Animal category: Equines

Clinical insights: Recent advances in donkey medicine and welfare

Karen Rickards, Ramiro E. Toribio

Published in 2021

Editorial of a special issue of the Equine Veterinary Journal devoted to donkey health and welfare. It looks at pharmacology, diagnosis, disease prevalence and management practices for donkeys.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Welfare indicators, Breeding and rearing systems

Go to document

Horses' physiological and behavioural responses during undergraduate veterinary practical teaching classes

Lauréline Guinnefollau, Charlotte F. Bolwell, Erica K. Gee, Elizabeth J. Norman, Chris W. Rogers

Published in 2021

Scientific paper investigating the stress responses of horses used in veterinary teaching practice. The indicators measured included heart rate and behavioural indicators suggestive of stress. Limited physiological and behavioural stress responses were observed, suggesting that the horses in question might become accustomed to being handled and being in a teaching environment.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Living environment, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Welfare indicators

Go to document

Influence of workload and weather conditions on rolling behaviour of horses and mules

Marina P.F. Luz, Caroline M. Maia, Heraldo César Gonçalvez, José Nicolau P. Puoli Filho

Published in 2021

Scientific paper highlighting that horses roll more frequently after strenuous exercise or bathing, regardless of weather conditions, whereas mules roll more often after strenuous exercise on hot, humid days or after bathing on cold, dry days. It concludes that rolling is an important and frequent behaviour in domesticated equids that should be allowed to be expressed freely on the farm.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Welfare indicators

Go to document

Towards Machine Recognition of Facial Expressions of Pain in Horses

Pia Haubro Andersen, Sofia Broomé, Maheen Rashid, Johan Lundblad, Katrina Ask, Zhenghong Li, Elin Hernlund, Marie Rhodin, Hedvig Kjellström

Published in 2021

Scientific review describing two promising systems for the automatic recognition of facial expressions of pain in horses. The first is based on a manual classification system that involves machine learning. The second is based on recurrent neural network learning.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Pain, Precision farming, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships

Go to document

Validation of the Donkey Pain Scale (DOPS) for Assessing Postoperative Pain in Donkeys

Maria Gláucia Carlos de Oliveira, Valéria Veras de Paula, Andressa Nunes Mouta, Isabelle de Oliveira Lima, Luã Barbalho de Macêdo, Talyta Lins Nunes, Pedro Henrique Esteves Trindade, Stelio Pacca Loureiro Luna

Published in 2021

Scientific article proposing and testing a scale for acute pain in donkeys during castration. The proposed scale is both reliable and valid.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Pain, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Welfare indicators

Go to document

Effect of transportation and social isolation on facial expressions of healthy horses

Johan Lundblad, Maheen Rashid, Marie Rhodin, Pia Haubro Andersen

Published in 2021

Scientific paper describing the facial expressions of healthy, pain-free horses before and during transport and social isolation, both of which are potentially stressful management procedures. The following facial features were observed in both cases: increased eye white, dilated nostrils, elevated upper eyelid, elevated inner forehead, exposed tongue, increased ear movements and blinking frequency. Some of these stress markers are already used as indicators of pain.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Pain, Welfare indicators, Stress, Transport

Go to document

Automatic Pain Detection on Horse and Donkey Faces

Hilde I. Hummel, Francisca Pessanha, Albert Ali Salah, Thijs J. P.A.M. van Loon, Remco C. Veltkamp

Published in 2021

Summary of a presentation at a conference on the use of automatic facial recognition to develop an automatic pain prediction system for horses, based on grimace scales.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Anxiety, Precision farming, Human-animal relationships, Pain, Stress

Go to document

Behavioral Biology of Horses

Janne Winther Christensen

Published in 2021

Scientific overview chapter dealing with the behaviour of horses, covering human-horse relationships, especially during dressage and training, social behaviour, effects of environmental restrictions and cognitive abilities

Document Types: Scientific work

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Learning, Brain integration, Cognitive processes, Human-animal relationships

Go to document

A preliminary study of the effects of the number of consecutive days of training and days off on foal recall

Jaymie Loy, Leigh Wills, Sally King, Kirsty Jenkins, Sarah Ellis, Hayley Randle

Published in 2021

A scientific paper on experimental work to determine how the incorporation of rest days during initial preparation influences foal learning outcomes. The results support the inclusion of a rest day during the first four days of initial training programmes, to reduce the occurrence and development of undesirable behaviours such as biting.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Learning, Brain integration, Cognitive processes, Human-animal relationships

Go to document

A review of laminitis in the donkey

A. K. Thiemann, J. Buil, K. Rickards, R. J. Sullivan

Published in 2021

Scientific review of issues that affect the treatment and management of laminitis in donkeys compared to horses, highlighting the differences in use, behaviour and anatomy that call for a different approach.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Pain, Stress, Breeding and rearing

Go to document