The Veterinarian’s Guide to Animal Welfare provides an overview of various aspects of animal welfare that are particularly relative to the veterinary profession. The book explores various ways of viewing and assessing welfare, as well as the numerous factors that influence perceptions. Emphasis is placed on contemporary issues across, and within, major species groups. The book's authors are internationally known experts in the veterinary aspects of animal welfare and have written numerous articles on animal welfare, behavior, euthanasia and the human-animal bond.
This book is written for the veterinary profession and was designed to be used as a textbook for animal welfare courses at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine. It complements the Model Curriculum for the Study of Animal Welfare (AVMA 2015) and its attendant course syllabus. This is an important resource for graduate veterinarians seeking to improve their understanding of the numerous aspects of animal welfare.
Key Features
- Specifically written for veterinarians and veterinary students
- Addresses historical, cultural, and contemporary aspects of animal welfare
- Complements the Model Curriculum for the Study of Animal Welfare developed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
Section 1 – Concepts of animal welfare
Chapter 1 Introductory concepts
- Introduction to animal welfare
- Characterization of animal welfare
- Definitions
- Factors that influence animal welfare
- Sentience
- Animal needs
- Animal wants
-
Frameworks for defining animal welfare
- Five Freedoms
- 3Rs
- Five Domains
- Three Orientations
- Ethical matrix
- Quality of life
- General Principles
- Comparative
-
Scientific and sociological influences
- Science
- Sociological influences
- Ethics
- Indirect theories
- Direct but unequal theories
- Moral equality theories
- Culture
- Law
- Economics
Chapter 2. Scientific components of animal welfare
- 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
Chapter 3. Sociological components of animal welfare
- 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
Chapter 4. Assessing animal welfare
- 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
Chapter 5 – Role of veterinarians in animal welfare
- 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
Section 2 – Species-related issues in animal welfare
Chapter 6 - Multi-species welfare issues
- 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
Chapter 7 - Aquatic animal welfare issues
- 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
Chapter 8 - Companion animal welfare issues
- 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
Chapter 9 – Equine welfare issues
- 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
Chapter 10 - Laboratory animal welfare issues
- Issues with housing
- Enrichment
- Issues with transport
-
Use in research
- Researcher training
- Nonhuman primates used in research
- Reproducibility of research
- Repurposing animals
- Humane endpoints
Chapter 11 - Livestock welfare issues
- 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
Students in veterinary studies, specifically courses involving animal welfare training and assessments
