Lab 1: Applied Ethology part 1

Question 1

Why do veterinarians need to understand animal behaviour?

Answer 1

1. Safe, effective, and humane animal handling
2. Manage or manipulate animal behaviour in ways that are beneficial to humans
3. Diagnose and resolve behaviour problems
4. Assessment of health and welfare

Question 2

animal based measures of welfare

Answer 2

 Behaviour
 Physiological variables
 Health outcomes

Question 2

Behaviour problems – the veterinarian’s role

Answer 2

Assess potential medical causes
Provide medical, surgical and pharmacological treatments
Professional training – communication, ethics, follow- up to provide quality service
Access to continuing education on these topics
Access to referrals

Question 3

measures that can be taken to assess welfare; categories

Answer 3

▫ Animal-based measures
 Behaviour
 Physiological variables
 Health outcomes
▫ Resource-based measures
▫ Management-based measures

Question 4

How can we use behaviour to assess pain?

Answer 4

We can use 3 different classes of pain behaviour:

1. Animals exhibiting choice/preference to avoid pain
    Avoiding painful stimulus, self-medication with analgesics
2. Change in frequency or magnitude of normal behaviours
    Changes in general activity, e.g., reduced feeding, drinking
3. Pain-specific behaviours
    Postural changes, increased attention to/guarding of painful area, changes in vocalizations, abnormal reaction to palpation
    Specific responses to certain types of pain such as writhing with visceral pain, ear flicking following dehorning

Pain indicators will be specific to a particular anatomical site affected, to the intensity of pain, and to the species

Question 5

What makes a good pain measure, in experimental vs clinical conditions?

Answer 5

• Experimental
  ▫ Behaviours can be rare and retrospective
   differentiate groups of animals
   assessment over extended period without need to modify
  animal treatment
• Clinical
  ▫ Behaviours must occur regularly and be sensitive enough to identify and estimate pain in individuals in real time
   Accurate assessment in individuals  Relatively quick