Indicators of Animal Welfare, Exams, Audits

Question 1

Animal Welfare Measurement

Answer 1

Must be based on indicators that can be quantified and that provide information on animal well-being

Eg. Body weight, temperature, leg kicks… vs comfort, pain, happiness

Question 2

2 types of indicators of animal welfare

Answer 2

Animal-based

Resource-based

Question 3

Animal-based animal welfare

Answer 3

• changes in behaviour, body condition, overall aspect, clinical signs, human-animal relationship, cleanliness
• harder to measure as it is more time consuming
• includes performance, morbidity and mortality rates, thermal comfort, blood titers, behaviour, handling response, brain function, hormonal activity

Question 4

Resource-based animal welfare

Answer 4

• space provided, ambient temperature, diet, management (record keeping)
• legislation and assessment uses and focuses on this basis
• quick, objective, no specific formation required

Question 5

Con to resource-based animal welfare

Answer 5

Not always directly correlated with animal welfare

• Individual variability (temperament, dominance status, size, physiological state) and interaction between multiple indicators (optimal temperature depends on space allowance, type of flooring, humidity, cleanliness)

Question 6

Characteristics of good indicators of animal welfare

Answer 6

1. reliable: inter- and intra-observer variability should be low, and constant throughout different populations (parameters should be similar, variation should be low)
2. practical: a function of time and money
3. scientifically sound: be aware of the limitations that an indicator could have. Indicators will often be specific to the species and to the problem in question

Question 7

Distance Exam

Answer 7

Assessment of the patients environment and the possible relationship of that environment to the patient’s problems.

Should observe attention level when animal is undisturbed, and the animal performing normal behaviour

Question 8

Cattle Response to approach

Answer 8

• The response elicited when approaching a cow
• Flight distance and withdrawal movements

Question 9

Individual things to look for

Answer 9

Head bearing, ear position, facial expression (eye white, dropped eyelids, dull eyes, nostril cleanliness, chewing/grinding teeth), vocalizing, piloerection, back position, bloated rumen, weight shifting, shivering, tenesmus, tail flicks, lameness

Question 10

Lameness

Answer 10

Abnormality of movement evident when animal in motion

Locomotion score: 0 when walking normal.
Abnormal walking= back arch, walking with a limp, head bob up or down

Question 11

Indicators of lameness in moving animals

Answer 11

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

Question 12

indicators of lameness in standing animals

Answer 12

resting a foot (bearing non-weight or less weight on foot), frequent weight shifting between feet, standing on edge of a step

Question 13

Clinical signs of bovine respiratory disease

Answer 13

• Coughing
• Nasal or ocular discharge
• Resp issues
• Laboured breathing
• Supported by muscles of abdomen
• Sound
• Increased, shallow breathing
• Varying degrees of depression
• No appetite

Question 14

Cleanliness

Answer 14

Presence of liquid dirt or plaques, signs of diarrhea = poor cleanliness

Question 15

Hairless patch vs lesions/swelling

Answer 15

Hairless
- Area with hair loss
- Skin not damaged
- Extensive thickening of the coat due to parasites
- Possible hyperkeratosis

Lesions/swelling
- Damaged skin either in form of a scab or a wound
- Dermatitis due to ectoparasites
- Ear lesions due to torn off ear tags

Question 16

Purpose of assessing animal welfare

Answer 16

• ID problems and possible solutions
• Certification labels

Question 17

Objectives of animal welfare audits

Answer 17

Represent a documented review in a snapshot of time of a farm management system. Ensures that management is meeting specific requirements.

Question 18

Protocols used for animal welfare audits

Answer 18

Based on requirements created by Canadian Code of Practice, or any other practices or protocols approved by the industry.

Protocols must be easy to conduct and have low variability (everyone can follow the plan subjectively)

Question 19

Scope of animal welfare audits

Answer 19

From time of arrival to slaughter, including transport

Also assesses facilities and farm staff.

Question 20

How often should a farm undergo a self-assessment?

Answer 20

At least once a year, and at different times of the year to account for seasonality

Question 21

Limitations of animal welfare audits

Answer 21

• Requires time (whole day at farm)
• It must be flexible to different production systems (heat vs. cold stress)
• Each parameter will in the end be arbitrary. Ethical dilemmas
• Biased towards farm animals, less science for companion animals or zoos

Question 22

Scoring systems of audits

Answer 22

• Some based on amount of points received, others based on scale
• Cleanliness of water: clean, partly dirty, dirty
• Mud and manure score: grading system
• Example of hunger scale (% lean animals low= less hunger= better score)
• Final classification reflects what can realistically be achieved in practice