News about Animal welfare

Behavioral genetic analysis on dogs

The aim of this study is to describe personality traits in eight dog breeds using the Behaviour and Personality Description in Dogs (BPH) test, and subsequently to assess their heritability.

How much do people really care about animal welfare?

Professor Peter Sandøe participated in the Animal Welfare Seminar 2025 - 'Animal ethics and animal welfare - values informing outcomes' organized by RSPCA Australia. Peter gave a talk on people's attitudes to animals an…

Changes in management of owned cats in the countryside

This study investigates changes in the management of owned domestic cats (Felis catus) in a rural area of Denmark, at two points in time separated by 24 years.

Notification of noisy work

Noisy work in Panum building 4, 6, 10, 12 and 16 (31.01.25)

Ethicists' commentary on disagreements in course of treatment

Ethical question of the month, November 2024 You and a colleague are disagreeing on a policy matter in your practice regarding a senior horse treatment. Many senior horses suffer from a pituitary disorder, pituitary par…

A consensus on the definition of positive animal welfare

The paper presents a proposed definition of positive animal welfare: ‘PAW can be defined as the animal flourishing through the experience of predominantly positive mental states and the development of competence and…

A new future for dog breeding

This paper gives an overview of recent trends in companion dog breeding and discuss to what extent they will serve to promote healthy dogs that function well in their various roles in today’s world.

Chronic enteropathy in dogs affects the quality of life in both dogs and their owners

This paper examines the Quality of Life (QoL) of dogs with chronic enteropathy and how their owners and veterinarians assess it.

Ethicists' commentary on appropriate professional actions for a complex situation

Ethical question of the month, October 2024 You are a recent graduate working in a resort town with no overnight emergency hospital. A client on vacation in a motor home brings in a small dog that is having difficulty…

Newsletter December 2024

This newsletter includes important information on the below mentioned topics. We encourage everyone to review the relevant sections carefully, as some of these updates may have an impact on daily activities. New…

RASOPTA wrap-up November 2024

After 3 years it was time for the final meeting in the ITN project RASOPTA.

Ethicists’ commentary on dangerous dog assessments

Ethical question of the month, September 2024 You are a veterinarian hired in your region as an authority to assess dangerous dogs. The counties you work with have differing regulations regarding dogs that are deemed to…

Price increases from January 1, 2025

General pricing The following general price increases have been decided for internal users in 2025: 8 pct. (including the regular 3 pct. P/L) price increase for rodent housing 13 pct. (including the regular 3 pct. P/L)…

Lifetime health care costs for dogs based on data from seven veterinary clinics in Denmark

Nielsen, S. S., Larsen, C. H., Frederiksen, J. M., Christensen, T., & Sandøe, P. (2025) Preventive Veterinary Medicine. Elsevier Abstract Reports indicate that owners believe the health care costs for their dogs are too…

How does compassion for animals develop and take root?

Looking at Tibetans and Indians who provide care for stray animals in northern India, a new anthropological project will explore how people develop a compassion-based ethics through their encounters with animals.

Ethicists’ commentary on the veterinary-client-patient relationship

Ethical question of the month, August 2024 A veterinarian sees a cat with respiratory issues and prescribes appropriate support care. The cat’s condition declines over the next day (which is a holiday). The veterinarian…

Workshop on Streptococcus agalactiae in the Nordic countries

Udder health researchers from Norway, Sweden and Finland were invited to Copenhagen for a workshop in the Danish project “Sikker diagnostik i B-streptokokbesætninger”.

Oral behaviour during riding is associated with oral lesions in dressage horses – A field study

This study included 11 warmblood dressage horses, randomly selected for oral inspection after competition. Five of eleven inspected horses had abrasion of the skin and/or mucosa.

Ethicists’ commentary - Lack of authorized medication for animals in the food chain

Ethical question of the month, July 2024 In Canada, there are an increasing number of small-herd goat dairies and families who are keeping milking goats for their own consumption. Infestation with chewing lice is a…

Gene Editing Cattle for Enhancing Heat Tolerance: A Welfare Review of the “PRLR‑SLICK Cattle” Case

Pozzebon, M., Guldbrandtsen, B. & Sandøe, P. (2024) Nanoethics. Springer Nature Abstract In March 2022 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a risk assessment of a recent animal gene editing proposal…

Why is welfare pork so expensive?

Inspired by data from the Danish pork market, the present study seeks to identify cost drivers in the value chain of niche pork products.

Renovation of buildings 10-4 and 10-5 at Panum

Notice from CAS Dear users at Panum building 4, 6, 10, 12 and 16 On 23 September 2024, the renovation of floors 4 and 5 in building 10 will begin, respectively. AEM and reNEW/BMI. Establishment of construction site The…

Will dog breeds as we know them today soon be a thing of the past?

Presentation by Peter Sandøe at the 5th International Dog Health Workshop (IDHW) 2024 in Helsinki, Finland.

RASOPTA participation on Aqua2024 Copenhagen

At Aqua2024, which was held from August 26-30 2024, RASOPTA together with two other ITN projects EATFISH and EASYTRAIN had invested in a booth to collectively show the conference participants what all three ITNS were…