Use of spontaneous behaviour measures to assess pain in laboratory rats and mice: How are we progressing?

Whittaker, Alexandra L.; Howarth, Gordon S.

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2013.11.001

Cited by 49 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…The need for vigilance can override behavioural inhibition caused by pain or illness. An animal faced with the novel and thus threatening sounds, smells and handling at the veterinary surgery may appear alert, in contradiction to the owner's description of it being apathetic at home (Whittaker & Howarth ). A further complication is not attending to SPM signals of pain (Keating et al .…”

Section: Stress Vigilance and Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Small prey species’ behaviour and welfare: implications for veterinary professionals

McBride

2017

J of Small Animal Practice

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People have obligations to ensure the welfare of animals under their care. Offences under the UK Animal Welfare Act are acts, or failures of action, causing unnecessary suffering. Veterinary professionals need to be able to provide current, scientifically based prophylactic advice, and respect the limits of their expertise. The ethical concept of a life worth living and the Five Freedoms are core to welfare. Behaviour is a central component, both influencing and influenced by physical health. Owners frequently misunderstand the behaviour of small prey mammals and how to meet their needs. This review provides insight into the physical‐social (external) and the cognitive‐emotional (internal) environments of small prey mammals, contextualised within an evolutionary perspective. This is extrapolated to captivity and practical suggestions given for meeting behavioural freedoms and enhancing client understanding and enjoyment of their animals, thereby improving welfare.

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Section: Stress Vigilance and Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Small prey species’ behaviour and welfare: implications for veterinary professionals

McBride

2017

J of Small Animal Practice

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“…Compared to behavioural changes that occur with progressive disease, the automated detection of behavioural changes that occur in pain states have been relatively well described (e.g. Roughan et al, 2009;Miller et al, 2011Miller et al, , 2012Urban et al, 2011;Wright-Williams et al, 2013;Whittaker and Howarth, 2014), and will therefore not be discussed further here.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The power of automated behavioural homecage technologies in characterizing disease progression in laboratory mice: A review

Richardson

2015

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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a b s t r a c tBehavioural changes that occur as animals become sick have been characterized in a number of species and include the less frequent occurrence of 'luxury behaviours' such as playing, grooming and socialization. 'Sickness behaviours' or behavioural changes following exposure to infectious agents, have been particularly well described; animals are typically less active, sleep more, exhibit postural changes and consume less food/water. Disease is frequently induced in laboratory mice to model pathophysiological processes and investigate potential therapies but despite what is known about behavioural changes as animals become sick, behavioural phenotyping of mice involved in disease studies is relatively rare. A detailed understanding of how behaviour changes as mice get sick could be applied to improve welfare of laboratory mice and support the underlying biomedical research. Specifically, characterizing behavioural changes in ill health could help those working with laboratory mice to recognize when refinements should be introduced, when severity limits are being approached and when humane endpoints should be implemented. Understanding how behaviour changes with illness may also help to identify compounds that have a clinical effect as well as when these agents act. There are an increasing number of automated systems to monitor the behaviour of laboratory mice in their homecages incorporating technologies such as the quantification of cage movement, automated video analysis and radiofrequency identification transponders/readers. Mouse models of neurodegenerative diseases particularly Huntington's disease have been well characterized using these systems and behavioural biomarkers of pathology, including changes in the animals' use of environmental enrichment, changes in food/water consumption and alterations in circadian rhythms, are now monitored by laboratories worldwide and used to refine studies and develop therapies. In contrast, automated behavioural technologies have not been used to characterize the behaviour of mice with systemic diseases such as cancer and liver disease. In this review, common behavioural changes that occur in animals with declining health will be discussed with an emphasis on progressive disease studies involving mice. Automated homecage behaviour recording technologies will then be summarized, studies in which these systems have been used to characterize the behaviour of mice with progressive diseases will be reviewed and the potential to apply automated technologies to refine disease studies involving mice will be discussed.

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“…The multidimensional character of pain perception involves not only physiological but also psychological and behavioural domains, making the use of animal models in pain research an invaluable tool that has no adequate substitute (Whittaker and Howarth, 2014). However, the value of the Prrxl1 −/− mouse model in pain research is critically limited by the frailty of the knockout individuals since they commonly die before weaning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical care and survival of fragile animals: The case of Prrxl1 knockout mice

Monteiro

Dourado

Matos

et al. 2014

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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Use of spontaneous behaviour measures to assess pain in laboratory rats and mice: How are we progressing?

Cited by 49 publications

References 82 publications

Small prey species’ behaviour and welfare: implications for veterinary professionals

Small prey species’ behaviour and welfare: implications for veterinary professionals

The power of automated behavioural homecage technologies in characterizing disease progression in laboratory mice: A review

Critical care and survival of fragile animals: The case of Prrxl1 knockout mice

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