible by different raters. We assessed physical condition (body condition, eye […]
What do veterinarians mean by animal welfare? Evidence of an empirical study
The issue of animal welfare in intensive livestock production systems has been subjected to increasing attention from the wider public. Representatives from politics, media and the public discuss about the improvement of animal welfare standards. The opinion of veterinarians is perceived with little attention. As a result, there is little information about veterinarians’ attitudes towards […]
Animal welfare in the sow barn
Animal welfare in livestock production systems has become more and more important. But how do you measure animal welfare? Simple standards are not sufficient, multidimensional evaluation systems are needed. In this article, different valuation methods are presented and compared in terms of their validity and practicality