Subject: Health /Diseases

Behavior and Welfare of Undocked Heavy Pigs Raised in Buildings with Different Ventilation Systems

Marika Vitali, Enrica Santolini, Marco Bovo, Patrizia Tassinari, Daniele Torreggiani,Paolo Trevisi

Published in 2021

Scientific paper comparing the influence of two ventilation systems (natural and mechanical) on the behaviour and welfare of fattening pigs. It concludes that the mechanical system is associated with a more positive emotional state in the pigs, but that in both systems high temperatures are associated with heat stress, and that the welfare state of the animals decreases during the last phases of fattening.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Housing, Livestock buildings, Stress

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Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis of Alternative Ventilation Schemes in Cage-Free Poultry Housing

Long Chen, Eileen E. Fabian-Wheeler, John M. Cimbala, Dan Hofstetter, Paul Patterson

Published in 2021

Scientific paper presenting and testing computational fluid dynamics models under 4 different sets of ventilation conditions to simulate airflow in cage-free chicken houses. The transition to cage-free rearing calls for changes to environmental conditions to ensure the best quality of animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Livestock buildings, Living environment, Stress

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Human-Dog Relationship during the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy

Danila d'Angelo, Andrea Chirico, Luigi Sacchettino, Federica Manunta, Maurizio Martucci, Anna Cestaro, Luigi Avallone, Antonio Giordano, Francesca Ciani

Published in 2021

Scientific paper investigating the human-dog relationship during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Italy. No difference was found in the human-dog relationship during and outside the lockdown period, but owners' perceptions of the costs of dog ownership were lower during the lockdown.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

Keywords : Human-animal relationships

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Companion Animal Type and Level of Engagement Matter: A Mixed-Methods Study Examining Links between Companion Animal Guardianship, Loneliness and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Heather Clements, Stephanie Valentin, Nicholas Jenkins, Jean Rankin, Nancy R. Gee, Donna Snellgrove, Katherine A. Sloman

Published in 2021

Scientific paper reporting on work to test whether pet ownership and interactions reduced owners' loneliness and unhappiness during the Covid-19 pandemic. Counter-intuitively, although owners expressed the view that their pet had a beneficial effect on their mental well-being, the data presented by the authors do not support this impression.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canines, Felines, Fish

Keywords : Human-animal relationships

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Dairy Cows Activity under Heat Stress: A Case Study in Spain

Adrián Ramón-Moragues, Patricia Carulla, Carlos Mínguez, Arantxa Villagrá, Fernando Estellés

Published in 2021

Scientific paper on work to assess the effects of heat stress on the behaviour of dairy cows using activity sensors to record 6 different behaviours, ambient temperature and humidity. It shows that raised temperatures and a higher heat index lead to an increase in general activity, changes in feeding habits and a decrease in rumination and resting behaviours, all of which are detrimental to animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Bovines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Precision farming, Welfare indicators, Stress

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Give Them a Toy or Increase Time out of Kennel at Lawn Areas: What Is the Influence of These Interventions on Police Dogs' Welfare?

Letícia Bicudo Nogueira, Rupert Palme, Olívia Mendonça-Furtado

Published in 2021

Scientific paper showing that the provision of environmental enrichment for kenneled police dogs has a stress-reducing effect (reduced levels of cortisol metabolites in the stool) and that access to a grassed area reduces the frequency of stereotypic behaviours in dogs with strong stereotypical tendencies.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Canine

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

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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, Livestock farming system

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Lying behaviour of housed and outdoor-managed pregnant sheep

Manod Williams, Chelsea N. Davis, Dewi Llyr Jones, Emma S. Davies, Penelope Vasina, David Cutress, Michael T. Rose, Rhys Aled Jones, Hefin Wyn Williams

Published in 2021

A scientific paper investigating the mobility and lying behaviours of ewes housed indoors or reared on grass using video recordings. It shows that 1 min video samples can reliably predict ewe lying behaviours and that there are links between breeding characteristics (ewe age, single or double gestation, body condition index, lambing ease etc) and measured lying behaviours (average daily lying time, average duration of lying episodes etc).

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Ovines

Keywords:Precision farming, Housing, Modelling, Welfare indicators

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Effects of Different Housing Systems during Suckling and Rearing Period on Skin and Tail Lesions, Tail Losses and Performance of Growing and Finishing Pigs

Anita Lange, Michael Hahne, Christian Lambertz, Matthias Gauly, Michael Wendt, Heiko Janssen, Imke Traulsen

Published in 2021

Scientific paper investigating the impact of pig housing conditions on the incidence of tail lesions. It shows that keeping piglets in their farrowing pen during the lactation period significantly reduces the incidence of tail lesions and mortality in full-tailed pigs.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Pain, Housing, Stress

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The behavior of the sows: Can we predict it?

Paula Arroyo

Published in 2021

Technical article highlighting the importance of ethology in improving pig production. A better understanding of sow ethology can improve animal welfare, management, reproductive efficiency and, therefore, the profitability of the farm. The veterinarian has a new social and educational role to play in improving the welfare of sows and piglets. Staff also need to be trained in ethology, which will enable them to predict the behavioural profile of sows before the first farrowing, improve selection and reduce restraints on animal movement.

Document types: Technical Paper

Animal categories: Porcines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Lactation, Welfare indicators

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