Document type : Scientific article

Observational study: effect of varying transport durations and feed withdrawal on the physiological status and health of dairy calves

van Dijk, Luca L., Siegmann, Susanne, Field, Niamh L., Sugrue, Katie, van Reenen, Cornelis G., Bokkers, Eddie A. M., Conneely, Muireann, Sayers, Gearoid

Published in 2025

Study evaluating the impact of transport and fasting on the physiology and health of unweaned calves. The results show that the physiological alterations observed on arrival were more closely related to the duration of feed deprivation than to that of transport, although muscle fatigue was more marked in calves that had travelled the longest.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal-based measurement, Transport

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Horses are worthy of care: Horse sector participants' attitudes towards animal sentience, welfare, and well-being

Julie M Fiedler, Margaret L Ayre, Sarah Rosanowski, Josh D Slater

Published in 2025

Analysis of surveys carried out among professionals in the equestrian sector, revealing widespread recognition of equine sentience (99.9% of respondents). Two themes emerge: sentience is a pathway to understanding the mental state, welfare and well-being of horses, and humans have a moral obligation to consider it.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Animal mediation, Consciousness, Education, Human-animal relationship, Indicator of well-being,Working animals

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Assessing the impact of a human behaviour change intervention to reduce owner-related barriers to interactive cat play

Mikel Delgado, Ellen Marcinkiewicz, Paul Rhodes, Sarah LH Ellis

Published in 2025

Surveys conducted before and after a digital educational campaign to encourage cat owners to play more often with their pets with a wand toy by removing or reducing several of the barriers identified in the COM-B model (capability, opportunity and motivation). Following the campaign, 35.3% of participants increased the frequency of play, and capability and motivational barriers were reduced, leading to a reduction in behavioral problems in their cats.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Felines

Keywords:Education, Enrichment, Human-animal relationship

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Soundboard-trained dogs produce non-accidental, non-random and non-imitative two-button combinations

Bastos, A.P.M., Houghton, Z.N., Naranjo, L., Rossano, F.

Published in 2024

Study suggesting that dogs' use of sound boards to produce words or phrases is neither random nor simply imitated, but could be intentional. Certain combinations of two-button concepts appear more frequently than chance, indicating possible communication by the dog via symbols.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

Keywords: Learning, Training, Cognitive processes, Human-animal relationships

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Lighting quality evaluation on growth performance and feather pecking behavior of broilers

Chenghao Pan, Rong Xiang, Jinming Pan

Published in 2025

Study examining the effect of light color on the pecking behavior and growth of Youhuang broilers. Although light did not influence growth, the cold white light group showed more severe plumage damage and lower serotonin levels than the warm white or red light groups. Warm white light is recommended, as it is more user-friendly and limits pecking.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Key words:Adaptation of environment to animal, Aggression, Aggressiveness, Animal-based measurement, Animal housing, Enrichment, Welfare indicator, Behavioral disorders

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Computational investigation of the social function of domestic cat facial signals

George Martvel, Lauren Scott, Brittany Florkiewicz, Anna Zamansky, Ilan Shimshoni & Teddy Lazebnik

Published in 2024

Study using CatFACS manual coding and facial cues automatically detected by AI to classify affiliative and non-affiliative interactions in cats. It shows that rapid facial mimicry is more frequent in affiliative contexts, particularly in ear movements. These results open up new perspectives on the analysis of facial signals and cat emotions using AI.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Felines

Keywords:Animal-based measurement, Socialization

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Effects of space allowance on behaviour during lairage, stress physiology, skin lesion scores, and meat quality of market pigs transported in an actively ventilated vehicle in the winter

Vanessa Pasquale, Luigi Faucitano, Nicolas Devillers, Sabine Conte, Renée Bergeron

Published in 2024

Study evaluating the impact of winter transport on pig pwelfare and meat quality. The results show that the location of pigs in the vehicle (upper vs. lower deck) has a greater effect than the space available, influencing their behavior, meat quality and certain blood parameters. Pigs transported in the upper deck are exposed to colder temperatures, affecting muscle brightness and behavior.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Animal-based measurement, Carcass quality, Stress, Transport, Behavioural disorders

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The carbon cost of impaired welfare on sheep farms

L. Lanzoni, M.C. Reeves, K. Waxenberg, R. Ramsey, A.S. Atzori, J. Bell, R.M. Rees, G. Vignola, C.M. Dwyer

Published in 2025

Study analyzing the impact of animal welfare on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on sheep farms in the UK. Degraded welfare scenarios (lameness, parasites, inadequate feed, insufficient shelter) increase emissions intensity (kg CO2eq/kg liveweight) by reducing production efficiency. The results show that targeted interventions to improve animal welfare can reduce GHGs while optimizing farm performance.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Ovines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Societal issues, Environment, Living environment, livestock farming system

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Impact of musical rhythm on blood, physiological and welfare parameters in stabled horses

Fernanda Yumi Ueno de Oliveira, Agnês Markiy Odakura, Maria Fernanda de Castro Burbarelli, Caio César dos Ouros, Ibiara Correia de Lima Almeida Paz, Jaqueline Murbach Braz, Rodrigo Garófallo Garcia & Fabiana Ribeiro Caldara

Published in 2024

Study evaluating the effect of two styles of classical music (slow and moderate tempo) on the well-being of horses during social isolation. Both music styles increased serotonin levels, but the moderate tempo music also influenced certain blood parameters, such as calcium and hemoglobin. These results show that music can contribute to the well-being of horses in the stable.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Animal-based measurement,Animal environment adaptation, Enrichment, Housing, Animal mediation, Working animals, Stress, Welfare indicator, Working animals

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Évaluation du bien-être des chevaux sur le terrain : protocoles disponibles, conditions et limites d’utilisation

BRIANT, C., RIOU, M., & RUET, A.

Published in 2024

Article on the three main equine welfare assessment protocols - SEBWAT, AWIN Horse and Cheval Bien-être (most recent and in French). The last includes equine welfare indicators of negative mental states, but could be further improved by including indicators of positive mental states.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurement, Working animals, Welfare indicator, Animal mediation

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