The Research Centre for Animal Welfare (RCAW) is a multidisciplinary specialist community establishe
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After some years we finally can participate in live congresses! Pack of us participated in the European veterinary congress for behavioural medicine and animal welfare in Palma. In connection to congress, special equine education program was organized for specialing vets. From our pack DVMs Kati White and Kirsi Swan are specializing on animal ethics, welfare and law.
DVM Hanna Nurmi and her colleagues show here that reindeer as prey animals show modest castration pain, in this study mainly by contracting their abdominal muscles and closing their nostrils. Local lidocaine anaesthesia failed to significantly reduce pain-related behaviours, and longer handling times meanwhile caused a significant rise in re**al temperature, especially if combined with other stressors such as NSAID injection. Further research is needed with more delicate measures of pain related to castration and the proper means of pain alleviation. This study is part of DVM Hanna Nurmi’s PhD study.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159122001770
Yearly, 2500–4000 reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) bulls are castrated in Finland, mostly without pain alleviation. No previous research exists c…
We did it! The first study ever on reindeer NSAID pharmacokinetics. Worth for freezing working conditions in Lapland at winter.
We show here that meloxicam administered by IV or oral route is a promising option for reindeer in field conditions.
https://www.vaajournal.org/article/S1467-2987(22)00071-X/fulltext
To investigate the pharmacokinetics of orally and intravenously (IV) administered meloxicam in semidomesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus).
How Finnish producers manage to rear non-docked pigs. Prof Anna Valros wrote a scientific review on subject: Several features of Finnish pig production might have a preventive role regarding the tail biting risk: these include, among others, a comparably larger space allowance, partly slatted flooring, use of manipulable materials, a good animal health status and meal feeding from long troughs. In addition, Finnish producers are motivated to rear non-docked pigs, which is possibly one of the most important prerequisites for success.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731121001968?fbclid=IwAR1Go2VC3V-n2ps8K6EshLLDjqiCz8LPcjjw4QogXq6FYyiVnew2RaHQIxQ
Tail biting is a serious behavioural problem in modern pig production, causing impaired animal welfare and economic losses. In most countries, the det…
Fresh article out! Elli Valtonen and her co-authors studied animal welfare inspections performed by the official municipal veterinarians in the Finnish Capital Region. They found that insufficient basic maintenance and care of companion animals was the most common form of non-compliance with the animal welfare legislation; this was followed by insufficient veterinary care. The official municipal veterinarians detected most non-compliances when the following factors were present: an inspection was performed, the case was assessed using the information from the police or an animal shelter, or a complaint was received concerning insufficient veterinary care. The detection of violence against animals often resulted in a request for a police investigation. However, detecting violence appears to be a challenge. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.736084/full
Saaras´first PhD project article out! Her aim was to investigate whether dogs’ s*x and neutering status can influence two important cognitive traits: inhibitory control and social cognition. Results in short: males were more impulsive and independent compared to females, whereas females had greater inhibitory control and were more likely to gaze at a human during a problem-solving situation. Since neutering status did not affect the results, it seems likely that these s*x differences arose during early development and were not affected by levels of circulating s*x hormones to a great extent. Read more here:
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/8/2448/htm?fbclid=IwAR0j6k0vtei5hkM9PDOVo9yIldJUF-xAkKMOopLuqhffTM7Er8Z8PvYzDg0
The winners of the Helsinki City Library’s writing competition have been selected. Our doctoral student, DVM Elli Valtonen won the 3rd price in the adult category for Kanipäivä (”a Rabbit day”) a story with a margin and fresh narration of the challenges facing a veterinarian in the face of a rabbit apocalypse.
https://newsbeezer.com/finlandeng/puukki-and-reinikka-win-the-helsinki-city-librarys-writing-competition/
Puukki and Reinikka win the Helsinki City Library’s writing competition March 2, 2021 Entertainment 2 Views Share Facebook Twitter Google + LinkedIn Pinterest The winners of the Helsinki City Library’s writing competition have been selected, the City of Helsinki announced in a press release on M...
DVM Kati Tuomola’s research in the Horse 🤗
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2021/03/02/certain-bit-styles-mouth-injuries-trotters/?fbclid=IwAR2Su5Aq8ojTRgGNxKsktxUEipM3VsYAEwfgWagJxBV5dTOmEaKAE7QS8OM
Researchers in Finland examine 261 trotters after races to find risk factors for mouth lesions.
Our doctoral student, equine vet Kati Tuomola showed recently that bit-lesions are unfortunately common in trotting horses. But which bit is the best (or worst). See infographics or check the answer below.
Link to the original article:
https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/evj.13401
(and yes, the answer: The occurrence of oral lesions was the most common in horses wearing a crescendo bit, a mullen mouth regulator bit or a straight plastic bit. However, lesions were observed regardless of the bit type)
Our researchers found that the piglets that had access to chewable materials from birth made more contact with the sow during lactation, but still the sow performed less stress-related behaviour. This is at least partly due to the piglets being less harmful in their biting behaviour causing less pain and discomfort for the sow.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159120302628?via%3Dihub
We investigated how providing chewable materials to piglets during the early weeks of life affect sow behaviour, sow and piglet interaction and sow he…
Virtual celebration! The Finnish Academy Strategic Research Council funded prof Anna Valros and Dr Laura Hänninen with 0,5milj €! Their project is part of Research Director Kati Rantala´s 3.5milj € consortium addressing the need to broaden the knowledge base of legislative drafting to include perspectives of those with very few means to participate in the knowledge production that informs law drafting, including animals. We call them silent agents because others speak about them and for them.
https://www.aka.fi/en/strategic-research/strategic-research/strategic-research-in-a-nutshell/programmes-and-projects/literacy/sile/
Finally ready! A scientific consensus of what we know, and what we need to study more, on dairy cow lying time and welfare.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030220308857?via%3Dihub&fbclid=IwAR0HNKIBgHF9qq6zQnZvvNf4IE3uYCo5iqmULjLZ6BdFnEKiguuB8FHxrkw#fig6
We followed the the rehoming of laboratory dogs - the first of its kind in Finland. The rehoming process was started with months of practising basic pet dog skills with the dogs and by familiarising them with the world outside the laboratory. The practice period lasted from four to six months, depending on the dog. Generally speaking, the new owners have been extremely happy about their new pets, but some dogs did have some separation anxiety and house-soiling at home.
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/life-science-news/first-rehoming-of-laboratory-dogs-in-finland-was-successful-but-required-a-great-deal-of-work
Researchers at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Helsinki monitored the success of rehoming 16 laboratory beagles in 2015–2018
The court in Finland does not perceive the violations of farm animal welfare as being very blameworthy, because the sanctions were mild despite the nature and extended duration of violations. https://www.mdpi.com/695480
EU legislation requires the violations of animal welfare standards to be sanctioned. Our aim was to evaluate criminal sanctions concerning violations of cattle and pig welfare on Finnish farms. We analyzed 196 court cases heard in Finnish district courts from 2011 to 2016. Almost all the cases (95%)...
We found that the Finnish official veterinarians working in the field of animal welfare control perceive their work as meaningful because they can influence the welfare of animals, but at the same time, they often experience work-related stress and fatigue. The underlying causes of stress were identified as threatening situations, such as death threats, assaults, and disturbance of domestic peace, high frequency of overtime work, disturbed work–private life balance, and the inconvenience of working alone.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00077/full?utm_source=F-NTF&utm_medium=EMLX&utm_campaign=PRD_FEOPS_20170000_ARTICLE#T1
The aim of the study was to evaluate the job satisfaction of official veterinarians working in the field of animal welfare control and identify both positive features and challenges of their work. An electronic questionnaire was designed to evaluate job satisfaction. The questionnaire was responded....
Yes! We got a new person on board, when Peter Krawczel is starting as an associate professor in animal welfare. Welcome Peter!
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/life-science-news/peter-krawczel-starting-as-an-associate-professor-in-animal-welfare-at-the-helsinki-one-health-network
Peter Krawczel from the University of Tennessee (US) has been appointed associate professor in animal welfare in the Helsinki One Health research network.
More species to work with :-). PhD Marianna Norring got a grant from the Finnish ministry of agriculture and forestry to evaluate how and where rabbits are and could be kept in Finland, and to estimate the effects of different housing and management types on rabbit welfare in our climate.
(Photo by Gerrie van der Walt on Unsplash)
Researchers from all over the Nordics are joining their forces on wild animal welfare issues. Follow NordCAW 2019 on line straming now on Wed and Thu! https://www.elaintieto.fi/blogi/luonnonelainten-hyvinvointi-kiinnostaa-kansainvalisesti/
Helsingissä 30. – 31.10. järjestettävässä NordCAW-seminaarissa alan ammattilaiset ympäri pohjoismaita pohtivat, miten luonnoneläinten hyvinvointi varmistetaan.
Our doctoral student Kati Tuomola found that more than 80% of trotters had lesions in the mouth area affected by the bit when examined after a race.
Kati says that oral examinations require a headlamp and nimble hands, but other than that the procedure is fairly easy. Examining the mouth only takes a couple of minutes!
Of the 261 horses examined, 84% had injuries in the bit area.
Our researchers show here that soft tissue oral lesions in the bit area were a common finding after a race performance in Finnish trotters examined (over 80% of the inspected horses). Lesions are easily left unnoticed, since they are inside the mouth and usually do not bleed.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2019.00206/full
Oral mucosal lesions in the bit area are common in horses, but not comprehensively studied in harness racing horses. This study describes the type and occurrence of oral mucosal lesions in the area affected by the bit, hereafter called the bit area, in trotters after a race. Based on our results, we...
Our researchers analysed the Finnish animal welfare inspection data, and found that about every fourth inspected Finnish cattle and pig farm did not comply with the animal welfare standards. Factors that increased the risk of non-compliance were small herd size, tie-stall housing and outdoor rearing. Inadequate lying area in cattle farms and a lack of enrichment material in pig farms were the most common non-compliances. The regional differences found may indicate differences in inspectors’ interpretations or ways in conducting inspections. As the official inspection reports contain valuable information about the welfare problems on farms, the reports should be better utilized in risk analysis, in targeting farmer education, and in making the inspections more uniform.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/5/263/htm
The competent authorities of the Member States of the European Union are required to perform animal welfare inspections on livestock farms. The data obtained from these official inspections performed in Finnish cattle and pig farms in 2010–2015 were used with the aim of estimating the prevalen...
We are participating an interesting new research network at Helsinki Uni, HOH Helsinki One Health. This network is encouraging various disciplines and professions to work together to resolve emerging health and welfare problems concerning animal and human populations worldwide. Follow on twitter
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/one-health
Profile 15.5.2019 Health news Tarja Pääkkönen appointed the first assistant professor of the Helsinki One Health research network Helsinki One Health, a network organisation focused on human and animal health, appointed Tarja Pääkkönen, specialist in veterinary medicine,...
Our researchers with their Swedish and Danish colleagues were first to assess sleep distribution during a lactation cycle in cattle, and showed that stage of lactation is important to consider when moving forward with sleep investigations in dairy cows. They found the shortest REM sleep duration for cows 2 wk after calving and longest 2 wk before
https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(19)30314-5/fulltext
The importance of rest and sleep is well established; we know, for example, that lack of sleep impairs immune function in rats and increases pain sensitivity in humans. However, little is known about sleep in dairy cows, but a lack of rest and sleep is discussed as a possible welfare problem in catt...
Our researchers showed that Finnish farmers had strong negative attitudes towards beak trimming. This study underlines the importance of flock management, especially lighting and feeding, in preventing pecking problems and indicates that it is possible to incorporate a non-beak-trimming policy into sustainable egg production. Pecking-related problems are common in intensive egg production, compromising hen welfare, causing farmers economic losses and negatively affecting sustainability. These problems are often controlled by beak trimming, which in Finland is prohibited.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/2/43
Pecking-related problems are common in intensive egg production, compromising hen welfare, causing farmers economic losses and negatively affecting sustainability. These problems are often controlled by beak trimming, which in Finland is prohibited. An online questionnaire aimed to collect informati...
Our paper was featured as a cover of Animals - journal! Lovely photo by our vet student Sini Merikallio. In the photo her course mate Elina Lehinsalo and cow Jänöliini (Little bunny). Open access here: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/8/12/220
Come and work with us as a tenure or full PROFESSOR IN ANIMAL WELFARE!
This is a joint position between the Faculties of Agriculture and Forestry and the Veterinary Medicine in collaboration with the Natural Resources Institute Finland .
https://www.helsinki.fi/fi/avoimet-tyopaikat/assistant-professor-associate-professor-professor-in-animal-welfare-hoh-helsinki-one-health
The University of Helsinki is an international scientific community of 40,000 students and researchers. It is one of the leading multidisciplinary research universities in Europe and ranks among the top 100 international universities in the world. HOH Helsinki One Health is a new network organizatio...
As veterinary students face several ethical challenges during their curriculum, our teacher-researchers surveyd if the animal ethical views of Finnish veterinary students were changed during their education, and if education had an effect on how students evaluate the level of pain perception in different animal species. Our researchers found that the appreciation of pain perception of different animal species, and especially of those taxonomically further away from humans, increases during veterinary studies, but animal ethic views were influenced only to a small degree. From the beginning to the end of vet studies, the Finnish veterinary students have a clear domination of utilitarian views in animal ethics (roughly defined as ethical judgements being based on a strive to maximize the human and non-human animal welfare).
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/teaching-studying-at-the-university/animal-ethical-views-and-perception-of-animal-pain-in-veterinary-students-in-finland
We surveyed the animal ethical views of Finnish veterinary students, and also asked them to score the level of pain perception in different animal species.
Group housing of gestating sows benefits their welfare by allowing them freedom of movement and the opportunity for social interaction. However, social life could also bring disadvantages for individuals who receive direct aggression or are displaced from the feeder. Our researchers suggest that submissive sows or sows with low body condition need special attention with regard to group dynamics and housing to alleviate the effects of competition in group housing.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/animal/article/body-condition-live-weight-and-success-in-agonistic-encounters-in-mixed-parity-groups-of-sows-during-gestation/D940B3ED3D196ACE524942904F10C2E3
Dr Lynne Sneddons´ lecture on Fish pain at our Animal Welfare forum
https://connect.funet.fi/ptu7hifftvbj/
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New animal welfare legislation in Finland will most likely ban disbudding of calves without proper pain medication. However, hardly any research exist on the use of multi-modal sedatives on young pre-ruminant calves. Our researchers started a project, funded by The Finnish ministry of agriculture and forestry , aiming at finding safer and healthier sedation methods for calves.
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/science-news/healthier-and-safer-sedation-methods-for-calves-during-disbudding-project-starts
New animal welfare legislation in Finland will most likely ban disbydding of calves without proper pain medication. However, hardly any research exist on the use of multi-modal sedatives on young preruminant calves. The Finnish ministry of agriculture and forestry funded a project at the Faculty of....
Our Canine mind - research group is developing in co-op with the Tampere University, technical solutions to interpret canine emotions.
Our doctoral student Helena Telkänranta had a public plenary on the 1st (un)Common Worlds
Human-Animal Studies Conference organised in Finland— 7–9 August 2018 Turku
https://vimeo.com/283931479
(Un)Common Worlds – Human-Animal Studies Conference, 7–9 August 2018 Turku, Finland KEYNOTE: Helena Telkänranta, University of Bristol (UK) and…
A FREE PhD-course in Helsinki University, for those struggling to understand pain in different species. REGISTER NOW!
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/research-centre-for-animal-welfare/education/understanding-animal-pain
Welcome to the CVM PhD Course on Understanding animal Pain 6. - 8.11 2018 (2 ECTS)! The course is organized by the Doctoral Programme in Clinical Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki and is aimed at doctoral students from veterinary and other animal...
The international congress for applied ethology was held this year in Prince Edward island, Canada. Our doctoral student Kirsi Swan and a new PhD Eija Kaukonen presented their posters at the congress.
Kirsi showed how piglet access to chewable material during early weeks of life increases the welfare of both piglets and their dam.
Eija reported that appr. 20kg-weight male turkeys transported in standard 40cm cages have more often unusuall body postures than the 17kg-weight younger birds, dispite lower number of older birds in cages. Btw, Eija was just appointed as a poultry teacher at the Helsinki University!
http://isae2018.com/
Timeline photos
We made it! Farm visits of the project "Sustainable pig prduction systems" is now completed in Finland! The aim of SusPigSys is to collect sustainability data on pig farms across Europe and develop tools which help improving sustainability. Read more: www.suspigsys.fli.de, https://www.helsinki.fi/fi/uutiset/terveys/helsingin-yliopiston-tutkijat-etsivat-kestavaa-sianlihan-tuotantotapaa or Suspigsys facebook site! Thank you everybody!
Animal welfare: third meeting of the EU platform for animal welfare to take place tomorrow Thu the 21st at 9:30 CET. Meeting will be streamed on line. Prof Valros is one of the animal welfare research representatives!
https://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/welfare/eu-platform-animal-welfare/meetings_en
Platform Meetings - Food Safety
Koetilantie 7
Helsinki
Tiedä ensimmäisenä ja anna meille oikeus lähettää sinulle sähköpostitse uutisia ja promootioita Finnish Research centre for animal welfare :ltä. Sähköpostiosoitettasi ei käytetä muihin tarkoituksiin, ja voit perua milloin tahansa.
Lähetä viesti Finnish Research centre for animal welfare :lle:
Vartiokylän ala-asteen vanhempainyhdistys
KiviportintieNylands Svenska Ungdomsförbund
Borgfrökens Gränd, HelsingforsKoillis Seura / Asukastila Jakomäki
Jakomäen Nuorisotalo JakomäenpolkuKorkeasti koulutettujen kassa KOKO
RatavartijankatuAvoin työttömyyskassa - A-kassa
Hakaniemenranta
Avoin työttömyyskassa - A-kassa
Hakaniemenranta
Laakson yhteissairaalan työmaa
Lääkärinkatu
Österreichische Botschaft Helsinki - Itävalla
Unioninkatu