Expansion of the meat inspection process to incorporate animal-based welfare measurements could contribute towards significant improvements in pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) welfare and farm profitability. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of different welfare-related lesions on the carcase and their relationship with carcase condemnations (CC) and carcase weight (CW). The financial implications of losses associated with CC and CW reductions related to the welfare lesions were also estimated. Data on tail lesions, loin bruising and bursitis, CW and condemnation/trimming outcome (and associated weights) were collected for 3,537 slaughter pigs (mean [± SEM] carcase weight: 79.2 [± 8.82] kg). Overall, 72.5% of pigs had detectable tail lesions, whilst 16.0 and 44.0% were affected by severe loin bruising and hind limb bursitis, respectively. There were 2.5% of study carcases condemned and a further 3.3% were trimmed. The primary cause of CC was abscessation. While tail lesion severity did not increase the risk of abscessation, it was significantly associated with CC. Male pigs had a higher risk of tail lesions and of CC. The financial loss to producers associated with CC and trimmings was estimated at €1.10 per study pig. CW was reduced by up to 12 kg in cases of severe tail lesions. However, even mild lesions were associated with a significant reduction in CW of 1.2 kg. The value of the loss in potential CW associated with tail lesions was €0.59 per study pig. Combined with losses attributable to CC and trimmings this represented a loss of 43% of the profit margin per pig, at the time of the study, attributable to tail biting. These findings illustrate the magnitude of the impact of tail biting on pig welfare and on profitability of the pig industry. They also emphasise the potential contribution that the inclusion of welfare parameters at meat inspection could make to pig producers in informing herd health and welfare management plans.

Animal shelters rescue and care for society's unwanted companion animals. Nonetheless, several studies have shown that ending up in a shelter can be stressful, and that shelter husbandry can amplify and spread certain diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate and describe husbandry policy, practices and routines as well as occurrence and prevention of diseases in Swedish cat shelters. A survey was sent to 64 potential shelters of which 39 (61%) responded. Thirty-two shelters (82%) housed cats (Felis silvestris catus) in groups; one shelter provided only solitary housing. Thirty-one shelters provided single, pair and group housing. The most common group size was 3-5 cats (59%). Ninety-two percent of responding shelters had routines and/or protocol(s) for the management of the cats, 35 had healthcare routines and 30 shelters had routines for the admission of cats. All shelters with the exception of one had quarantine, and 22 shelters (58%) vaccinated cats prior to admittance. There was a significant positive correlation between shelter size and number of reported diseases. The most common reported disease was cat ‘flu/cold, although altogether, shelters reported a low occurrence of disease. Practices differ between shelters relating to management, eg use of quarantine and vaccination routines. In Sweden, group housing is common and shelters provide cats with plenty of resources, eg hides and climbing structures, often providing outdoor access and a more ‘home-like’ environment. The possibility that providing a more ‘enriched home-like’ environment can help cats cope with the shelter environment is discussed, thereby decreasing the occurrence and transmission of infectious diseases.

Pododermatitis is a worldwide health and animal welfare problem in captive flamingos (Phoenicopteridae). Since sub-optimal substrate or flooring has been described as a factor in the development of pododermatitis in poultry and raptors, it is also suspected to play a role in flamingo foot health. Small groups of flamingos were separated from the main group in an indoor enclosure with artificial grass carpet and, in earlier years, concrete flooring, with additional fine granular sand in the water basin for the study year. Feet were evaluated before and after the separation. Judged subjectively, foot lesions had shown a general increase in the indoor enclosure in earlier years. In contrast, lesion severity and prevalence, scored in accordance with a standardised protocol, decreased when fine granular sand was provided. Since flamingos were observed mostly standing on sand and as this represented the major differentiating factor between years, it is concluded that fine granular sand is a favourable substrate to maintain, and one that may even lead to an improvement in flamingo foot health.

To determine whether lame broilers are in pain it is necessary to compare measures of lameness and mobility before and after analgesic treatment. Such measures should not be unduly affected by other bird characteristics. This study assessed the performance of lame (gait score, GS 3-4) and non-lame (GS 0-1) broilers using two mobility tests: (i) a novel test to assess broiler ability to access resources when housed in groups (Group Obstacle test); and (ii) a Latency-to-Lie (LTL) test. Outcome test measures included number of obstacle crossings, latency to cross an obstacle, and time taken to sit in shallow water. Associations between outcome test measures and other bird characteristics (established lameness risk-factors), including strain, sex, age, mass, contact dermatitis and pathology, were also investigated. The performance of high-GS and low-GS broilers differed in both mobility tests and no other bird characteristics were as consistent a predictor as lameness. This demonstrates that mobility impairments are closely related to lameness assessed using GS, and that there is a component of lameness that cannot be explained by other bird characteristics (eg being male and heavy). This component may represent pain or discomfort. Both mobility tests are suitable for further application with analgesic testing to classify lameness-associated pain in broilers.

Increased on-farm cow mortality (ie unassisted death and euthanasia) has been demonstrated in Swedish dairy herds during the last decade. Identifying risk factors associated with type of death is needed for future work in reducing cow mortality rates. The objectives of this case-control study were to quantify the relative proportion of unassisted dead cows among cows that die on-farm, and to identify risk factors associated with unassisted death (as opposed to euthanasia). In Sweden, cadavers and animal waste products are being processed into biofuel at destruction plants. Two destruction plants were visited three times in 2011-2012. All dairy cows (n = 556) entering the plants were examined. Farmers that had sent the cows were contacted by telephone to verify type of death. Of the 433 dairy cows included in the analysis, 30% had died unassisted. A stillbirth rate above or equal to the median in the study material (7%) increased the risk for unassisted death. The proportion of unassisted dead cows was lower than that found in other countries. The results indicate that it might be possible to study euthanasia and unassisted death as one group in Swedish dairy cows, because only one factor differentiating between the two types of death was identified. However, unidentified risk factors may still differ and, possibly more importantly, welfare implications may also differ between the two types of death which implies the need to separate them in future studies.

The integration of outcome-based measurements to animal welfare assessment programmes can provide a new perspective on the individual animal's experience. Identifying variability in individual experiences can facilitate understanding of animals at the periphery of the welfare spectrum, compared to those at the average. Welfare Quality® physical measurements and behavioural observations were taken from the same fifteen non-cage laying hens throughout their production cycle. The average amount of time performing each of nine behaviours and the amount of variation in each behaviour's performance was compared at four different ages: 19, 28, 48 and 66 weeks. The same analysis was performed for all Welfare Quality® physical measurements. To identify associations between a hen's behaviour and her physical condition, a cluster analysis was performed for all ages, as well as on data collated from all ages. No differences were observed among the four ages for the average amount of time performing many of the behaviours, but the amount of variability differed for most behaviours observed. Physical measurements taken at 19 weeks differed from those taken at later ages. Bodyweight consistently clustered with time spent preening, yet the patterns of clustering differed at each age. These results highlight the importance of age when conducting welfare assessments. Auditors also should report not only the average, but the variability of responses; while the average response of the flock may appear consistent across time or treatment, differences among the hens within the same flock may vary drastically.

Promotion of positive experiences in companion animals is essential for maximising good welfare. However, the dearth of published literature on the experience and expression of positive emotional states in companion dogs suggests they are less well understood than negative emotions. Owner knowledge can provide a basis for generating hypotheses for experimental research, and can inform education initiatives. An online survey of 445 dog (Canis familiaris) owners in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland was used to identify key contexts and behaviours perceived by owners to be associated with positive emotions for companion dogs, and to examine factors which influence owner reports of key behaviours. The contexts most commonly associated with positive high arousal (PHA; ‘happy and excited’) were anticipation of walks or food and with positive low arousal (PLA; ‘happy and relaxed’) were resting and gentle stroking. Respondents’ behavioural profile for canine PHA involved barking, head held high, wide open and ‘bright’ eyes, ears pricked, tail wagging, mouth open, and active, playful behaviour. For PLA, respondents collectively described their dogs as silent, head resting, eyes closed or slightly closed, ears ‘down’, mouth closed and a calm/relaxed activity level. Notably, PLA states were described in less detail than PHA, suggesting the former may be less well understood or difficult to interpret. Dog breed and age, and owner experience and level of attachment to their pet significantly influenced respondents’ likelihood to report certain behavioural indicators, and may influence assessments of pet behaviour and underlying emotion. Further work is required to determine the validity of the behavioural expression and contexts perceived to be associated with positive experiences in dogs.

This study aimed to estimate the value of the typical Australian herding dog in terms of predicted return on investment. This required an assessment of the costs associated with owning herding dogs and estimation of the work they typically perform. Data on a total of 4,027 dogs were acquired through The Farm Dog Survey which gathered information from 812 herding dog owners around Australia. The median cost involved in owning a herding dog was estimated to be a total of AU$7,763 over the period of its working life. The work performed by the dog throughout this time was estimated to have a median value of AU$40,000. So, herding dogs typically provided their owners with a 5.2-fold return on investment. When respondents were asked to nominate the maximal, one-off, veterinary expenditure they would consider to remedy an illness or injury for an especially valued dog, the median response was AU$1,001-2,000 which is not concordant with the dogs’ calculated median lifetime value. The current findings equip working dog owners with useful information to make financially appropriate expenditure decisions related to their working dogs. This is expected to increase farm profitability and improve welfare for farm dogs.

Many horses display unwanted behaviour prior to receiving concentrate feed or forage. These behaviours have received relatively little scientific attention as a distinct group of equine behaviour problems and risk factors for their performance have not been quantified. The objective of this study was to generate data on the diet of UK leisure horses, the feeding practices employed by their carers, and the prevalence of behaviour problems seen prior to feeding. A convenience sample of leisure horse carers were surveyed via a self-administered internet survey. Each carer provided data for only one horse, and to minimise recall bias was asked to report details of their horse's feeding routine over the week prior to completing the survey. Recruitment was spread over twelve calendar months. The survey was completed by 1,324 respondents, each reporting data for an individual horse in their care. Pre-feeding behaviour problems were common within the sample and were reduced by Principal Components Analysis into three components labelled: aggression; frustration; and stereotypies. While the specific risk factors associated with these problems differed, they fell into four distinct themes: how the horse is fed; the use of nutritional supplements; exercise and stabling; and the performance of oral investigative behaviour. The risk factors for pre-feeding behaviour problems identified in this study raise concerns about the way domestic horses are currently fed and managed. In conjunction with published empirical evidence they indicate that the welfare of domestic horses may be improved by adopting a feeding regime and management system more suited to their physiological and behavioural needs.

The aim of this study was, firstly, to investigate the connection between on-farm assessed welfare scores and production parameters for sows, and secondly, to examine how farmers perceive the connection between their disposition, animal welfare and productivity. We assessed environmental and management preconditions on animal welfare and interviewed farmers on 30 Finnish farms. We studied the relationship between welfare and production using correlation and regression analyses. The theory of planned behaviour served as an articulation of farmer disposition when studying farmer perceptions. Concerning the production data, better welfare scores from the ‘health and stockmanship’ category during lactation were correlated with shorter reproduction cycle and fewer stillborn piglets and it also explained some of the variation in the number of piglets per year and the length of the farrowing interval. The farmers agreed that the productivity parameters and the principles of assessing welfare used in this study were relevant. A majority of farmers considered that animal welfare affects productivity and that there are associations between farmer attitudes, animal welfare and productivity. There were no statistical relationships between farmer perceptions and animal welfare; yet on the farms of farmers with positive perceptions of attitudes to animal welfare and productivity there were slightly lower piglet mortality rates and lower stillbirth rates than on the farms with farmers holding less positive views. We conclude that actions to improve animal welfare also have an economic impact as they enhance sow production. Good stockmanship and healthier animals result in more piglets born and a shorter reproduction cycle.

Animal hoarding is considered to be an under-reported problem, which affects the welfare of both people and animals. Few published studies on animal hoarding are available in the scientific literature, particularly outside North America. The present study was designed to obtain data on animal hoarding in Spain, with a particular focus on animal welfare issues. Data were obtained retrospectively from 24 case reports of animal hoarding involving a total of 1,218 dogs and cats and 27 hoarders. All cases were the result of legal intervention by a Spanish humane society during the period from 2002 to 2011. Hoarders could be characterised as elderly, socially isolated men and women who tended to hoard only one species (dog or cat). Most cases presented a chronic course of more than five years of animal hoarding. The average number of animals per case was 50, with most animals being dogs. In 75% of cases the animals showed indications of poor welfare, including poor body condition, and the presence of wounds, parasitic and infectious illnesses. Amongst the hoarded animals aggression and social fear were the most commonly reported behaviours. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report on animal hoarding in Spain and one of the first in Europe. Further studies are needed to fully elucidate the epidemiology, cross-cultural differences and aetiology of this under-recognised public health and welfare problem. More research might help to find efficient protocols to assist in the resolution and prevention of this kind of problem.

This paper investigates public attitudes towards emotional experiences in animals. We surveyed 1,000 members of the public to investigate how companion animal ownership affects the attribution of emotions to animals and beliefs about whether animals can grieve. Respondents who owned a companion animal were more likely to believe that some animals can experience grief compared with respondents that did not own a companion animal. The non-owning respondents were more likely to believe that animals do not experience emotions including: anxiety, distress or depression, do not show behavioural changes when they are experiencing grief and do not grieve as a result of separation from a conspecific. Our findings show that companion animal ownership plays a significant role in the public perception of the emotional experiences of animals and belief in the animals’ ability to grieve.

There are very few abattoirs in North America that process ostriches (Struthio camelus) which means producers are forced to transport their birds over long distances (> 500 km) for processing. The objectives of this research were to investigate the effects of pre-transport nutrient supplementation and transport duration on ostrich bodyweight and blood biochemistry. A total of 45 ostriches were used in three transport trials with driving durations of 30 min (n = 10), 7 h (n = 11) and 18 h (n = 24). Birds were weighed and blood sampled (10 ml) before and after transport. There were two treatment groups in each trial: control (n = 22) and nutrient-supplemented (n = 23). Prior to transport, each bird in the nutrient-supplement group was tube-fed 1 L of liquid nutrient supplement (containing water, dextrose, protein, and electrolytes), and control birds were each tube-fed 1 L of water. The results of our study showed that birds which were shipped for 18 h lost the most bodyweight while birds transported for 7 h lost more weight than those transported for 30 min. Birds which were transported for a longer time also had higher post-transport concentrations of plasma glucose, creatine phosphokinase, aspartate aminotransferase, total protein and uric acid. Male birds which received nutrient supplement lost less weight compared to the male control birds. We concluded that under the present shipping conditions, long distance transportation is detrimental to ostrich welfare with significant loss to producers due to mortalities and shrinkage. Our results also indicated that the use of pre-transport nutrient supplementation can partially alleviate the effect of the transportation stress.

In Sweden, laying hens are killed using the following methods: i) traditional slaughter; ii) on-farm with CO2 in a mobile container combined with a grinder; or iii) with CO2 inside the barn. The number of hens killed using the latter method has increased. During these killings a veterinarian is required to be present and report to the Swedish Board of Agriculture. Data were registered during four commercial killings and extracted from all official veterinary reports at CO2 whole-house killings in 2008-2010. On-farm monitoring showed that temperature decreased greatly and with high variability. The time until birds became unconscious after coming into contact with the gas, based on time until loss of balance, was 3-5 min. Veterinary reports show that 1.5 million laying hens were killed, in 150 separate instances. The most common non-compliance with legislation was failure to notify the regional animal welfare authorities prior to the killings. Six out of 150 killings were defined as animal welfare failures, eg delivery of insufficient CO2 or failure to seal buildings to achieve adequate gas concentration. Eleven were either potentially or completely unacceptable from the perspective of animal welfare. We conclude that, on the whole, the CO2 whole-house gas killing of spent hens was carried out in accordance with the appropriate legislation. Death was achieved reliably. However, there remain several risks to animal welfare and increased knowledge would appear vital in order to limit mistakes related to miscalculations of house volume, improper sealing or premature ventilation turn-off.

Welfare assessment protocols using primarily animal-based measures are believed to give valid information about the welfare of animals. However, they tend to be time consuming and therefore costly, thus in practice there is often considerable reluctance to use them. In the present study, the relatively quick to use, simple but non-validated welfare assessment protocol for dairy cattle developed by the Danish Cattle Federation and the validated comprehensive Welfare Quality® protocol were compared in Danish conditions. In total, 44 Danish dairy herds were evaluated using the two protocols. The protocols were correlated on four sub-levels (corresponding to the ‘Principles’ in the Welfare Quality® protocol) and on the Overall welfare score. They correlated significantly with regard to the Principles ‘Good health’ and ‘Appropriate behaviour’. Significant correlations were not found for ‘Good feeding’, ‘Good housing’, and the Overall score. On the basis of this we changed the Danish Cattle Federation protocol by introducing six new measures, changing three measuring procedures and omitting two measures. This extended protocol was found to correlate significantly with the Welfare Quality® protocol in all four Principles and on the Overall score. The extended protocol still has the advantage of the original Danish Cattle Federation protocol whereby under Danish field conditions it will take only 2 h to apply as opposed to 7-8 h for the Welfare Quality® protocol. We believe that the extended protocol balances, in a good way, the demands of practicability against its value as a diagnostic test.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of chamber stocking rate on facets of animal welfare and efficacy during gas euthanasia of young pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus). Crossbred pigs (390 neonatal and 270 weaned) designated for euthanasia at production farms were randomly assigned to group sizes of one, two, four, or six pigs. Gas euthanasia of each piglet group was performed in a Euthanex® AgPro chamber. The chamber air was gradually displaced with CO2 gas over 5 min to establish an in-chamber concentration of approximately 80% CO2. Pigs remained in that atmosphere for an additional dwell period of at least 5 min. Higher stocking rates were associated with higher CO2 concentrations after gradual fill for both age groups. While there was no evidence of an effect of stocking rate on latencies to loss of posture or last movement in neonatal pigs, there was evidence of an effect on all measured efficacy variables in weaned pigs, with grouped pigs faster to succumb than solitary pigs. This finding is consistent with expected consequences of higher CO2 concentration at increased stocking densities. Aversive states and behaviours of focal pigs in the chamber were scored from video. Weaned solitary pigs displayed a high incidence of pacing and may have experienced isolation distress. Escape attempts were absent in neonates and not linearly affected by stocking rate in weaned pigs. Although the risk of hazardous interactions was correlated with group size, this study provided no evidence that isolation during gas euthanasia would benefit animal welfare.

This paper presents an account of a Welfare Quality® assessment of 92 dairy farms carried out by seven experienced assessors. The aim was to evaluate the potential of the Welfare Quality® assessment protocol with respect to its uptake by UK farm assurance schemes. Data collection, and measure aggregation were performed according to the Welfare Quality® protocol for dairy cows. This study examined the data itself, by the testing of how hypothetical interventions might be reflected in changes in the aggregated scores, and also investigated human-related aspects, through inter-assessor standardisation sessions to evaluate reliability, and an assessor focus group to collect feedback. Overall, three main ‘challenges’ were identified. The first challenge related to the large amount of missing data. Unexpectedly, this was such that it was only possible to calculate an overall classification for 7% of farms. The second challenge concerned the way in which aggregated scores did not always reflect hypothetical interventions. The final challenge was inter-assessor reliability, where not all assessors were found to achieve acceptable levels of agreement on a number of outcome measures by the third training session. Suggestions for managing these challenges included, follow-up to assessor training, the use of multiple imputation methods to fill in missing data, and, where applicable, not aggregating the scores. The conclusion of the study was that the protocol provided useful information from which to make an informed selection of measures, but that the challenges, combined with the lengthy assessment time, were too great for its use as a certification tool.

The adaptability of horses and donkeys to different types of activity has seen the European equine industry become an important economic sector, giving rise to increasing concern regarding equine welfare. As part of the AWIN (Animal Welfare Indicators) project, this review focuses on scientific literature to find potential animal-based welfare indicators — the initial step in developing a valid, reliable and feasible on-farm welfare assessment protocol for equines. Forty-nine indicators were considered and classified in accordance with the four Principles and twelve Criteria developed by Welfare Quality®. Only practical indicators specifically for on-farm use were included, those requiring the use of specific instruments or laboratory analysis were excluded. Academic scientists, partners and collaborators of the AWIN project, discussed and agreed on validity, reliability, on-farm feasibility and acceptance by farmers for each indicator. Some aspects of equine welfare have been thoroughly investigated and appear to have indicators ready for on-farm use (eg ‘absence of prolonged hunger’, ‘absence of injuries and diseases’). On the other hand, a lack of animal-based measures were identified for other Criteria such as ‘absence of pain’ and ‘positive emotional state’. Ongoing research within the AWIN project has begun exploring some of the aforementioned Criteria — these preliminary results of promising indicators have been included (eg Horse Grimace Scale and Qualitative Behaviour Assessment). Further research should address the validity and reliability of indicators, such as human-animal relationship tests and signs of cold stress. As well as for working equines, the development and application of a welfare assessment protocol could be the first step for enhancing on-farm equine welfare.

The field of study of university students may influence their attitudes towards animals, which in turn may influence their behaviour. Attitudes to animals in university students in eleven countries were obtained by survey, and the influence of field of study was evaluated after correcting for other influential factors. Students of agriculture were most accepting of killing animals, unnatural practices on animals, animal experimentation and animal rights issues, whereas humanities and arts students were less accepting of unnatural practices on animals and animal experimentation than students of other disciplines. Nevertheless, agriculture students had one of the highest proportions involved in animal protection organisations. It is suggested that regular contact with animals inures agriculture students to animal issues, whereas students in the humanities and arts, that have less contact with farm animals, have greater concern.

Lameness in breeding swine can cause severe pain leading to on-farm welfare issues and significant economic impacts. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs including meloxicam and flunixin meglumine are commonly used in veterinary medicine for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Pressure algometry and thermal sensitivity tests are non-invasive methods to quantify pain sensitivity using nociceptive thresholds to provoke withdrawal responses on lame and sound legs. The objective of this work was to determine the effects of these drugs on nociceptive thresholds in sows induced lame using pressure algometry and thermal sensitivity tests. Lameness was induced in 24 mature, mixed-parity sows using a chemical synovitis model and three treatments were compared: meloxicam (1.0 mg kg−1 PO), flunixin meglumine (2.2 mg kg−1 IM) and sterile saline (IM). Pressure algometry was measured on sound and lame rear legs with three replicates at three landmarks. Thermal sensitivity tests were done on sound and lame rear legs with three replicates using a thermal stimulus at one landmark. From 37 to 72 h after lameness induction, meloxicam- and flunixin meglumine-treated sows tolerated higher pressure algometer nociceptive thresholds compared to saline-treated sows. Changes in thermal nociceptive thresholds were evident at the Tmax time-points for meloxicam administration and 72 and 168 h post lameness induction for flunixin meglumine-treated sows. In conclusion, flunixin meglumine and meloxicam administration mitigated pain sensitivity in lame sows post lameness induction when pain sensitivity was evaluated with pressure algometry. These analgesic drugs may be a key tool to manage pain associated with lameness.