How to see stress in chickens: On the way to a Stressed Chicken Scale.

For many species, scales are used to classify discomfort and stress (e.g., facial expression/pain scales).

Why workshops work: Examining the efficacy of training trainers to train goats.

Experimental procedures involving farm animals are often associated with stress due to restraining. Stress can be reduced through use of positive reinforcement training, which then serves as refinement according to the 3Rs principles. Trainer skills, however, may influence the feasibility and success of animal training.

Training Laboratory Rabbits to Refine Routine Husbandry Procedures.

Non-aversive handling and training techniques for laboratory animals are required to facilitate experimental and routine husbandry procedures, improving both animal welfare and scientific quality. Clicker training was utilized to develop training protocols for rabbits to refine stressful routine husbandry procedures usually associated with lifting (i.e.

Academics meet practitioners: Interactive exchange instead of consuming knowledge on dairy calving management.

Consensus on optimal calving management is difficult to achieve among veterinarians. Some of this discordance may stem from asymmetry between the literature written by subject matter experts (SME) and the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of non-SMEs and veterinary practitioners. Hence, the objective of this study was to assess how veterinary practitioners KAPs in calving management compared with the findings in the literature.

Residue Concentrations of Cloxacillin in Milk after Intramammary Dry Cow Treatment Considering Dry Period Length.

Dry cow treatment with an intramammary antibiotic is recommended to reduce the risk of mastitis at the beginning of the next lactation. The dry period may be shortened unintentionally, affecting antibiotic residue depletion and the time when residues reach concentrations below the maximum residue limit (MRL). The objective of this study was to evaluate residue depletion in milk after dry cow treatment with cloxacillin, considering dry periods of 14 (G14d), 21 (G21d), and 28 d (G28d).

Detection of Hypoglycin A and MCPrG Metabolites in the Milk and Urine of Pasture Dairy Cows after Intake of Sycamore Seedlings.

Hypoglycin A (HGA), methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPrG), hypoglycin B (HGB), and γ-glutamyl-α-(methylenecyclopropyl) glycine (γ-glutamyl-MCPrG) are secondary plant metabolites occurring in sycamore maple () as well as several other Sapindaceae (e.g., ).

[Body temperature measurement in pigs: Are infrared thermometers a non-invasive alternative?].

Objective: Internal body temperature is an essential parameter in evaluation an animal's general health status. The rectal temperature as 'gold standard' requires restraining of the animal which may cause stress especially when not accustomed to handling procedures. Stress on the other hand should whenever possible be avoided as it negatively affects animal welfare and may increase body temperature.

Longitudinal Study for the Detection and Quantification of spp. in Dairy Cows during Milking and in the Dairy Farm Environment.

Campylobacteriosis outbreaks have repeatedly been associated with the consumption of raw milk. This study aimed to explore the variation in the prevalence and concentration of spp. in cows' milk and feces, the farm environment and on the teat skin over an entire year at a small German dairy farm.

"Do not look at me like that": Is the facial expression score reliable and accurate to evaluate pain in large domestic animals? A systematic review.

Introduction: Facial expression scoring has proven to be useful for pain evaluation in humans. In the last decade, equivalent scales have been developed for various animal species, including large domestic animals. The research question of this systematic review was as follows: is facial expression scoring (intervention) a valid method to evaluate pain (the outcome) in large domestic animals (population)?

Method: We searched two databases for relevant articles using the search string: "grimace scale" OR "facial expression" AND animal OR "farm animal" NOT "mouse" NOT "rat" NOT "laboratory animal.

Investigations on the Transfer of Quinolizidine Alkaloids from into the Milk of Dairy Cows.

Lupin varieties with a low content of quinolizidine alkaloids (QAs) like blue sweet lupin (BSL) have long been used as a protein source for dairy cows. A health concern for humans may arise from the transfer of acute toxic QAs from feed into cow's milk. This study is the first to quantify the transfer of QAs from BSL into cow's milk with experimental and modeling methods.

Bored at home?-A systematic review on the effect of environmental enrichment on the welfare of laboratory rats and mice.

Boredom is an emotional state that occurs when an individual has nothing to do, is not interested in the surrounding, and feels dreary and in a monotony. While this condition is usually defined for humans, it may very well describe the lives of many laboratory animals housed in small, barren cages. To make the cages less monotonous, environmental enrichment is often proposed.

Using an OSCE to Explore the Role of Structured Debriefing and Self-Directed Learning in Simulator-Based Clinical Skill Training in Production Animal Reproductive Medicine.

Self-directed learning is associated with several benefits in simulation-based clinical skill training and can be complemented by feedback in the form of post-event debriefing. In this study, final-year veterinary medicine students ( = 111) were allocated into one of three groups and practiced four clinical skills from the domain of production animal reproductive medicine in a clinical skills laboratory. Group 1 completed an instructor-led practice session (I), group 2 completed a self-directed practice session with post-event debriefing (D), and group 3 completed a self-directed practice session without debriefing (control, C).

Calving Management: A Questionnaire Survey of Veterinary Subject Matter Experts and Non-Experts.

Accurate detection of the onset of parturition is a key factor in the prevention of dystocia. In order to establish current best practice recommendations for calving management, we asked subject matter experts (SME) who had published on calving management (by online survey, = 80) and non-SMEs, veterinary practitioners (by workshop survey, = 24) for their opinions. For this, we designed a questionnaire on the significance of signs of imminent parturition (SIP), the frequency of calving observation, and influencing factors for the timing of cow movement to a maternity pen.

Examining the Role of Structured Debriefing in Simulator-Based Clinical Skills Training for Namibian Veterinary Students: A Pilot Study.

Post-event debriefing has been described as an effective tool in improving learning achievements in simulator-based teaching. This article examines the effect of structured post-event debriefing sessions in simulator-based veterinary clinical skills training. Nineteen Namibian veterinary students took part in instructor-led practice, self-directed practice with structured post-event debriefing and self-directed practice without debriefing (control) at three different learning stations in a veterinary clinical skills laboratory.

Sensitivity and specificity of a tail-activity measuring device for calving prediction in dairy cattle.

Efficient calving surveillance is essential for avoiding stillbirth due to unattended dystocia. Calving sensors can help detect the onset of parturition and thus ensure timely calving assistance if necessary. Tail-raising is an indicator of imminent calving.

[Taking body temperature in cattle - critical evaluation of an established diagnostic test].

Measuring the body temperature is an essential component of the clinical examination of bovines. Next to its value for the diagnosis of diseases, body temperature also is an important value in clinical studies concerning estrus detection, calving time point prediction, or the evaluation of heat stress. This systematic review critically evaluates different methods of measuring bovine body temperature including rectal measurement, vaginal or ruminal temperature loggers, milk temperature, and infrared body surface thermography.

Influence of denaverine hydrochloride on calving ease in Holstein-Friesian heifers.

Calving is assumed to be an exhausting and painful event. A drug that eases the calving procedure and alleviates pain would help cows, especially those suffering from dystocia. In a randomized, controlled, and blinded trial, we measured the effect of denaverine hydrochloride on physical and physiological calving parameters.

Effect of denaverine hydrochloride application to heifers on the APGAR score and lactate concentration in newborn calves.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of Denaverine hydrochloride (DNH) in heifers on calf vitality.

Material And Methods: A total of 83 calvings with 38 female and 45 male calves were included in the study. Thirty minutes after onset of stage 2 of calving, 400 mg DNH or placebo (0.

A Proof of Concept: Are Detection Dogs a Useful Tool to Verify Potential Biomarkers for Lung Cancer?

Early and reliable diagnostic test is essential for effective therapy of lung cancer. Volatile organic compounds that are characteristic for cancer could serve as valuable biomarkers in cancer diagnosis. Both trace analytical and detection dog approaches give some evidence for the existence of such biomarkers.

Short communication: Is hair cortisol a potential indicator for stress caused by chronic lameness in dairy cows?

The objective of this study was to evaluate hair cortisol concentration as an indicator for stress caused by chronic lameness in dairy cows. Sixty-eight cows were scored for lameness for 4 consecutive weeks. The hair of the tail switch was clipped at the beginning of the study and regrown hair was clipped after 4 wk.

Detecting Staphylococcus aureus in milk from dairy cows using sniffer dogs.

Fast and accurate identification of disease-causing pathogens is essential for specific antimicrobial therapy in human and veterinary medicine. In these experiments, dogs were trained to identify Staphylococcus aureus and differentiate it from other common mastitis-causing pathogens by smell. Headspaces from agar plates, inoculated raw milk samples, or field samples collected from cows with Staphylococcus aureus and other mastitis-causing pathogens were used for training and testing.

Odor Perception by Dogs: Evaluating Two Training Approaches for Odor Learning of Sniffer Dogs.

In this study, a standardized experimental set-up with various combinations of herbs as odor sources was designed. Two training approaches for sniffer dogs were compared; first, training with a pure reference odor, and second, training with a variety of odor mixtures with the target odor as a common denominator. The ability of the dogs to identify the target odor in a new context was tested.

Predicting stage 2 of calving in Holstein-Friesian heifers.

The objective of this study was to predict stage 2 of calving in Holstein-Friesian heifers. Interobserver reliability and predictive values of relevant signs of imminent parturition (i.e.

Udder firmness as a possible indicator for clinical mastitis.

Swelling of the mammary gland is an important sign to detect clinical mastitis (CM) in dairy cows. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate if udder firmness can be used as a cow-side indicator for mastitis and to evaluate how CM affects firmness within 14 d after diagnosis. A dynamometer was used to objectively determine udder firmness before and after milking in 45 cows with CM and 95 healthy cows.