The Veterinarian’s Guide to Animal Welfare

Section 1 – Concepts of animal welfare

• Characterization of animal welfare
• Definitions
• Factors that influence animal welfare
• Sentience
• Animal needs
• Animal wants

• Five Freedoms
• 3Rs
• Five Domains
• Three Orientations
• Ethical matrix
• Quality of life
• General Principles
• Comparative

• Science
• Sociological influences
• Ethics
• Indirect theories
• Direct but unequal theories
• Moral equality theories
• Culture
• Law
• Economics

• The body
• Health
• Stress
• Adaptive abilities

• Behavior

• Behavioral needs
• Abnormal behavior

• The mind

• Sentience
• Affective states
• Motivation
• Cognition

• Learning

• Associative learning
• Classical conditioning
• Operant conditioning
• Non-associative learning
• Complex learning

• Ethical thought applied to animals
• Deontology
• Natural law theory
• Divine command theory
• Animal rights theory
• Consequentialism (teleology)
• Egoism
• Group consequentialism
• Utilitarianism
• Virtue
• Contractarianism
• Relationalism
• Capabilities
• Frameworks for ethical decision-making

• Impact of history and tradition

• History and tradition
• Attitudes and beliefs
• Religion
• Atheism and humanism
• Buddhism
• Christianity
• Hinduism
• Islam
• Judaism
• Culture
• Philosopher and ethicist
• Scientist
• Animal producer/owner
• The public
• Cognitive dissonance
• Human-animal interaction

• Impact of outside forces

• Legislation, regulations, and treaties
• Economics and market forces
• Compliance and assurance programs
• The media and social media

• Animal welfare assessment programs
• Input- or resource-based parameters (engineering standards)
• Outcome- or animal-based parameters (performance standards)
• Combination of parameters

• Human-related factors affecting assessments

• Opinions
• Training
• Records
• Individual and population-based approaches
• Risk assessment

• The veterinary profession’s role in animal welfare
• Legal oversight of the profession
• Professional policies and ethics relating to animal welfare
• Professional organizations
• National veterinary organizations
• State and local veterinary organizations
• Professional practice-related organizations

• Veterinary colleges

• Student education
• Institutional use of animals

• Individual veterinarians

• Duty of care
• Client education
• Remaining current
• Compassion fatigue
• Differentiating personal from professional views
• Communication and mediating diverse views

• Issues with housing
• Confinement housing
• Environmental enrichment
• Environmental control
• Environmental quality

• Management and handling

• Appropriate handling and training techniques
• Transport
• Non-therapeutic procedures
• Cosmetic procedures
• Performance enhancing
• Painful procedures
• Tail alterations
• Castration
• Identification
• Electroimmobilization
• Welfare aspects of working animals

• Implications of genetics for welfare

• Intentional and responsible breeding
• CRISPR-Cas9
• Xenotransplantation

• End of life issues

• Euthanasia
• Culling
• Depopulation
• Slaughter
• Pest control

• Pain perception

• Captive ownership of aquatic animals

• Aquaria
• Marine mammals
• Other aquatic species
• Transport and handling stress
• Performing animals
• Farm-raised
• Transport and handling stress

• Free-living aquatic species

• Finfish
• Other aquatic species

• Issues with housing
• Hoarding
• Issues in transport

• Management and handling

• Impact of anthropomorphism
• Cosmetic procedures
• Coloring and dying
• Obesity
• Training
• Types of collars

• Genetic and welfare

• Uncontrolled breeding

• Welfare challenges related to type of use
• Doping
• Issues with housing
• Issues in transport
• The show horse industry
• Non-therapeutic procedures, performance enhancing
• Soring
• Other procedures
• Abusive equipment
• Popularity of futurities
• Eventing
• Horse show fads
• Associated stressors
• The horse racing industry

• Traditional racing events

• Musculoskeletal injuries

• Equipment

• Bush tracks

• Chuckwagon racing

• Wild horse racing
• Working and competitive horses
• Gymkhana horses
• Endurance competition
• Polo horses
• Rodeo horses
• Carriage horses
• Police horses
• Horses not used in competition

• Production of biological products

• Unwanted horses

• Repurposing animals
• Federally owned horses
• Free-ranging horses

• Donkey welfare issues

• Donkey skins

• Issues with housing
• Enrichment
• Issues with transport

• Use in research

• Researcher training
• Nonhuman primates used in research
• Reproducibility of research
• Repurposing animals
• Humane endpoints

• Efficient vs effective livestock handling
• Livestock transport

• Cattle welfare issues

• Issues with housing
• Stress due to temperature extremes
• Issues in transport
• Management and handling
• Dairy calf management
• Feedlot cattle management
• Mixing of unfamiliar animals
• Lameness
• Longevity of dairy cows
• Painful and cosmetic procedures
• Cosmetic procedures
• Air injection
• Disbudding and dehorning
• Claw trimming
• Ovariectomy
• Religious slaughter
• Cattle used in sports
• Rodeo events using cattle

• Poultry welfare issues

• Issues with housing
• Issues in transport
• Killing male layer chicks
• Beak trimming (debeaking)
• Dubbing and dewattling
• Induced (forced) molting
• Foie gras production
• Toe trimming
• Sheep and goat welfare issues
• Mulesing
• Issues in transport
• Swine welfare issues
• Issues with housing

• Issues in transport

• Management and handling

• Problem behaviors

• Tail biting

Chapter 12 - Wildlife animal welfare issues

• Captive ownership of wild/exotic animals
• Hoofstock
• Exhibition animals
• Zoos
• Private collections
• Excess animals
• Exotic pets
• Appropriate care
• Unwanted animals
• Human-wildlife interface
• Deforestation
• Climate change