Laboratory Animal Welfare

Laboratory Animal Welfare

American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine
2014, Pages 213-231
Laboratory Animal Welfare

Chapter 14 - Dog and Cat Welfare in a Research Environment

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Abstract

There is often a heightened concern for the welfare of dogs and cats since they play a special role as companion animals. While most individuals with knowledge of dogs or cats have opinions about what constitutes good welfare, there are unique considerations that must be applied for these species as laboratory animals. Oversight of measures that promote good welfare begins even before acquisition and continues throughout the life of the animal. Included are discussions of choosing the right animal, transportation to the research facility, care at the facility, importance of socialization, acclimation, and enrichment, and re-homing of laboratory dogs and cats. As knowledge and perspectives change about what constitutes good welfare, so too does the expectation for better care at all stages of the animal's life.

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    2016, Applied Animal Behaviour Science
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    Recent estimates in the United States of America (USA) identified that over 21,000 cats were used in scientific procedures (USDA, 2015). Research environments can be restrictive; however it is recognised that animals in them should be given, where practicable, the opportunity for physical, social and environmental control, and behavioural choice (Broom and Johnson, 1993; FELASA, 2006; Meunier and Beaver, 2013). Limitations for the laboratory cat include the human requirement to house them in colony environments for long periods of time, limited choice over environmental provisions, reduced access to stimulating opportunities and loss of control over social grouping and interactions (Meunier and Beaver, 2013).

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