Lecture 5 Flashcards
Animal welfare assessments
Can animal welfare be measured?
3pt
Animal welfare can be measured, BUT:
* It must be based on indicators that can be quantified and that provide information about the animal well-being. E.g.: body weight, ambient temperature, leg kicks vs comfort, pain, happiness,
* Because animal welfare is multifactorial (5 freedoms, 5 domains, physiology-environment mental state), more than one indicator must be used.
What are the indicators of animal welfare?
2pt
- Animal-based: changes in behaviour, body condition, overall aspect, clinical signs, human-animal relationship
- Resource-based: space provided, ambient temperature, diet, management (record keeping)
What are the Characteristics of good
indicators of animal welfare?
3pt
- Reliable: Inter-and intra-observer variability should be low, and constant throughout different population.
- Practical: A function of time and money.
- 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
What is Resource-based indicators of animal welfare?
6pt
- Traditionally, legislation and assessment of animal welfare have heavily focused on resource-based indicators
- Valid when animal-based indicators are unknown or hard to obtain, and when a direct relationship with animal welfare has been demonstrated (e.g.THI)
- Pro- Quick, objective, no specific formation required.
- Con- Not always directly correlated with animal welfare: Individual variability: Temperament, dominance status, size, physiological status, Interaction between multiple indicators: Optimal temperature depends on space allowance, type of flooring, humidity, cleanliness
What are the animal based measures?
8pt
- Performance- Average daily gain, feed efficiency, body condition score
- Brain function- Cognitive ability, affective state, temperament, judgment bias
- Thermal comfort- Respiration rates, panting scores
- Behaviour- Stereotypic, aggressive, depressive
- Morbidity and mortality rates
- Handling response- chute behavior score, vocalizations, exit speed
- Blood titers- Substance P, Acute phase protein, immune function
- Hormonal activity- Glucocorticoids, catecholamines, ACTH
not all are easily tested on farm
What to look for in a distance exam?
10 pt
- Evaluated when the cow is undisturbed:
–Is the cow active, performing normal activities, attentive towards the surroundings?
–Is the cow facing the wall/away from conspecifics or is the cow relaxed and following activities in the near surroundings? - Response to approach: The response elicited when approaching the cow: Flight distance, Withdrawal movements
- Head bearing: Below or above withers when standing or walking
- Ear position: Low ears or both ears consistently backwards indicative of something going on
- Facial expression: Dropped eye lids, chewing/ tooth grinding
- Vocalizations
- Piloerection
- Back position
- Bloated rumen
- Tail flicks
What is lameness and its indications for standing and moving animals?
6pt
- An abnormality of movement evident when the animal is in motion.
Indicators in moving animals:
* Reluctance to bear weight on a foot
* Uneven temporal rhythm between hoof beats, weight not borne for equal time on each of the four feet
Indicators in standing animals:
* Resting a foot (bearing less/no weight on one foot)
* Frequent weight shifting between feet (“stepping”), or repeated movements of the same foot
* Standing on the edge of a step
0= good, 3=bad
What are Clinical signs of respiratory diseases?
5pt
- Coughing
- Nasal or ocular discharge
- Hampered respiration:
–Laboured breathing
–Supported by muscles of abdomen
–Wheezing or grunt sounds
–Increased rate, shallow breathing - Depression/Lethargy
- No appetite
What are Hairless patches and lesions/Swellings and what do they indicate?
6pt
- Hairless patch
–Area with hair loss, skin not damaged
–Coat thinning due to parasites
–Possible hyperkeratosis - Lesion/swelling
–Damaged skin either in form of a scab or a wound
–Dermatitis due to ectoparasites
indication of not enough bedding
What is body condition and what is it practical to use?
6pt
- Fat deposition on tail head, hip bones, spine and ribs - Different scales (1-5 vs. 1-9; 0.25 vs. 0.5).
- Different conformation of fat:muscle between beef and dairy cattle.
Practicalities:
* During preg check
* Separate groups and manage feeding programs accordingly
* To decide when to wean based on available pastures
* BCS before winter shouldn’t be <2.5.
What is the purpose of assessing animal welfare?
2pt
- Identification of problems and possible solutions
- Certification labels
What are the Objectives of animal welfare audits?
2pt
- Audits represent a documented review in a “snapshot of time” of a management system.
- It verifies that such management conforms to specific requirements established by the Canadian Codes of Practice
What is the Scope of animal welfare audits?
3pt
- From animal arrival to slaughter, including transportation
- It is recommended that farms conduct self assessments at least once annually (and at different times of the year, to account for seasonality)
- During an audit, documented procedures and records, animals, and facilities will be assessed and farm staff will be observed and interviewed doing their daily tasks to determine their knowledge and understanding of farm animal care
What are Limitations of animal welfare audits?
4pt
- It is time consuming
- It must be flexible as to capture different potential welfare issues (e.g. heat vs cold stress)
- In the end, the punctuation and weight for each parameter measured, and what is deemed as acceptable, it will always be arbitrary:
–Having 5% vs 30% of lame cows is better, but, having 15% of lame cows vs having 15% of mastitis
–Ethical dilemmas on farm: things that you may find unpalatable vs general farm practices - Biased towards farm animals, less science on companion animals or zoos
How is welfare quality scored
3pt
- Excellent: >55 on all principles, >80 on two of them
- Enhanced: >20 on all principles, >55 on two of them.
- Acceptable: >10 on all principles, >20 on three of them.
