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Behavioral responses of nursing home residents to visits from a person with a dog, a robot seal or a toy cat
| Contributor(s):: Thodberg, K., Sorensen, L. U., Videbech, P. B., Poulsen, P. H., Houbak, B., Damgaard, V., Keseler, I., Edwards, D., Christensen, J. W.
Previous studies suggest that contact with dogs can positively affect the wellbeing of elderly people in nursing homes, but there is a lack of research investigating the causal pathways of these effects. One such pathway may relate to the behavioral responses of the elderly when interacting with...
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A randomized cross-over exploratory study of the effect of visiting therapy dogs on college student stress before final exams
| Contributor(s):: Barker, S. B., Barker, R. T., McCain, N. L., Schubert, C. M.
This exploratory study investigated the effect of visiting therapy dogs on college-student perceived and physiological stress the week prior to final exams. Students ( n=78) were randomly assigned to order of a therapy-dog intervention and attention-control condition, each 15 minutes long....
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Pets and happiness: examining the association between pet ownership and wellbeing
| Contributor(s):: Bao, K. J., Schreer, G.
Are pets associated with happiness in their owners? Some research has demonstrated positive connections between pets and the physical health of their owners, and more recently, research has shown the beneficial effects of pets on the negative aspects of mental health as well. However, much less...
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Environmentally enriching American mink (Neovison vison) increases lymphoid organ weight and skeletal symmetry, and reveals differences between two sub-types of stereotypic behaviour
| Contributor(s):: Diez-Leon, M., Bursian, S., Galicia, D., Napolitano, A., Palme, R., Mason, G.
Enrichment studies for wild carnivores (e.g., in zoos) are often short-term, use enrichments of unknown motivational significance, and focus on glucocorticoids and stereotypic behaviour (SB), ignoring other stress-relevant variables. Our study assessed the broad behavioural and physiological...
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Grief following pet and human loss: Closeness is key
| Contributor(s):: Eckerd, Lizabeth M., Barnett, James E., Jett-Dias, Latishia
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Generational habituation and current bald eagle populations
| Contributor(s):: Guinn, Jeremy E.
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Prevalence of stereotypies and its possible causes among captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Tamil Nadu, India
| Contributor(s):: Vanitha, Varadharajan, Thiyagesan, Krishnamoorthy, Baskaran, Nagarajan
Animals in captivity are often confined in small barren enclosures, preventing adequate exercise, and socialization with conspecifics. Captivity is also known for depriving young individuals' association with maternal relatives by weaning away from their mothers' earlier than what their...
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Individual differences in visual and olfactory cue preference and use by cats (Felis catus)
| Contributor(s):: Mayes, E. R. E., Wilkinson, A., Pike, T. W., Mills, D. S.
Animals are constantly presented with stimuli through different sensory challenges, which may sometimes contain contradictory information and so they must decide which is more salient in a given situation. Both vision and olfaction are extensively utilised by the domestic cat (Felis catus) in a...
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Behavioural response of pure Ankole and crossbred (Ankole * Holstein) cows to seasonal pasture variations in south-western Uganda
| Contributor(s):: Idibu, J., Kabi, F., Mpairwe, D.
This study evaluated the effects of season and pasture species on variations in sward composition, pasture quantity (plant-height and biomass) and quality [crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD)]. Behavioural responses of a group of 10...
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The effect of reward-handler dissociation on dogs' obedience performance in different conditions
| Contributor(s):: Gerencser, L., Kosztolanyi, A., Delanoeije, J., Miklosi, A.
Dogs' responsiveness to instructions of the handler is known to be influenced by several factors. In this study we examined whether reward-handler dissociation has an effect on the obedience performance of family dogs with basic training history. We looked at situations involving human-dog...
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Assessment of aversion and unconsciousness during exposure to carbon dioxide at high concentration in lambs
| Contributor(s):: Rodriguez, P., Dalmau, A., Manteca, X., Litvan, H., Jensen, E. W., Velarde, A.
The most widely used stunning method in sheep is electrical. However, in lambs, this method leads to rupture of the blood vessels, provoking ecchymoses. In pigs ( Sus scrofa), the use of CO 2-stunning systems has increased in popularity due to positive effects on meat quality and animal welfare...
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Effects of carprofen, meloxicam and butorphanol on broiler chickens' performance in mobility tests
| Contributor(s):: Hothersall, B., Caplen, G., Parker, R., Nicol, C. J., Waterman-Pearson, A. E., Weeks, C. A., Murrell, J. C.
Lame broiler chickens perform poorly in standardised mobility tests and have nociceptive thresholds that differ from those of non-lame birds, even when confounding factors such as differences in bodyweight are accounted for. This study investigated whether these altered responses could be due...
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Maximum permissible load for Yonaguni ponies (Japanese landrace horses) trotting over a short, straight course
| Contributor(s):: Matsuura, A., Mano, H., Irimajiri, M., Hodate, K.
This study aimed to determine the load-bearing capacity of trotting Yonaguni ponies using gait analysis. The Yonaguni pony is one of the Japanese landrace horses, and has normal gait characteristics when trotting. As a breed they are small in stature and hence susceptible to the effect of the...
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Effects of stocking rate on measures of efficacy and welfare during argon gas euthanasia of weaned pigs
| Contributor(s):: Fiedler, K. J., Parsons, R. L., Sadler, L. J., Millman, S. T.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of chamber stocking rate on facets of animal welfare and efficacy during euthanasia of weaned pigs ( Sus scrofa domesticus) with argon gas. Two hundred and thirty-three weaned pigs designated for euthanasia at a commercial production farm...
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The effects of radar on avian behavior: implications for wildlife management at airports
| Contributor(s):: Sheridan, E., Randolet, J., DeVault, T. L., Seamans, T. W., Blackwell, B. F., Fernandez-Juricic, E.
Airports often contain foraging, breeding, and roosting resources for wildlife. Airports also have different types of radars to assist with air traffic control, monitoring weather, and tracking wildlife that could become a risk for collision with aircraft. The effect of radar electromagnetic...
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The avoidance of farmyards by European badgers Meles meles in a medium density population
| Contributor(s):: Mullen, E. M., MacWhite, T., Maher, P. K., Kelly, D. J., Marples, N. M., Good, M.
Mycobacterium bovis (TB) in cattle is a disease with far-reaching economic effects throughout Europe but especially in Great Britain and Ireland. Wildlife reservoirs, in particular the European badger Meles meles, continue to play an important role in the transmission of the disease, although the...
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Welfare outcomes for 3- and 6-month-old beef calves in a tropical environment castrated surgically or by applying rubber rings
| Contributor(s):: Petherick, J. C., Small, A. H., Reid, D. J., Colditz, I. G., Ferguson, D. M.
Castration of cattle using rubber rings is becoming increasingly popular due to the perceived ease of the procedure and greater operator safety when compared with surgical castration. Few comparative studies have investigated the effects of different castration methods and calf age on welfare...
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African elephants (Loxodonta africana) can detect TNT using olfaction: implications for biosensor application
| Contributor(s):: Miller, A. K., Hensman, M. C., Hensman, S., Schultz, K., Reid, P., Shore, M., Brown, J., Furton, K. G., Lee, S.
The impact of war on local wildlife can be devastating, the effects of which are often felt well beyond the terminus of the initial threat. In areas where wildlife experiences unrestricted movement through previously affected zones, residual, unexploded landmines present a significant and...
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The effect of isoflurane anaesthesia and buprenorphine on the mouse grimace scale and behaviour in CBA and DBA/2 mice
| Contributor(s):: Miller, A., Kitson, G., Skalkoyannis, B., Leach, M.
Prevention or alleviation of pain in laboratory mice is a fundamental requirement of in vivo research. The mouse grimace scale (MGS) has the potential to be an effective and rapid means of assessing pain and analgesic efficacy in laboratory mice. Preliminary studies have demonstrated its...
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The influence of gentle interactions on avoidance distance towards humans, weight gain and physiological parameters in group-housed dairy calves
| Contributor(s):: Lurzel, S., Munsch, C., Windschnurer, I., Futschik, A., Palme, R., Waiblinger, S.
The quality of the relationship between cattle and their caretakers is important for animal welfare and productivity. Nevertheless, the influence of gentle interactions on group-housed dairy calves has not been thoroughly studied so far. We examined the effects of 42 min of gentle interactions...
