Subject: Health /Diseases

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

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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

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The importance of considering age when quantifying wild animals' welfare

Luke Hecht

Published in 2021

A scientific review of work on age-related welfare levels in wild animals, which proposes a  new conceptual framework based on welfare expectancy. This quantifies the welfare of a population of wild animals using individual data on average welfare as a function of age.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Wildlife

Keywords: Modelling, Human-animal relationships,Welfare indicators

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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

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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, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships, Pain, Stress

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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, Livestock farming system

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Impact of Estrogens Present in Environment on Health and Welfare of Animals

Konrad Wojnarowski, Paweł Podobiński, Paulina Cholewińska, Jakub Smoliński, Karolina Dorobisz

Published in 2021

Scientific review of the harmful effects of oestrogens on animal health and welfare (feminisation, reproductive disorders, physiological disturbances, disruption of programmed cell death, development of tumours). It concludes that there is a lack of scientific data on animals as compared to humans.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Mammals

Keywords:Environment, Livestock farming system

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European Parliament: Written answer to Question E-002824/2021: Animal welfare

Question: Chris MacManus (The Left). Answer: Mr Wojciechowski on behalf of the European Commission

Published in 2021

Answer to a question on how the European Commission would respond to the introduction of a subsidy for sheep shearing in Ireland, given that Irish farmers are choosing not to shear because it is not economically viable, despite the fact that shearing is necessary for animal welfare.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Ovines

Keywords:Societal issues, Living environment, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Livestock farming system

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Addressing the welfare needs of farmed lumpfish: Knowledge gaps, challenges and solutions

Carlos Garcia de Leaniz, Carolina Gutierrez Rabadan, Sara I. Barrento, Rebecca Stringwell, Paul N. Howes, Ben A. Whittaker, Jessica F. Minett, Robert G. Smith, Craig L. Pooley, Ben J. Overland, Leigh Biddiscombe, Richard Lloyd, Sofia Consuegra, Jake K. Maddocks, Paul T. J. Deacon, Ben T. Jennings, Sonia Rey Planellas, Amanda Deakin, Amber I. Moore, Daniel. Phillips, Guillermo Bardera, Maria F. Castanheira, Maria Scolamacchia, Nancy Clarke, Ollie Parker, John Avizienius, Malcolm Johnstone, Michalis Pavlidis

Published in 2021

A scientific paper to identify the challenges and solutions involved in improving  lumpfish welfare in salmon farming using a Delphi method with stakeholders in the fish-farming sector. Respondents identified 5 behavioural and 12 physical indicators that were useful. However, lumpfish and salmon have very different behavioural and physiological needs, so the welfare standards of one species are not appropriate for the other.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Fish

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Consciousness, Pain, Welfare indicators, Living environment, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Livestock farming system

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Leg health of meat chickens: impact on welfare, consumer behaviour, and the role of environmental enrichment

V. Phibbs, P. J. Groves, W. I. Muir

Published in 2021

A scientific review of animal welfare and consumer attitudes to broiler welfare. Leg disorders, techniques for assessing leg health, and possibilities for enriching the birds' environment to improve their mobility and leg health are described.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Pain, Enrichment, Welfare indicators

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