A Global Survey of the Views of Practicing Companion Animal Veterinarians on Their Undergraduate Curriculum and Their Access to Continuing Education Resources.

A global survey was developed to gain insight into the opinion of companion animal veterinarians about their undergraduate education and their access to continuing education on the following topics: client communication, animal welfare, surgical techniques, human-animal bond, dentistry, animal behavior, and zoonotic disease/epidemiology. In 2016, the survey was distributed via SurveyMonkey® in five languages to companion animal veterinarians around the world. A total of 1,167 respondents returned the survey.

A global survey of companion animal veterinary practitioners on animal welfare teaching - .

As part of a wider research on animal welfare, a global survey was developed to gain insight into the opinion of companion animal veterinarians about animal welfare education, namely to investigate their exposure to animal welfare teaching during their undergraduate education, their access to continuing professional education on animal welfare, and their opinions on clients' sources of information on animal welfare. The survey was distributed to companion animal veterinarians around the world. The results were highly influenced by the large numbers of respondents who trained in the Russian Federation, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or the United States of America.

Incorporating inter-individual variability in experimental design improves the quality of results of animal experiments.

Inter-individual variability in quantitative traits is believed to potentially inflate the quality of results in animal experimentation. Yet, to our knowledge this effect has not been empirically tested. Here we test whether inter-individual variability in emotional response within mouse inbred strains affects the outcome of a pharmacological experiment.

Inter-individual variability in habituation of anxiety-related responses within three mouse inbred strains.

Inter-individual variability in behavioral and physiological response has become a well-established phenomenon in animal models of anxiety and other disorders. Such variability is even demonstrated within mouse inbred strains. A recent study showed that adaptive and non-adaptive anxiety phenotypes (measured as habituation and/or sensitization of anxiety responses) may differ within cohorts of 129 mice.

Dilemmas in the Management of Liminal Rodents-Attitudes of Dutch Pest Controllers.

When non-human animals are labeled as 'pests', their moral status and welfare seem relatively unimportant. In a multi-stakeholder project, we develop an assessment frame for a more responsible rodent management that includes animal welfare. An online survey among 129 Dutch pest controllers was carried out in order to find out more about pest controllers' attitudes about animal welfare.

An individual based, multidimensional approach to identify emotional reactivity profiles in inbred mice.

Background: Despite extensive environmental standardization and the use of genetically and microbiologically defined mice of similar age and sex, individuals of the same mouse inbred strain commonly differ in quantitative traits. This is a major issue as it affects the quality of experimental results. Standard analysis practices summarize numerical data by means and associated measures of dispersion, while individual values are ignored.

Animal Welfare Worldwide, the Opinion of Practicing Veterinarians.

The objective of this study was to investigate the animal welfare issues considered the most important by companion animal veterinarians worldwide. For this purpose, a global survey of several potential animal welfare issues was distributed via SurveyMonkey® in multiple languages. The distribution of survey responses differed by region.

The Translation and Validation of the Dutch Monash Dog⁻Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS).

The Monash Dog-Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS) is a questionnaire that is used to evaluate the perceived relationship between humans and their dog. This questionnaire was originally only formulated and validated in English, which limits its use among non-English speaking individuals. Although a translation could be made, the translation of questionnaires without additional validation often impairs the reliability of that questionnaire.

Quality of life and owner attitude to dog overweight and obesity in Thailand and the Netherlands.

Background: This study investigated whether the body condition score (BCS) and/or culture influences the quality of life (QoL) of dogs, as evaluated by the owner, and whether the BCS is influenced by feeding and exercise and its owner's culture. To this end, a questionnaire was administered to 355 selected dog owners (Thai and Dutch). Their dogs had a BCS of 3 (normal weight), 4 (overweight) or 5 (obese) but no other physical problems.

An improved procedure for integrated behavioral z-scoring illustrated with modified Hole Board behavior of male inbred laboratory mice.

Background: Guilloux et al. introduced: integrated behavioral z-scoring, a method for behavioral phenotyping of mice. Using this method multiple ethological variables can be combined to show an overall description of a certain behavioral dimension or motivational system.

Current insights into the molecular genetic basis of dwarfism in livestock.

Impairment of bone growth at a young age leads to dwarfism in adulthood. Dwarfism can be categorised as either proportionate, an overall size reduction without changes in body proportions, or disproportionate, a size reduction in one or more limbs, with changes in body proportions. Many forms of dwarfism are inherited and result from structural disruptions or disrupted signalling pathways.

Effects of light regime and substrain on behavioral profiles of male C57BL/6 mice in three tests of unconditioned anxiety.

Substrains of the C57BL/6 inbred mouse are widely used in genetic, behavioral and physiological research, as well as models for human disease. Throughout, the choice of the respective substrain can have a large influence on experimental results. Likewise, the conditions under which experiments are performed, such as the light regime, can significantly affect the outcome of an experiment, especially when aiming at experimental behavior.

Mapping of a FEB3 homologous febrile seizure locus on mouse chromosome 2 containing candidate genes Scn1a and Scn3a.

Febrile seizures (FS) are the most common seizure type in children. Recurrent FS are a risk factor for developing temporal lobe epilepsy later in life and are known to have a strong genetic component. Experimental FS (eFS) can be elicited in mice by warm-air induced hyperthermia.

Consomic mouse strain selection based on effect size measurement, statistical significance testing and integrated behavioral z-scoring: focus on anxiety-related behavior and locomotion.

Background: Selecting chromosome substitution strains (CSSs, also called consomic strains/lines) used in the search for quantitative trait loci (QTLs) consistently requires the identification of the respective phenotypic trait of interest and is simply based on a significant difference between a consomic and host strain. However, statistical significance as represented by P values does not necessarily predicate practical importance. We therefore propose a method that pays attention to both the statistical significance and the actual size of the observed effect.

Substrain and light regime effects on integrated anxiety-related behavioral z-scores in male C57BL/6 mice-Hypomagnesaemia has only a small effect on avoidance behavior.

Magnesium (Mg) has been described to possess an anxiolytic function, but a number of studies present inconsistent results on this matter. In this study the effect of Mg deficiency on anxiety-related behavior, brain and blood plasma Mg in young adult male C57BL/6JOlaHsd and C57BL/6NCrl mice was studied. The animals were put on a control or Mg deficient diet from day 0 and significant hypomagnesaemia was evident from day 12 onwards in the test animals.

The modified hole board--measuring behavior, cognition and social interaction in mice and rats.

This protocol describes the modified hole board (mHB), which combines features from a traditional hole board and open field and is designed to measure multiple dimensions of unconditioned behavior in small laboratory mammals (e.g., mice, rats, tree shrews and small primates).

Chromosomal assignment of quantitative trait loci influencing baseline circulating total cholesterol level in male laboratory mice: report of a consomic strain survey and comparison with published results.

Background: An important risk for atherosclerosis is a low level of HDL cholesterol. Baseline HDL cholesterol is under complex genetic and environmental control. Here we report on results of male mice from a consomic strain survey and the parental inbred strains for baseline circulating total cholesterol concentration, which is almost the same as HDL cholesterol in chow fed mice.

Genetic Mapping in Mice Reveals the Involvement of Pcdh9 in Long-Term Social and Object Recognition and Sensorimotor Development.

Background: Quantitative genetic analysis of basic mouse behaviors is a powerful tool to identify novel genetic phenotypes contributing to neurobehavioral disorders. Here, we analyzed genetic contributions to single-trial, long-term social and nonsocial recognition and subsequently studied the functional impact of an identified candidate gene on behavioral development.

Methods: Genetic mapping of single-trial social recognition was performed in chromosome substitution strains, a sophisticated tool for detecting quantitative trait loci (QTL) of complex traits.

Identification of Srp9 as a febrile seizure susceptibility gene.

Objective: Febrile seizures (FS) are the most common seizure type in young children. Complex FS are a risk factor for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE). To identify new FS susceptibility genes we used a forward genetic strategy in mice and subsequently analyzed candidate genes in humans.

A candidate syntenic genetic locus is associated with voluntary exercise levels in mice and humans.

Individual levels of physical activity, and especially of voluntary physical exercise, highly contribute to the susceptibility for developing metabolic, cardiovascular diseases, and potentially to psychiatric disorders. Here, we applied a cross-species approach to explore a candidate genetic region for voluntary exercise levels. First, a panel of mouse chromosome substitution strains was used to map a genomic region on mouse chromosome 2 that contributes to voluntary wheel running levels - a behavioral readout considered a model of voluntary exercise in humans.

Staying awake--a genetic region that hinders α2 adrenergic receptor agonist-induced sleep.

How external stimuli prevent the onset of sleep has been little studied. This is usually considered to be a non-specific type of phenomenon. However, the hypnotic drug dexmedetomidine, an agonist at α2 adrenergic receptors, has unusual properties that make it useful for investigating this question.

Cross-species genetics converge to TLL2 for mouse avoidance behavior and human bipolar disorder.

Interspecies genetic analysis of neurobehavioral traits is critical for identifying neurobiological mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders, and for developing models for translational research. Recently, after screening a chromosome substitution strain panel in an automated home cage environment, chromosomes 15 and 19 were identified in female mice for carrying genetic loci that contribute to increased avoidance behavior (sheltering preference). Furthermore, we showed that the quantitative trait locus (QTL) for baseline avoidance behavior on chromosome 15 is homologous with a human linkage region for bipolar disorder (8q24).

Mapping an X-linked locus that influences heat-induced febrile seizures in mice.

Purpose: Febrile seizures (FS) are the most common seizure type in children between the age of 6 months and 5 years. Although FS are largely benign, recurrent FS are a major risk factor for developing temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) later in life. The mechanisms underlying FS are largely unknown; however, family and twin studies indicate that FS susceptibility is under complex genetic control.

The influence of animals on the development of children.

There is a widespread belief that interaction with an animal is beneficial for the development of children, and several studies (most with methodological shortcomings) have investigated the influence of (companion) animals on the social-emotional and cognitive development of children. In this article, the 1984 model of Professor Jay Belsky has been used to describe which variables influence the development of children and how the companion animal-child interaction influences these variables. The value of the AAA/AAT (Animal Assisted Activities/Animal Assisted Therapy) programmes in children with a wide variety of clinical and social problems, such as behaviour problems and autistic spectrum symptoms, is discussed.