animal welfare Flashcards
How do we use animals (8)
Food transport emotional entertainment business assistance disease detection law enforcement
Why do humans care about animals welfare
Religion
Utilatirstiin
Altruistic
Civilised compassionate society
Treat other humans well
Morals
Vets role in animal welfare
Treat + prevent disease
Promote animal welfare
Understand animal needs
Improve society welfare standards
How can vets promote welfare
Own clients
Welfare policy in government
Welfare charities
Lead and contribute to debates and issues in society (informed view)
What is the functional view to animal welfare
If animal is producing enough / functioning well e.g. winning races or making enough milk then it is healthy
Miss out on behaviour
What is naturalistic approach to animal welfare
Animals kept in environment that they are genetically evolved to live in - natural diet and natural behavior. E.g. free range eggs
Animals can benefit from human protection (weather,food,predators….)
What is the feelings view towards animal welfare
Can have positive or negative emotional states
Discomfort hunger pain …..
Feelings should be assessed
Presence of positive and absence of negative
What are the 5 freedoms
Objective systematic way to measure animal welfare.
1) freedom from hunger and thirst
2) freedom from discomfort (shelter and comfort)
3) freedom from pain and injury
4) freedom from fear
5) freedom to express normal behaviour
How to apply five freedoms
1) assess systems - think of whole welfare state
2) end of life decisions - quality of life
3) welfare science
What is welfare science
Applying scientific methods to examine animal welfare
What is welfare ethics
Right and wrong moral issues in how we treat animals
Moral philosophy, thinking about animal rights and animal suffering for human benefit
How far to treat pets even if animal is not happy
Treating wildlife - nature take it’s course .
..
What is welfare legislation
Society determining how we must treat animals
Relevant legislation be familiar with
Legislation is constantly changing - new practices, new politics..
Animal sentience acts - fish now considered sentient 2022
What are sources of poor welfare
1) animal abuse - cruelty
2) neglect - lack resources or knowledge
3) larger scale issues - intensive farms, animal experiments , dog and cat breeding
why do we meausre welfare
scientific reasons - improve welfare -measure it
to enforce welfare - compliance with welfare legislation
to monitor welfare - tool for improvement - farm assurance schemes (food standards) - monitor own patients /lab animals/ zoos
How to meausre animal welfare
1) use framework to determine what aspects to meausre :
- 5 freedoms
- eu welfare quality
- wuality of life assessment tools
2) welfare indicators - to measure each aspect of the framework we are using
4 prinicples for EU assssment system
1) goof feeding
2) good housing
3) good health
4) appropiate behaviour
How do quality of life assessment tools work
owner assesses their pet
not static but over time so things change
they use health relate QOL scales
twhat,why,who,when and how
no equine specific measures
What are 2 types of welfare indicators
animal based
resource based
what are the different types of animal based welfare indicators
physiological
behavioural
disease
production
what are the different types of resource based welfare indicators
feed provided
housing
environment enrichment
records
How to use physiological indicators to measure welfare
assess the physiological response
-flight or fight response (ANS) e.g. heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, adrenaline, noradrenaline
- stress response e.g. glucocorticiods, cortisol
-opiods, organ pathology, reproductive hormones
- invasive, expenisve, often scientific study not for vet to d oon pets as only quantative measure
How to use behavioural measures of welfare
reflect animal feeling and reflect animal’s response to environment
look for normal behaviours
-alertness - curiosity
-grooming - grazing
-interactions (people + animals)
- play -sex
look for abnormal behaviours
-reduced activity (tethered, lame.)
-panting/sweating
- shivering
-fear/aggression
- depression
-stereotypies
measured in scientific studies by:
-ethogram -time budgets (how long animals spend doing different behaviours)
-preference test (choose different environments)
-motivational studies (work for certain reward)
measured agaisnt welfare assessment by :
-looking for specific behaviours relevant to species e.g. stereotypies, tail biting, feather pecking, flight distance (movement away from people)
How to use disease as a measure of welfare
disease affects other 5 freedoms (can;t access food, bullying, fear, can’t express normal behaviour)
poor welfare can cause disease (bad housing, bad diet, stress)
can measure : - hock lesions (caused by housing problems-hard surface or poor hygiene in poultry) - mobility scoring (most species) -dairy cattle = mastitis, lameness, calf mortality
- sheep = lameness, lamb losses, sheep scab
- pigs = motality, diarrhoea, respiratory disease
failure to treat disease is a main reason for welfare prosecutions
have to consider : intensity, duration, number affected, action taken and preventative stragies in place
use : -clinical exam of animal
- measure specific aspects in herd
-medicine records
-mortality records
-abattoir findings
How to use production as a measure of welfare
poor production = poor welfare
farm animals only
broad indicator as genetically breeded to have high production levels so if welfare poor can still produced alot
use : lambing percentages, finishing weights, milk yield, egg output…
