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  1. Physiological and Behavioral Responses of Horses to Wither Scratching and Patting the Neck When Under Saddle

    Contributor(s): Thorbergson, Zoë W., Nielsen, Sharon G., Beaulieu, Rodney J., Doyle, Rebecca E.

    Riding is considered to be an arousing activity for horses. It has been suggested that wither scratching may be a more useful tool for relaxation compared with the common practice of neck patting. In the current study, 18 horses were exposed to 3 treatments, including control or no interaction,...

  2. Physiological and behavioral indices of short-term stress in wild vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) in Jujuy Province, Argentina

    Contributor(s): Marcoppido, Gisela, Arzamendia, Yanina, Vilá, Bibiana

    The management of wild vicuñas can trigger a stress response that may compromise welfare. In Santa Catalina, Jujuy Province, Argentina, indices of short-term stress associated with capture, handling, and shearing were studied in 105 wild vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna). The study included 2 groups (n =...

  3. PET PODs: A Tool to Assist with Good Welfare Provisions during Emergent Conditions

    Contributor(s): Federico, Jennifer L., Banks, Ron E.

    The PETS Act amended the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to ensure state and local emergency preparedness operational plans included provisions for individuals with household pets and service animals following a major disaster or emergency. While the national...

  4. Perceptions of Social Responsibility of Prominent Animal Welfare Groups

    Contributor(s): Widmar, Nicole J. Olynk, Morgan, Carissa J., Croney, Candace C.

    Nonhuman animal welfare is an increasingly important component of consumer expectations of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The extent to which prominent animal welfare or protection organizations may influence people’s perceptions of food industry CSR may be related to an organization’s...

  5. Perceptions of Equid Well Being Well-Being in South Dakota

    Contributor(s): McNeill, Lindsey R., Bott, Rebecca C., Mastellar, Sara L., Djira, Gemechis, Carroll, Heidi K.

    In South Dakota, the status of equid well being is relatively unknown. This study sought to (a) gain understanding about the current perceptions of nonhuman animal well being in South Dakota, with an emphasis on horses and other equids; (b) determine the level of care equids are reportedly...

  6. Parity Influences the Demeanor of Sows in Group Housing

    Contributor(s): Clarke, Taya, Pluske, John R., Miller, David W., Collins, Teresa, Fleming, Patricia A.

    Across the globe, producers are moving from individual housing to group housing for sows during gestation. Producers typically group sows of a range of parities together, although the impacts are largely unknown. This study examined the behavioral expression at mixing for young, midparity, and...

  7. On-Farm Evaluation of an Automatic Enrichment Device with Maize Silage for Laying Hens

    Contributor(s): Giersberg, Mona Franziska, Kemper, Nicole, Spindler, Birgit

    Challenges in alternative housing for laying hens are barren functional areas such as winter gardens and the occurrence of behavioral disorders. Environmental enrichment is a measure to deal with these problems. Therefore, an enrichment device offering maize silage automatically was tested in two...

  8. Olfactory Enrichment in California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus): An Effective Tool for Captive Welfare?

    Contributor(s): Samuelson, Mystera M., Lauderdale, Lisa K., Pulis, Kelly, Solangi, Moby, Hoffland, Tim, Lyn, Heidi

    In the wild, California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) are exposed to a wide variety of sensory information, which cannot be replicated in captive environments. Therefore, unique procedures are necessary for maintaining physiological and psychological health in nonhuman animals in captivity....

  9. Occurrence of Wounds in Nigerian Horses

    Contributor(s): Agina, Onyinyechukwu A., Ihedioha, John I.

    This study investigated the occurrence of wounds in Nigerian horses. The study population was 1,621 horses sold at the Obollo Afor horse lairage in Enugu State, Nigeria, during a 6-month period: 3 months of dry season and 3 months of rainy season (February–April and June–August 2012). A total of...

  10. Nutrition and husbandry conditions of Palearctic tortoises (Testudo spp.) in captivity

    Contributor(s): Bauer, Thomas, Reese, Sven, Koelle, Petra

    Mediterranean and Russian tortoises (Testudo spp.) are popular companion animals (pets), despite ongoing controversy concerning privately keeping reptiles. The arguments used during these controversial discussions have often been based on outdated facts. Therefore, a survey was developed to...

  11. Nonhuman Animals, Public Health, and Ethics: A First Step, But…

    Contributor(s): Akhtar, Aysha

    In December 2015, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health held the first-ever summit on the intersection between nonhuman animal ethics and human health. The conference covered a variety of issues where animal health intersects with human health, including the wildlife trade, animal...

  12. No Dog Left Behind: A Hedonic Pricing Model for Animal Shelters

    Contributor(s): Reese, Laura A., Skidmore, Mark, Dyar, William, Rosebrook, Erika

    Companion animal overpopulation is a growing problem in the United States. In addition to strays, an average of 324,500 nonhuman animals are relinquished to shelters yearly by their caregivers due to family disruption (divorce, death), foreclosure, economic problems, or minor behavioral issues....

  13. Natural Horse Boarding Vs Traditional Stable: A Comparison of Hormonal, Hematological and Immunological Parameters

    Contributor(s): Placci, M., Marliani, G., Sabioni, S., Gabai, G., Mondo, E., Borghetti, P., Angelis, E. De, Accorsi, Pier Attilio

    In the equestrian world, two different types of management can be distinguished: traditional management and natural boarding. The aim of this research was to compare hormonal, hematological and immunological parameters of 47 horses kept in these two different managements. Blood and horsehair of...

  14. The Natural Behavior Debate: Two Conceptions of Animal Welfare

    Contributor(s): Browning, Heather

    The performance of natural behavior is commonly used as a criterion in the determination of animal welfare. This is still true, despite many authors having demonstrated that it is not a necessary component of welfare – some natural behaviors may decrease welfare, while some unnatural behaviors...

  15. My Reflections on Understanding Animal Emotions for Improving the Life of Animals in Zoos

    Contributor(s): Grandin, Temple

    Scientists are often reluctant to attribute emotions to nonhuman animals that are similar to human emotions. When the author published her early studies, reviewers prohibited the word fear. Fearful behavior had to be described as agitated. The core emotional systems described by Panksepp may...

  16. Modeling Interventions in the Owned Cat Population to Decrease Numbers, Knox County, TN

    Contributor(s): Lancaster, Evan P., Lenhart, Suzanne, Ojogbo, Ejebagom J., Rekant, Steven I., Scott, Janelle R., Weimer, Heidi, Jr, John C. New

    To find management strategies for controlling the owned cat population in Knox County, TN, the authors formulated a mathematical model using biological properties of such nonhuman animals and spay actions on certain age classes. They constructed this discrete-time model to predict the future...

  17. Maternal-Neonatal Pheromone/Interomone Added to Cat Litter Improves Litter Box Use and Reduces Aggression in Pair-Housed Cats

    Contributor(s): McGlone, John J., Garcia, Arlene, Thompson, William G., Pirner, Glenna M.

    Introducing a new cat into a household with one or more resident cats can be a significant source of stress for the cats involved. These studies sought to determine if rabbit maternal-neonatal pheromone (2-methyl-2-butenal [2M2B]) in litter impacted cat social behaviors and litter box use. Study...

  18. Maternal Behavior, Posture Change, and Production Performance of Lactating Sows Housed in an Enriched Environment

    Contributor(s): Yi, Ran, Wang, Chao, Zhang, Xin, Zhao, Peng, Zhang, Mingyue, Li, Xiang, Cui, Shiquan, Liu, Honggui, Bao, Jun

    This study aimed to evaluate whether adding straw to a loose-farrowing house promotes maternal functions and production. Forty-eight sows (Landrace× Large White) were housed in either a farrowing pen without straw (C, n = 24) or with straw (S, n = 24). Behaviors were observed using video...

  19. Long-Term Macroevaluation of Environmental Enrichment in Three Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) at Barcelona Zoo

    Contributor(s): Soriano, Ana I., Vinyoles, Dolors, Maté, Carmen

    The evaluation of enrichment programs is important to determine their effect on nonhuman animal welfare. The daily activity pattern and use of space of 3 brown bears (Ursus arctos) were used for long-term macroevaluation of enrichment to compare the baseline and enrichment phases. Focal sampling...

  20. Investigation of Physiological and Behavioral Responses in Dogs Participating in Animal-Assisted Therapy with Children Diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

    Contributor(s): Melco, Ashley L., Goldman, Larry, Fine, Aubrey H., Peralta, Jose M.

    This study evaluated the impact that participation in sessions with children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has on therapy dogs. Nine certified therapy dogs were paired for 6 sessions with groups of 3–4 children. Sessions consisted of 5 different activities. Activities 1 and...