ANIMAL WELFARE (Assessment of Animal Welfare) Flashcards

1
Q

animal welfare can be measured but

A

-must be based on QUANTIFABLE indicators and that provide info about animal well-being
Ex. body weight, ambient temperature, leg kicks vs. comfort, pain, happiness
*more than one indicator must be used (ANIMAL WELFARE IS MULTIFACTORIAL)

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2
Q

2 types of indicators

A
  1. Animal based
  2. Resource based
    *try use a combination of both
    >especially if looking at individualization of animal welfare vs. whole herd
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3
Q

characteristics of good indicators of animal welfare

A
  1. Reliable
  2. Practical
  3. Scientifically sound
    *often be species to species and to the problem in question
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4
Q

reliable

A

-inter- and intra- observer variability should be low and constant throughout different populations

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5
Q

practical

A

-function of time and money

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6
Q

scientifically sound

A

-be aware of limitations that an indicator could have
Ex. stress in males: sexual and social behaviours show high stress

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7
Q

resource based indicators of animal welfare

A

-traditionally has been the focus
-valid when animal-based ones are unknown or hard to obtain
>some cases where a direct relationship with animal welfare is demonstrated

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8
Q

positives (resource based)

A

-quick
-objective
-no specific formation required

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9
Q

negatives (resourced based)

A

-not always directly correlated with animal welfare
-individual variability: temperature, dominance, status, size
-interaction between multiple indicators: optimal temperature depends on space allows

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10
Q

examples of animal-based measuremetns

A

-performance
-morbidity and mortality rates
-thermal comfort
-behaviour
-hormonal activity
-brain function
-handling response
-blood titers

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11
Q

distance exam

A

-assessment of patient’s environment and the possible relationship of that environment to the patients problems

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12
Q

what to look for (distance exam)

A
  1. Evaluate when cow is undisturbed (is it active, performing normal activities?)
  2. Response to approach
  3. Head bearing
  4. Ear position
  5. Facial expressin
  6. Other
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13
Q

Response to approach

A

-response elicited when approaching the cow
-flight distance
-withdrawal movements

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14
Q

head bearing

A

-below or above withers when standing or walking

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15
Q

ear position

A

-relaxed=forward or frequently moving
-something is going on=low ears, or both ears consistently backwards

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16
Q

facial expression

A

-dropped eye lids
-dull eyes
-eye white (lots of white=stressed)
-nostril cleanliness
-chewing/tooth grinding

17
Q

other (distance exam)

A

-vocalizing
-piloerection
-back position
-bloated rumen
-weight shifting
-shivering
-tail flicks

18
Q

lameness

A

-abnormalitiy of movement evident when the animal is in motion

19
Q

indicators in moving animals (lameness)

A

-reluctance to bear weight on foot
-uneven temporal rhythm between hoof beats, weight not borne for equal time on each foot

20
Q

indicators standing animals (lameness)

A

-resting a foot
-frequent weight shifting between feet or repeated movements of the same foot
-standing on the edge of a step

21
Q

clinical signs of bovine respiratory disease (BRD)

A

-coughing
-nasal or ocular discharge
-hampered respiration (laboured breathing, etc.)
-varying degrees of depression
-no appetite

22
Q

cleanliness

A

-presence of liquid dirt or plaques (can be measured)
-signs of diarrhea

23
Q

hairless patch

A

-area with hair loss
-skin not damaged
-extensive thinning of coat due to parasites
-possible hyperkeratosis

24
Q

lesion/swelling

A

-damaged skin either form of scab or wound
-dermatitis due to ectoparasites
-ear lesions due to torn off ear tags

25
Q

body condition

A

-fat desposition on tail head, hip bones, spine and ribs
-different scales
-different conformation of fat: muscle between beef and dairy cattle

26
Q

practicalities of body condition

A

-during preg check
-seperate groups and manage feeding programs accordingly
-to decide when to wean based on available pastures
-BCS before winter shouldn’t be less than 2.5

27
Q

purpose of assessing animal welfare

A
  1. Identification of problems and possible solutions
  2. Certification labels (satisfy consumers and third parties)
28
Q

objectives of animal welfare audits

A

-represent a documented view in a ‘snapshot of time’ of a farm management system
-criteria based on requirements established by Canadian Codes of Practice or additional basic management principles deemed important by the industry

29
Q

scope of animal welfare audits

A

-from animal arrival to slaughter
-recommended that farms conduct self-assessments at leaset once annually

30
Q

things assessed during an audit

A

-document procedures and records
-animals
-facilities
-farm staff will be observed and interviewed doing their daily tasks (determine their knowledge and understanding of farm animal care)

31
Q

protocols to monitor animal welfare

A

-description of the methodology to measure a combination of validated indicators that cover all aspects of animal welfare
Ex. Welfare Quality

32
Q

limitations of audits

A

-requires time
-must be flexible to different production systems (ex. heat vs. cold stress)
-punctuation and weight for each parameter measured and what is deemed acceptable will always be arbitrary
-biased towards farm animals (less science on companion animals and zoos)
Ex. 5% vs. 30% lame cows.
-15% lame cows vs. 15% having mastitis

33
Q

canadian feedlot animal care assessment programs

A

-various core criteria with sub criteria
-get different points

34
Q

welfare quality

A

-more comprehensie
-based on 5 freedoms and domains
-have pictures to help with scoring
-calculates scores for absence of hunger accounding to % of very lean animals
*final classification reflects what can realistically be acheived in practice

35
Q

Welfare quality nubmers

A

Excellent: over 55 on all principles, over 80 in two of them
Enhanced: over 20 on all principles, over 55 in two of them
Acceptable: over 10 on all principles, over 20 in three of them

36
Q
A