News about Animals

Ethicists’ commentary on provision of emergency services with a shortage of staff

Ethical question of the month, September 2022 Canada is facing a serious shortage of veterinarians and veterinary technicians. Recently, small animal emergency clinics have started closing overnight and weekends in some…

Learning how to grow super mushrooms, with termites as teachers

Termites have cultivated and eaten them for 30 million years. This incredible mushroom has more protein than chicken, soy and corn, but has yet to be grown by humans. By imitating termites, scientists at the University…

All project plans are valid for two years after which they must be renewed

All project plans beginning with a P- or A-number lower than these will be invalid, which means that you cannot order animals or begin a new experiment. Therefore, if your project plan will or has expired, you need to…

CPH Cattle Seminar 2022

The CPH Cattle annual seminar was held on the 24th of November 2022.

Ethicists’ commentary on post-surgical pain control

Ethical question of the month, August 2022 Your client purchases a young large-breed stallion that must be castrated on short notice. You are unable to do the surgery, so ask the client to find another veterinarian that…

Webinar with Associate Professor Nick Bell, University of Nottingham, UK.

in the network for health and biosecurity under the Danish cattle research coordination committee, we were pleased to have held an open webinar, which can be seen on video.

Ethicists’ commentary on debarking of dogs

Ethical question of the month, July 2022 A provincial animal welfare agency has requested that the provincial Veterinary Registrar consider a ban on devocalization surgeries in dogs. Reasons for the request include…

Equine cardiologi meeting 2022

This year Equine cardiology meeting was held at the Panum Institute.

Opportunities and Challenges in Applying the 3Rs to Zoos and Aquariums

This paper analyses opportunities and challenges for each of the three Rs when applied to animals housed in zoos and aquariums.

Will the use of domesticated animals in rewilding projects compromise animal welfare?

Based on a survey of public media in Denmark, this paper identifies different animal welfare issues relating to rewilding projects.

A transnational study on veterinarians’ recommendations concerning radiotherapy in dogs and cats with cancer

Using an online questionnaire (N=636), we investigated what treatment Austrian, Danish and UK veterinarians would recommend for a cat and a dog in a disease scenario where adjunctive radiotherapy would be optimal.

DNA in Viking poop sheds new light on 55,000-year-old relationship between gut companions

Using stool samples from Viking latrines, researchers at the University of Copenhagen have genetically mapped one of the oldest human parasites – the whipworm. The mapping reflects the parasite’s global spread and its…

Ethicists’ commentary on appropriate use of pharmaceuticals

Ethical question of the month, June 2022 You are an equine veterinarian who relies on firocoxib as your “go to” for chronic arthritis pain. There was no equine-labelled product in Canada until recently, so you were…

Compete or Cooperate with ‘Dr. Google’? Small Animal Veterinarians’ Attitudes towards Clients’ Use of Internet Resources

Using a questionnaire, we found that a majority of Austrian, Danish, and UK veterinarians (n = 641) surveyed were occasionally confronted with clients who question their medical advice based on information obtained from…

New revelations about an ancient fish: the secret to swimming upside down

An after-hours trip to Aarhus University Hospital Skejby’s radiology department has shed light on a mysterious and ancient fish, one that remains one of the world’s rarest – the Coelacanth. Researchers from the…

The modern dog fights a lonely battle

Separation anxiety and behavioral problems. Veterinary care and malnutrition are no longer the main problems for Danish dogs, as was the case a hundred years ago. On the other hand, our sky-high expectations of them are…

The modern dog fights a lonely battle

Separation anxiety and behavioral problems. Veterinary care and malnutrition are no longer the main problems for Danish dogs, as was the case a hundred years ago. On the other hand, our sky-high expectations of them are…

Ethicists’ commentary on obtaining hormones from pregnant mares

Ethical question of the month, May 2022 Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG) is used in farmed animal agriculture for the induction and synchronization of ovulation in cattle, pigs and sheep, superovulation in cattle…

Shelter use by horses during summer in relation to weather conditions and horsefly (Tabanidae) prevalence

This study investigated use of artificial shelters by 10 horse groups continuously for eight summer week to understand how horses use shelters to provide shade and a refuge from biting insects during summer.

Zombie fly fungus lures healthy male flies to mate with female corpses

A unique fungus survives by 'bewitching' male flies into mating with dead female flies. The longer a female fly carcass has lain and rotted, the greater the male’s lust. This, according to a new study led by researchers…

Invasive ant species headed to Denmark: super colony builders ruled by several thousand queens

A warmer climate is causing new species of ants to head for Denmark. One of them is likely to invade soon, according to a researcher at the University of Copenhagen. The species spreads quickly and can be a great…

Wild animal welfare

In this commentary on Rowan et al’s article on sentience politics, especially regarding farm animals, we ask how the welfare of wild animals differs from that of farmed animals, especially how the ability to make…

Ethicists’ commentary on nutritional neglect

Ethical question of the month, April 2022 A colleague refers an 11-year-old German shepherd dog to you for a cardiac ultrasound examination. The dog has a history of ascites and elevated resting respiratory rate. The…

Ethicists’ commentary on humane killing of healthy surplus animals

Ethical question of the month, March 2022 The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) position statement on the Care of Neonatal Calves on Dairy Farms states that euthanasia/humane killing of surplus calves is th…