News about Animals

Ethicists’ commentary on considerations when judging whether to formally report a colleague’s potential misconduct

Ethical question of the month, December 2023 A veterinarian in our area has developed a reputation for significant errors that individually might be forgiven, but as they multiply, start to form a pattern. The range…

Dominance hierarchy does not influence distances travelled and area utilization in a large group of ponies

This study investigated the influence of dominance hierarchy on the locomotor behaviour and area utilization in a large group of horses in a pasture-based housing system in Northern Germany.

Relationship between animal-based on-farm indicators and meat inspection data in pigs

This study aimed to validate slaughterhouse indicators collected during meat inspection as an alternative to on-farm animal welfare indicators.

Succesful kickoff-meeting held with 20 partners from 10 countries

Link to Horizon Europe Fact Sheet about the PAIR Project On January 22-23, 2024, the Kickoff meeting for the PAIR project was held at the Technical University of Denmark. The two-day meeting included lively discussion…

Impact of contaminated biological material in animals' health and in research data

Do you value your research data so much to assume that it is not contaminated by pathogenic agents? Did you know that lab animals’ health and welfare is of vital importance in order to produce valid and reproducible…

Conflict behaviour in Icelandic horses during elite competition

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of conflict behaviour in Icelandic horses competing at elite level in breed-specific gait competitions

Ethicists’ commentary on medical and professional challenges arising from inconsistent treatment policies within a clinic

Ethical question of the month, November 2023 You are a recent graduate working in a small animal hospital with a longtime veterinary owner and a loyal clientele. You are presented with a small dog that has a history…

Accuracy of three diagnostic tests to detect tooth resorption in unowned unsocialised cats in Denmark

This paper estimates the relative diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of oral clinical examination of cats and finds that cone-beam CT is the superior image modality.

Are biters sick? Health status of tail biters in comparison to control pigs

The findings of this paper show that behavioural tests might be helpful in identifying tail biters among pigs and highlight the need for appropriate and adjusted nutrient and mineral supply, especially with regard to…

Integrating Point-of-Care Diagnostics and Epidemiological Modeling

The object of a new EU-funded project named PAIR uniting 7 countries.

New website launched: www.enigmahpai.org

Avian influenza poses significant challenges to animal welfare, food security, and public health, affecting both wild birds and poultry flocks.

New study: Pig welfare outweighs climate concerns for consumers

Consumers would rather pay more for higher-welfare pork than for pork with a reduced climate footprint. Politicians and the pork industry can learn from the result, according to the researchers behind the University of…

Follow-up on the renovation of Unit 10.4

You can read the entire announcement here.

Doing your field work abroad?

Rikke Louise Jensen and Nanna Schødt Hansen were offered the opportunity to do their field work for their MSc thesis in Kenya - an adventure beyond their wildest dreams.

Ethicists’ commentary on current considerations when advising on destroying honeybee colonies

Ethical question of the month, October 2023 You are a veterinarian who advises on the care of honeybees. You have a client with a colony that is suspected to be infected with American foulbrood, a reportable disease in…

Ethicists’ commentary on the importance of meaningful discussion around the decision to euthanize

Ethical question of the month, September 2023 I recently had to make a difficult decision about my beloved, 1-year-old cat. She had some behaviors, respiratory issues, and urinary disease that were challenging to manage…

Comparison of three different measuring devices of ammonia and evaluation of their suitability to assess animal welfare in pigs

Witt, J., Krieter, J., Schröder, K., Büttner, K., Hölzel, C., Krugmann, K. & Czycholl, I. (2023) Livestock Science. Elsevier Abstract Since negative effects of ammonia (NH3) on health and productivity are known NH3…

Behavior problems in dogs - An assessment of prevalence and risk factors

The aim of this questionnaire study was to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for dog behavior problems by analyzing the responses of a representative sample of Danish dog owners.

The genomic secrets to how the muskox mastered living on the edge

At the end of the last Ice Age, many iconic species became extinct - including the steppe bison, the woolly rhinoceros, the Irish elk, and the dire wolf. However, one Ice Age relict, perfectly adapted to the harsh…

CPH Cattle Seminar 2023

On Tuesday 12 December 2023 CPH Cattle held their anual seminar with presentations and discussions about research and strategies related to the cattle sectors challenges.

Ethicists’ commentary on standards of euthanasia for moribund fish in aquaculture

Ethical question of the month, August 2023 A priority of agriculture and aquaculture veterinarians is to ensure a quick and humane death upon slaughter. In ideal conditions, techniques are constantly monitored, assessed…

New study: Pig welfare outweighs climate concerns for consumers

Consumers would rather pay more for higher-welfare pork than for pork with a reduced climate footprint. Politicians and the pork industry can learn from the result, according to the researchers behind the University of…

New study: Pig welfare outweighs climate concerns for consumers

Consumers would rather pay more for higher-welfare pork than for pork with a reduced climate footprint. Politicians and the pork industry can learn from the result, according to the researchers behind the University of…

Dairy cattle welfare – the relative effect of legislation, industry standards and labelled niche production

In this paper, the authors compared animal welfare provisions in dairy cattle production across five countries with different combinations of legislative and other approaches: Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden,…