This study investigated the effect of group size on tail damage and growth performance in growing-finishing pigs with intact tails. A total of 432 pigs were housed indoors on fully-slatted floors and assigned to either small (nine pigs per pen) or large (18 pigs per pen) groups, with equal space and resource allocation per pig. No environmental enrichment was provided. From nine to 23 weeks of age, pigs were monitored weekly for tail injuries using a 5-point scale (0 = no injury, 4 = partial or total loss). The most severe score observed during each four-week period was used for analysis, and outbreaks were defined as the occurrence of one or more pigs per pen with a tail score ≥ 2. Group size did not influence average daily gain, feed intake, or feed to gain ratio. However, pigs housed in small groups experienced more frequent and severe tail injuries, including a higher proportion of removals due to tail wounds. In contrast, pigs in large groups were more likely to receive healed tail scores (score 1) or mild injuries (score 2), and experienced fewer removals. While these results suggest that tail damage may be less severe in larger groups, the total number of pigs affected by tail biting was similar across treatments. These findings highlight the importance of managing tail-damage severity and suggest that group size can influence welfare outcomes in systems where pigs are raised with intact tails.

In Australia, nearly twenty million cattle and sheep pass through saleyards annually, with potentially significant impacts on their welfare. This study documented the mortality rate occurring from January 2021 to December 2024 at a sample of saleyards of cattle and sheep in New South Wales, Australia, and identified possible risk factors. A database of the number of animals sold and deceased, either on arrival or while contained at each saleyard on each sale day, was created from the National Livestock Identification System. Descriptive statistics, and uni- and multivariable linear regression were used to examine risk factors for mortality. The mean sale mortality rates were 0.016 and 0.096% for cattle and sheep, respectively. In the univariate model, cattle sale mortality rate was associated with the maximum daily temperature, year, size of saleyard, and saleyard location, while minimum daily temperature, region, and saleyard location were associated with sale mortality of sheep. In the multivariable model, size of saleyard, saleyard location, month and year were significant predictors for the cattle mortality rate, while saleyard location and minimum daily temperature remained significant predictors of sheep mortality rate. Furthermore, sale mortality rate was eight times higher in sheep than in cattle, and sheep mortality was higher than values reported in the literature for farms. Further studies investigating the cause of death, journey conditions, and management practices of saleyards are recommended.

Although there are public expectations regarding improvements to farm animal welfare, farmers’ well-being remains largely overlooked. This is particularly concerning given the high prevalence of physical and mental health issues among farming populations. As key stakeholders in the implementation of animal welfare practices, farmers play an essential role in welfare outcomes. Improving animal welfare may require addressing farmers’ own well-being. To support this hypothesis, it is necessary to examine the relationship between farmers’ well-being and the welfare of their animals. This scoping review aimed to: (1) map the methods used to describe relationships between farmer well-being and animal welfare in primary research; and (2) compile pieces of evidence of such relationships. Following the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews, the same search was carried out on three databases (Web of Science Core Collection, MEDLINE, CABI digital library). Twenty-two articles from the 10,189 retrieved met the inclusion criteria. Results underscored the need to standardise methods to enable cross-study comparisons, as different questionnaires were used to assess the same construct (e.g. four for psychological stress), and none of the animal welfare indicators were fully comparable. Moreover, 94 pieces of evidence regarding the relationships between farmer well-being and the welfare of their animals were compiled. Ninety-three pieces described positive associations where improved farmer well-being was associated with improved welfare of their animals, and vice versa. This result suggests that welfare improvement strategies on farms should address not only animal welfare, but also farmer well-being. The results therefore support a One Welfare approach on commercial farms.

The intensification of pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) production systems raises concerns regarding animal welfare, particularly during pre-slaughter conditions, a phase associated with significant stress. Saliva is increasingly recognised as a non-invasive matrix for detecting stress-related biomarkers in pigs. This preliminary study aimed to explore salivary protein changes in pigs subjected to two distinct pre-slaughter conditions at the slaughterhouse, improved (Group A) and stressful (Group B), by tandem mass tag (TMT)-based proteomics. Proteomic analysis of saliva from three pigs per group revealed 13 proteins with a statistically significant difference in relative abundance between the groups. Group B showed elevated levels of proteins linked to metabolic stress, inflammation, and coagulation, such as cystatin-C and fibrinogen chains, while proteins like vimentin and follistatin-related protein were decreased. Cystatin-C and vimentin were further validated by immunoassays in 12 additional pigs per group, confirming their differential abundance. These findings suggest that salivary cystatin-C and vimentin, along with the other 11 proteins that showed changes at proteomics, may serve as candidate biomarkers of acute stress at slaughter. While further validation is required, our results support the potential of salivary proteomics for welfare monitoring in livestock.

Donkeys (Equus asinus) play a vital role in supporting rural and peri-urban livelihoods across Kenya, yet their welfare remains poorly characterised and often compromised by human practices and environmental pressures. This study examined welfare challenges and opportunities across seven counties representing urban, high-potential, semi-arid, and arid production systems. A total of 392 donkeys were assessed using the Standardised Equine-Based Welfare Assessment Tool (SEBWAT), and structured interviews were conducted with owners to capture practices and environmental contexts. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression. Approximately 80% of donkeys exhibited at least one welfare concern. Common problems included poor body condition (48.2%), spinal pain (46.9%), lameness (33.4%), and mutilations (41.6%). Variation was observed across systems with donkeys in urban and high-potential areas showing more spinal sensitivity and behavioural distress. Key predictors of poor welfare included work type, terrain, limited veterinary access, housing, owner negligence, and donkey age ≥ 6 years. Owners prioritised community education (64.5%), veterinary outreach (52.0%), humane handling (27.3%), and improved access to feed and water (21.9%) as key interventions. These findings provide insights for designing targeted, context-specific interventions. A holistic approach addressing both human and environmental challenges is essential for safeguarding donkey welfare and protecting livelihoods.

A kitten’s early experiences have lasting effects on adult behaviour and welfare. Domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) breeders play an important role in shaping these outcomes through their knowledge and understanding of early environment and socialisation. This study aimed to investigate Swedish pedigree cat breeders’ knowledge, attitudes and current socialisation practices. An online survey was distributed via social media to active Swedish breeders of pedigree cats (n = 133). The data were analysed primarily using descriptive statistics with several areas for improvement being identified. More breeders stated the importance of multiple people handling the kittens than they applied in practice. Significantly more breeders reported that it was important for kittens to interact with other companion animals than they demonstrated in practice. Gaps in knowledge were identified regarding the optimal age for socialisation, handling quantity, and the heritability of traits relating to the approach to new experiences. Breeders generally expressed positive attitudes towards socialisation and wished they could have prioritised it more. These findings have important implications for animal welfare, as insufficient early socialisation can increase the risk of fear-related behaviours and reduced overall cat welfare later in life. In conclusion, this study, although based on a convenience sample, provides an important first step towards understanding and improving kitten socialisation practices in Sweden and elsewhere.

Recent surveys have suggested that over half of UK households own a pet. One important aspect to this ownership is ensuring that access to appropriate veterinary care is available for their pets. To measure the ease of accessibility to such care, three aspects are important, the local demand for veterinary care, the supply of care, and the ease of travel to obtain the care. For the first element, in this study estimates were made of the household pet population for all neighbourhoods in England and Wales (36,672 neighbourhoods each containing approximately 700 households). Information regarding the location and number of veterinarians working in local practices was then used, with vehicle journey times, to provide a measure of accessibility to veterinary care. It was found that the more affluent and rural locations have better accessibility to veterinary care than deprived and urban locations. The detailed geography of the estimates provided by this study enabled the location of potential ‘veterinary deserts’ to be identified. With this knowledge additional provision can be prioritised to such locations with a view to improving the welfare of companion animals. Not only will this improve the accessibility of veterinary care but, through competition, this also has the potential to reduce care costs. Thus, the likelihood of pets receiving the care they need will improve. Whilst this study focuses upon England and Wales, the methodology presented would be equally valid in other settings where appropriate data exist.

Collar monitoring devices are used in animals for the minimally invasive collection of physiological data, using software and algorithms to provide general health trends. There is potential to utilise the raw data collected from these devices to improve animal monitoring strategies and intervention points in animal disease studies. We aimed to develop an algorithm for the early detection of highly pathogenic African swine fever disease in research pigs (Sus scrofa), using data collected via modified PetPaceTM health monitoring collars. Pigs from two other studies (n = 6 per study, total n = 12) were opportunistically available and fitted with collar monitors for the daily collection of pulse rate, respiratory rate and heart rate variability, prior to and after experimental challenge with highly pathogenic African swine fever virus. Collar monitors detected a decreased mean, and increased variability, of pulse rate and heart rate variability in pigs post-challenge, which was not detected by single daily point-in-time measurements. The incidence of abnormal pulse rate, respiratory rate and heart rate variability readings increased in pigs after infection with highly pathogenic African swine fever, with increasing abnormal readings occurring both prior to the onset of, and during, clinical disease. A preliminary non-AI algorithm utilising these data detected disease in 100%, and predicted disease onset in 67%, of infected pigs. This paper describes how health-monitoring collars can be used to improve the early detection of African swine fever disease in pigs. Additionally, it provides a potential framework for developing and using non-AI algorithms in other disease models, to enhance animal monitoring and welfare outcomes in research animals.

Indicators of dairy cow welfare are important for the future assessment and improvement of cow welfare on-farm. The objective of this study was to investigate three categories of non-invasive physiological parameters as potential indicators of welfare in dairy cows, namely cumulation of cortisol in the hair, variability in heart rate (HRV), and variability and composition of milk yield, while taking personality traits into account. These indicators were assessed when cows (all primiparous; n = 48) were housed under reference conditions and when exposed to either improving or worsening housing conditions (weekly changes over the course of six weeks). The worsening housing led to an increase in heart rate and a decrease in milk yield. The housing effects on HRV and other milk-derived indicators, however, were affected by the personality traits of activity, fearfulness and sociability. Less active cows, less fearful cows and less social cows all displayed increases in HRV in the improving housing, but more active cows showed against expectations increased HRV in the worsening housing. More fearful cows showed increases in daily milk fluctuations in the worsening housing. These results point to HRV and milk-derived indicators, the latter of which are often routinely collected and that in addition to being non-invasive are also non-intrusive, as providing interesting physiological indicators of dairy cow welfare which will warrant further research.

In the UK, fireworks are common during several celebratory events throughout the year. Previous evidence has shown the adverse effects of fireworks on domestic companion animals. However, there has been little focus on equids. An online survey was developed to understand the impact of fireworks on horses and donkeys, how owners attempt to mitigate these impacts, and the owners’ views on fireworks. A total of 1,234 horse owners and 232 donkey owners responded. The majority (77%) advocated tighter regulations surrounding the use of fireworks, including reduction in the maximum noise produced, and control over when fireworks were used. Horse owners typically perceived their animals to be more fearful of fireworks than donkey owners, with running, kicking, bucking and rearing, being the most reported responses. However, horses used for hunting and sport were perceived as being less fearful. Eight percent of horse owners reported injury due to fireworks compared to donkeys, with only one report of injury. Stabling, staying with the animal, moving the animal to different premises, and music, were common mitigation strategies, all of which were rated as effective by owners. Owner concern and horse injury rates highlight fireworks as a potential threat to horse welfare and safety. Whilst owner mitigation strategies can be effective, they are limited in their ability to completely prevent injury and, importantly, require suitable forewarning. Differences between horses and donkeys are potentially due to different fear responses, with horses more likely to exhibit flight or fright responses, and donkeys flight or freeze.

Cold stress is a significant welfare concern for piglets, particularly in outdoor housing systems where the ambient climate cannot be controlled. To deal with cold stress, piglets engage in heat-inducing behaviours, such as maintaining proximity to the sow, however this is a major risk factor for overlays. This research examined the effect of outdoor farrowing hut temperature on piglet survival and behaviour and found that lowered hut temperatures led to increased pre-weaning mortality. Two hundred sows and their litters were studied over six time replicates during winter in Australia at a commercial outdoor piggery. As daily minimum hut temperature decreased, piglet mortality increased on the first day of life, and across days one to four of life, but not from five days onwards. As hut temperature decreased, piglets were more likely to be shivering, huddling in one group, and resting in physical contact with the sow. However, contrary to expectations, there was no evidence of a relationship between piglet-sow proximity and piglet deaths, suggesting that being in close proximity to the sow did not increase the risk of dying. It may be that cold exposure reduces piglet mobility and thus the chance for piglets to avoid being crushed, but this requires further examination. Overall, cold stress is clearly a significant piglet welfare and productivity concern leading to increased mortality even when considering more moderate Australian climates.

Training for knowledge and attitude change can be a key component of improving animal care and welfare. Much of the available research is focused upon the livestock industry but can be applied to other animal industries. In the research and teaching industry (RTI), training is an important legal, regulatory, professional, and ethical responsibility as well as a forming part of the social licence for industry. A comparative study was developed to explore the impact of training targeting attitudes and knowledge on participants’ use of grimace scales (GS) in the Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) RTI. Participants were recruited into training sessions that excluded (control) or included (enhanced) training targeting attitudes. Prior to any training, cohorts received a mixed-methods, quantitative-qualitative questionnaire to determine baseline knowledge and attitudes towards GS, animal welfare, and pain management. Post-training, participants completed questionnaires to investigate changes in their knowledge or attitudes. Training (control and enhanced) resulted in up to eight times more positive attitudes and knowledge towards the GS and pain management. Only enhanced training for attitudes offered additional key benefits with participants being up to three times more confident in GS and more likely to offer pain relief. The results from this study demonstrate the ability for GS training to improve human-animal interactions with potential improvements in pain management, animal welfare, the 3Rs, and research. These outcomes support the greater body of literature and best practice recommendations for RTIs to require and implement training programmes that incorporate attitudinal training in animal care and use programmes.

Free community pet clinics (FCPCs) are instrumental in providing healthcare services for pets in resource-constrained communities. These programmes are typically single-day and coupled with limited opportunity for post-operative follow-up, the likelihood of compromise on the welfare of the sterilised pets becomes apparent. The objective of this study was to identify welfare and ethical challenges associated with dog sterilisation clinics conducted in Kampala Metropolitan Area, Uganda, from May to October 2023. We evaluated the welfare of 46 dogs sterilised at the FCPCs. We collected data using a questionnaire combined with observations and checklists at all stages, including arrival, pre-surgical evaluation, post-surgical recovery, and follow-ups at 7 and 30 days post-surgery. Dogs transported to the clinics by motorcycle moved the longest distance (9.5 km; range: 7.2–11 km), followed by those brought by car (3.8 km; range 3.8–4 km) and lastly by walking (2.0 km; 1–3 km). During the pre-surgical waiting period and post-surgical recovery, 91.3 and 63.0% of dogs, respectively, did not receive any provisions. The Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG) tool evaluated the impact of physical, psychological, and procedural factors on dog welfare and revealed that procedural events had the most negative impact. In the follow-up, one week post-surgery, a significant percentage of dogs were healing normally (73.7%) while infection at the surgical site was reported in 15.4%. Assessing the behavioural change of dogs by 30 days post-operatively, 46.4% reportedly had increased aggression levels. These findings highlight crucial welfare and stress control points for dogs sterilised at free community clinics, which may influence the outcome of the surgery and later interactions with healthcare professionals.

This study aims to improve the welfare and management of recreational horses by identifying how different management styles affect horse health and behaviour. We examined the management styles of recreational horse owners in the UK and Ireland, focusing on social interaction (friends), access to suitable forage (forage), and unrestricted movement (freedom). We collected 1,501 survey responses, distributed via social media, and summarised the characteristics and management choices of the respondents. Using the Divisive ANAlysis cluster package in R, three distinct management styles were identified. The largest differences between clusters were in turn-out, individual stabling, and access to forage. The Horse Centred Management Cluster (HCMC) (n = 956) were more likely to provide their horses with 24-h turn-out and access to a forage source, and interaction with two or more horses. The Combined Management Cluster (CMC) (n = 434) showed a combination of management decisions that differed from the HCMC, including horses being kept in an individual stable for longer periods and being provided with shorter turn-out periods (nine or more hours). The Owner Centred Management Cluster (OCMC) (n = 111) provided a more restrictive management style with a much reduced turn-out time (typically 0–6 h), often with no contact with other horses, and less access to a forage source (0–10 h). We explored associations between management factors (friends, forage, and freedom) and horse welfare-related outputs via owner responses to health and behaviour questions, where behaviour was considered to reflect mental state. The HCMC horses were significantly less likely to exhibit gastrointestinal issues, lameness issues, handling problems, or antisocial behaviours compared to both other groups. This study highlights how management impacts the health and behaviour of recreational horses and can contribute to the development of guidance on improved management and welfare for recreational horses.

Lameness remains an ongoing challenge to the health and welfare of UK sheep flocks. Whilst effective recommended practice exists in the UK in the form of the five-point plan (5PP), it is not always used or used effectively, particularly in relation to culling. A more in-depth understanding of farmer lameness management behaviours and decision-making is crucial for driving positive change. Behaviour change frameworks offer useful tools to do this, specifically the Behaviour Change Wheel and its central tenets of capability, opportunity and motivation (COM-B). This research sought to explore on-farm management practices surrounding lameness, particularly focused on the 5PP and culling in relation to COM-B. Findings are drawn from five online focus groups with UK farmers (n = 19) and one with veterinarians (n = 4). Thematic analysis led to the identification of themes in relation to the role of capability, opportunity and motivation to enact the steps of the 5PP, particularly culling. Culling, alongside prompt treatment, were the only tools used by all participants. Yet, culling practices did not always follow recommended advice. Factors that influenced behaviours included those self-controlled by farmers, e.g. records kept; outside of their control, e.g. space available, and those controlled by other actors, such as market prices. Considerations of the individual farm and the wider UK sheep sector context were important. Findings suggest a need for interventions aimed at encouraging good record-keeping, collective industry action against lameness and opportunities for vet-farmer interactions. These should be pursued together to achieve the goal of reducing lameness and subsequently improving sheep welfare.

There are several examples of best animal husbandry practices that are not adopted, leading to animal welfare compromises. Bridging this gap between advice and human behaviour is crucial in helping drive improvements in animal welfare. Inappropriate feeding of pregnant cows is common and associated with compromised health and welfare. Obesity and leanness can cause calving difficulty and reduce the vigour of newborn calves. One way to offset the problems associated with body condition extremes is to adopt body condition scoring (BCS) by hand. Knowing each animal’s condition helps the farmer identify ‘at risk’ cows leading to better feeding decisions and improved health and welfare. Despite the significant benefits of BCS, very few farmers routinely adopt this practice, relying more upon a visual assessment of condition. Some farmers also report that they do not BCS by hand, or by eye. The current study identified the key barriers and drivers of BCS by hand to develop an evidence-based intervention designed to encourage more adoption. We propose that human behaviour change frameworks, such as the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), present the opportunity to address other animal welfare issues where best management practices are rarely adopted. We also recommend that an interdisciplinary team of animal welfare and social scientists are best positioned to develop human behaviour change interventions that will more likely lead to tangible, persistent and positive change.

Despite common assertions that puppies acquired from low-welfare sources (e.g. ‘puppy farms’) and/or sold illegally (e.g. without buyers seeing their puppies’ mother pre-purchase) have poorer future health and welfare, remarkably little evidence supports this. We investigated the impact of puppy early-life risk factors, including owner acquisition behaviours, upon adult dog health outcomes. An online longitudinal survey followed a cohort of n = 985 ‘Pandemic Puppies’ purchased in the UK during 2020 aged < 16 weeks of age as they reached 21 months of age. Owners reported their dogs’ diagnosed health disorders and their expectations vs realities of veterinary costs since a ‘puppyhood’ questionnaire (while ≤ 7 months of age) in 2020. Multivariable modelling investigated risk factors for these outcomes, including early-life health, behaviour, and acquisition-related variables. Most owners (n = 931/985; 94.5%) reported ≥ one health problem in their dog since the 2020 questionnaire. Puppies sold < 6 weeks of age, without their owner having seen the puppy’s mother prior to purchase, or acquired by first-time owners were more likely to have a higher number of health disorders at 21 months old. One-quarter (n = 220/936; 23.5%) of owners had spent more than they expected on veterinary costs since acquiring their puppy, with owners of puppies sold without a microchip more likely to report this. Results suggest that longer-term health outcomes are linked to how and where a puppy is acquired. As many risk factors identified here are already illegal in England, Wales and Scotland, greater enforcement and awareness of this legislation is urgently needed to protect canine welfare.

During commercial harvesting (shooting) of kangaroos, pouch young of shot females must be euthanased to prevent suffering. The current euthanasia method, manually applied concussive (or blunt force) trauma to the head, can be effective but is not always applied consistently and is often perceived by observers to be inhumane. The captive-bolt device (CBD), which fires a steel bolt that either penetrates or impacts the skull, could provide a more suitable alternative. We reviewed a range of potentially suitable CBDs and assessed the effectiveness of four types on live animals. Effectiveness of CBDs was determined by assessing behaviour, electroencephalogram (EEG) and evaluating brain and skull trauma post mortem. Pouch young were also euthanased using manual blunt force trauma for comparison. Shooting with a penetrating CBD produced brain activity that was inconsistent with consciousness in 100% (n = 20) of animals. Behavioural indicators of consciousness and normal-like EEG were not detected after shooting with the CBD and damage to the brain was extensive. Seven out of 29 (24%) joeys shot with a non-penetrating CBD were either still breathing (n = 1) or recovered breathing (n = 6) after shooting. All seven animals had no or only mild damage to the medulla. We conclude that a cartridge-powered, penetrating CBD and manual blunt force trauma can both achieve immediate unconsciousness in pouch young, but a second step to exsanguinate the animal must still be performed. Penetrating CBDs are preferred to manual blunt force trauma since they are more repeatable, less reliant upon operator skill and confidence and more likely to reduce animal (and observer) distress.