Disease and Production Measure of Animal Welfare

Question 1

a physical or mental condition where normal function is disturbed or harmed

Answer 1

Disease

Question 2

can result in similar disruption to the normal functioning of the systems

Answer 2

Intensive (and excessive) production techniques

Question 3

have a mental elements because they provide sensory input to the brain which can result in negative feelings (e.g. pain, fatigue) and negative emotions (e.g. fear resulting from physical weakness and vulnerability).

Answer 3

diseases and excessive production demands

Question 4

Three approaches when considering animal welfare

Answer 4

Physical, Mental, Aspect of Naturalness

Question 5

The third area also be compromised by?

Answer 5

disease or by excessive production demands

Question 6

any significant compromise in physical functioning-because of diseases or excessive production demands can affect the ________ _______ of the animal.

Answer 6

mental state

Question 7

it is the study of disease

Answer 7

Pathology

Question 8

Example of excessive production

Answer 8

rapid growth, overcrowded housing, high demand for milk

Question 9

Diseases are caused by infectious agents like?

Answer 9

-Prions
-Viruses
-Bacteria
-Fungi
-Parasites
(protozoa, helminths, insects)

Question 10

Not-infectious

Answer 10

-Metabolic
-Nutritional
-Neoplastic
-Autoimmune
-Genetic

Question 11

Why disease reduces welfare?

Answer 11

primarily because of the negative feelings that the animal experiences.

Question 12

What are the negative feelings
that the animal experiences?

Answer 12

-Pain
Thirst, nausea, hunger
(inability to compete for food)

Secondary Problems
-Immobility
-Fatigue from immune response

Question 13

is a particular concern with disease. Not all disease is painful.

Answer 13

Pain

Question 14

this occurs because the forebrain evaluates sensory input from particular neural pathways as noxious.

Answer 14

Pain

Question 15

The noxious stimulus is transmitted to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord where it is ‘_____________’.

Answer 15

processed

Question 16

Untreated pain can cause sensitisation of the _____ _________

Answer 16

pain pathway

Question 17

heightened perception of existing pain

Answer 17

Hyperalgesia

Question 18

pain response to a low-intensity, normally non-painful,
stimulus

Answer 18

Allodynia

Question 19

_____________ of the central nervous system by an acute disease may persist for several months

Answer 19

Sensitisation

Question 20

you can assess pain using behavioural indicators
such as:

Answer 20

• altered posture
• altered demeanour
• gait
• inappetence
• increased respiratory and heart rate
• grinding teeth

Question 21

Other causes of pain

Answer 21

*Injury, e.g.
*Routine procedures
*Fighting
*Slippery flooring
*Rough handling
*Parturition-

Question 22

is another significant cause of pain, and some of it is the result of mechanical pressure on the pelvis during the birthing process

Answer 22

Parturition

Question 23

animals may seem depressed and unresponsive to their surroundings

Answer 23

altered demeanour

Question 24

lameness e.g. sheep with infected feet may graze while
kneeling on their front legs

Answer 24

gait

Question 25

this is common in ruminants with visceral pain

Answer 25

grinding teeth

Question 26

What are the clinical signs?

Answer 26

*Changes in behaviours
*Physical changes
*Production measures

Question 27

You can measure the level of disease in a group of animals
by estimating the?

Answer 27

incidence and prevalence.

Question 28

is the number of new cases in a fixed time period divided by the number of animals at risk.

Answer 28

Incidence

Question 29

means the number of animals affected by the disease at any point in time. You calculate it by dividing the number of animals with the disease by the number of animals at risk.

Answer 29

Prevalence

Question 30

is another area that farmers and the owners of
working animals will consult you about, because their
livelihood depends on the productivity of their animals

Answer 30

Production

Question 31

is a function of the animal’s genetics, nutrition,
metabolism and management, and it may be modified by the
presence of stressors such as social instability, disease,
chronic pain, fatigue, etc.

Answer 31

Production

Question 32

when we assess the ‘____________ ___________’ aspect of welfare, we not only need to measure the outputs of disease and production, we also have to include welfare inputs that affect disease and production.

Answer 32

physical functioning

Question 33

Welfare Inputs:

Answer 33

*Genetics
*Biosecurity
*Vaccinations
*Helminth control
*Nutrition
*Transport
*Group size
*Dairy hygiene
*Use of analgesics for routine procedures

Question 34

Welfare outputs:

Answer 34

*Incidence/prevalence of lameness, mastitis, bruised
carcasses, metabolic disease, culling, etc.
*Amount of antibiotics used
*Visits from the vet
*Somatic cell counts
*Production: fertility, growth rate, milk yield etc

Question 35

can affect welfare by disrupting
physical function and creating feelings of pain, fatigue,
nausea, etc.

Answer 35

Disease and production