Lecture 7

Question 1

How to apply animal welfare in professional careers. Animal welfare application. 3

Answer 1

Codes for good handling practices, monitoring systems, criteria evaluation
Consultation.

Question 2

Criteria evaluation

4 ways

Answer 2

1. Clinical records 2. Physiological parameters records 3. Behavioural records 4. Production systems

Question 3

Five freedoms of animal welfare

Answer 3

Freedom from hunger and thirst
Freedom from discomfort
Freedom from pain injury or disease
Freedom to express normal behaviour
Freedom from fear and distress

Question 4

5 freedoms when assessing animal welfare

Answer 4

Don’t do it. It’s not correct or applicable to all situations

Question 5

So how do we assess animal welfare

Answer 5

5 domain model
Nutrition, environment, health, behaviour, mental state

Question 6

Nutrition example water

Answer 6

Bad. Too little, thirsty..too much, water intoxication.
Good..drink enough water, wetting / quenching pleasures of drinking

Question 7

Physical environments examples

Answer 7

Bad. Air pollutants, respiratory issues, breathlessness air passage irritation and pain.
Good. Fresh air with no contaminants, respiratory comfort.

Question 8

Based on 5 domain model, what 2 kinds of measures are there

Answer 8

Resource based measures and animal based measures

Question 9

Resource based measures

Answer 9

Food availability and quality, enough feeders , size is good and clean
Access to outdoors, shade availability, stall size, temperature etc
Rest area availability for hygiene, stall floor, bedding material
management, handling, surgery, mortality

Question 10

Animal based measures. 4

Answer 10

BPHP Behavioural, physiological, health, performance

Question 11

Behaviour

Answer 11

normal and abnormal behaviours: stereotyped, environment directed, self directed, directed to another animal
Human animal interactions : flight distance, voluntary approach test, milking reactivity, composite reactivity score, flight speed

Question 12

Physiological. What is it mostly used for?

Answer 12

Mostly used for research.
Heart rate, HPA axis activity, glucocorticoid levels, adrenal volume, etc
Body temp, skin temp, blood lactate levels, oxytocin concentrations

Question 13

Health. What are they commonly used for

Answer 13

Clinical indicators.
Signs of disease, integument alterations , dehydration, body condition score, cleanliness of animals, endo and ecto parasites

Question 14

Performance/ productivity

Answer 14

Milk production, weight gain, sports performance, reproduction

Question 15

Steps in assessing animal welfare. 8 steps

Answer 15

1. Asking the question what should be evaluated?
2. What is important for the animal?
3. Methods: what to measure?
4. Data collection
5. Data analysis and interpretation of results
6. Balance of welfare conditions
7. Defining welfare status
8. Decisions about the meaning of the results

Question 16

1. Asking the questions: what should be evaluated?
   Origin of question. 3
   How to do it

Answer 16

Origin : public concern, legislative need, scientific curiosity

Define the objective
Formulate the hypothesis

Question 17

What is important for the animal?
What info needed for this

Answer 17

Knowledge of animal bio
Relevant info to define the welfare of an individual of that species

Question 18

3. Methods. What to measure?
   What can you measure

Answer 18

What indicator? Behavioural, environmental, physiological, health, productivity

Important to use more than one indicator as it’s multi factorial

Question 19

Methods. Things to consider when evaluating / collecting animals

Answer 19

When are you measuring? How are you doing it? Who will do it? Important to have trained professionals

Question 20

4. Data collection. What are you doing here

Answer 20

Conducting the experiment. Tests and exams
Must not affect animal we,fare, change its behaviour or physiology

Question 21

5. Data analysis and interp of results
   What kind of data is easy to interpret, what is not as good

Answer 21

Easy when there is a good association between results and hypothesis
Quantitative data on physiological parameters not as good. May not lead to a unanimous answer

Question 22

6. Balance of welfare conditions

Answer 22

Results are analyzed, considering positive and negative experiences
Addition and subtraction overall

Question 23

7. Defining animal welfare status

Answer 23

Establish a min acceptable standard for each vector. Variable

Combine all variables on a common scale applicable in practice

Compare relative importance of each variable to reach animal welfare balance of an animal

Question 24

3. Methods. What do you need to figure out first

Answer 24

What indicator being tested
How is it being evaluated
When is the evaluation happening
Who is doing the evaluation

Question 25

8. Decisions about the meaning of the results

Answer 25

Objectively define the state of the animal. How good or bad is it’s welfare
Comes with practice

Question 26

Websites or resources to asses welfare

Answer 26

Awin animal welfare indicators, welfare quality website