Animal Welfare and Miscellaneous Ethics Flashcards
Wildlife research (examples and effect on animals)
This is often high stress for the animals
-Take samples such as pulling a tooth for aging and blood for DNA sequencing
-GPS collars and ear tags
Agriculture and Veterinary Research
Universities do a lot of agricultural research
-How do we efficiently grow animals for food use (milk, meat)
-How do we improve animal welfare
-What environments promote best health
-How does changing feed affect immune system, digestion, and production
-Researchers may have to take blood samples, get digesta samples from the cow’s stomach (rumen) and collect fecal samples (Ports can be implanted to have constant access to these_
Where does your money go when you donate it to medical research?
Animal research
Fundamental Research
Studies of a fundamental nature in science relating to essential structure or function
Examples:
-Studying the migration habits of animals
-Investigating how certain hormones produced from the gut and brain regulate energy, balance, growth, and reproduction in fish
Medical and Clinical Studies
Studies for medical purposes that relate to human or animal disease and disorders
Examples:
-Using rodents to study and better understand the genes involved in cancer
-Studying dogs to understand epilepsy
Regulatory testing (animal testing)
Testing the efficacy and safety of products and medications. Health Canada legally required medical research be performed on animals before human trials can commence,
Examples:
-Testing vaccine safety of vaccines on rodents and non-human primates
-Testing the efficacy of a new medication for Multiple Sclerosis
Development of Products and Medical Devices
Animal Testing
Studies for the development of products or devices for human or veterinary medicine
Examples:
-Development of new dietary products for farm animals
-Studies to preserve and improve the effectiveness of transplants or to develop new ones
Teaching and Training (with regards to using animals)
Teaching and training to communicate scientific concepts, and develop practical skills and expertise in specific techniques
Examples:
-Training veterinary students on disease prevention. Diagnosis, and treatment
How does animal research benefit us?
-Elimination of polio, smallpox, rabies, and measles
-Complete eradication of rinderpest
-New diagnostic test for early treatment (cancer, heart disease)
How has animal research help animals?
-Helps us understand wildlife and biological principles
-Human treatments can be used on animals too
Eg. “Click Chemistry”
These treatments can treat bone cancer tumors in large dogs
The 5 Freedoms
Proposed by John Webster
- Freedom from thirst & hunger
- Freedom from discomfort (comfortable temperature, good ventilation, ect.)
- Freedom from pain, injury and disease
- Freedom to express normal (natural) behaviour (also sometimes called freedom of movement)
- Freedom from fear and distress
Performance axiom
emphasizes productivity and reproductive performance (Curtis)
-If an animal is growing and reproducing well, then its welfare must be good
Productivity (as a measure of animal welfare)
Growth, reproduction - traditional indicators of wellbeing
-Effective at low level
Link between well-being and productivity is real at low levels of productivity:
-Depressed health, growth, reproduction
-survival indicate significant problems
BUT
Productivity is an economic measurement, but not a measurement of wellbeing
Broom’s definition of welfare
“The welfare of an individual is its state as regards its attempts to cope with its environment.”
- Note: Does not apply to inanimate objects or plants because they lack most
coping mechanisms, but could be used for any living animal.
Welfare can exist on a continuum
-Goes from very good to very poor
-Measurements provide information about the position on the continuum at any given time
-Applies to individuals
The five freedoms can be met at different levels
Duncan’s Definition of Animal Welfare
“Welfare is all to do with what animals feel.”
* Note:
-Welfare is mainly or solely dependent on what animals feel
-However, it is impossible to give welfare a precise scientific definition.
-Relates to what we call ‘affective states’
Animal Well-Being
Often used interchangeably with animal welfare, but not the same
-Includes feelings
-Used to refer more to the individual’s perception of its state than to the state itself (feelings)
-These feelings are a substantial part of welfare, but are not all of it
NOTE IN THIS CLASS ANIMAL WELFARE AND WELLBEING ARE THE SAME
Biological Functioning
Animal Welfare
Has to do with an animal’s ability to “cope” with its environment
Feelings approach (welfare)
Has to do with how an animal “feels” about its environment
Nature approach
Animal Welfare
Has to do with an animal’s ability to display “natural: behavior within its environment
OIE Definition of Welfare
Animal welfare means how an animal is coping with the conditions in which it lives. An animal is in a good state if it is healthy, comfortable, well nourished, safe, able to express innate behavior, and if it is not suffering from unpleasant states such as pain, fear, and distress
Good animal welfare requires disease prevention and appropriate veterinary treatment, shelter, management and nutrition, humane handling and humane slaughter or killing. Animal welfare refers to the state of the animal; the treatment that an animal receives is covered by other terms such as animal care, animal husbandry, and humane treatment.
5 Domains of Animal Assessment
- Nutrition
- Environment
- Health
- Behavior
- Mental State (dependant on all the previous domains)
-Good experiences need to be provided as well
Economic Feasibility (animal welfare)
Does it support the economic sustainability of the food animal industry?
-If people can’t afford it, it won’t happen
Social License
Are the practices supported by the public at large?
-Does society “give you permission”
What is the veterinarian’s role in welfare?
Traditionally…
-Treat injuries, infections, and diseases
-Reduce disease through herd health programs
-Provide pain control (restraint)
-Advise and educate on nutrition, housing, handling etc.
-Advocate for humane care
What is the HHHHHMM scale
Vets often use the HHHHHMM scale when assessing whether its a good idea to euthanize the animal
Hurt (includes oxygen)
Hunger
Hydration
Hygiene
Happiness
Mobility
More good days than bad
Which Organization regulates animal experimentation in Canada
The Canadian Council on Animal Care
-You must be accredited by this organization to get funding
-You must follow the three Rs
What is the fourth “R”
Respect
Animals are living beings and have feelings
Which animals are commonly used in research?
Most used>Mice, fish, cattle, birds>Least used
Most companion species of animals are “used” for non-invasive research
Cooperative Care
Training the care to actively participate in their care
- Utilize desensitization and counterconditioning
- Teaching behaviours that facilitate handling
- Providing predictability and control
What sort of things should you do with your animal to get them used to being handled?
- being picked up, being pet
- wiping paws and bums
- brushing and combing
- cleaning ears
- trimming nails
- administering eye drops
- drawing blood
- getting a harness, cone, or muzzle on
- performing body checks at home
- getting a physical exam at the vet
- brushing teeth
- trimming hair around the face
etc., etc., etc.!
Why is cooperative care important?
Animal welfare is increased
- Gives the animal a sense of control
Contributes to good healthcare and hygiene
- Fear and aggression with handling is a cause for delayed vet vistits and grooming
Strengthens the bond between human and animal
Decreases the potential for human-directed aggression
- Experiences with positive handling
Increases the safety and comfort of veterinary clinic staff
Which animals need cooperative care training?
All of them
Puppies
Kittens
Dogs who are “fine”
Dogs who love care and handling
- If they are too wiggly they’re also hard to handle
Dogs who are terrified/aggressive
Who should be involved in training an animal for cooperative care?
(in this case a dog)
EVERYONE WHO WILL HANDLE YOUR DOG
Why?
-Anyone who handles your dog is also training the dog
Cooperative care handling cannot happen at the moment its needed
-Veterinarian staff need to be educated on how to support cooperative care handling
What does cooperative care training look like?
Teaching foundation behaviors
Body handling
Tool introductions
Why do animals get fearful/aggressive/avoidant at the vet clinic?
The environment plays a key role in animal behavior
Environment
- Location
- setting/context
- People
- Tools
HHHHHMM Scale
Hurt
Hunger
Hydration
Hygeine
Happiness
Movement
More Good days than bad
