Grandin’s advice for Australian live export industry

Livestock slaughter expert Temple Grandin has recommended abattoirs install video surveillance to reduce cruelty. Grandin was in Cairns recently to address the AVA conference, and she told Bush Telegraph that Australia should have more power to monitor slaughter facilities abroad when engaged in live exports. She said companies such as Cargill Incorporated and JBS have […]

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Challenges in prognostication of FIV-positive patients

A Sydney University study published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine found that the presence of haematologic and biochemical abnormalities could not be relied upon to determine clinical progression of FIV in sick feline patients, and that FIV-positive status alone did not have a negative impact on survival. The authors set out to compare […]

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Development, validation and reliability of a web-based questionnaire to measure health-related quality of life in dogs

OBJECTIVES: To describe the development, preliminary validation and reliability testing of a shortened web-based form of GUVQuest, a structured questionnaire to measure health-related quality of life in dogs. METHODS: The original 109 items were reduced using expert judgement and factor analysis. Validity was established by factor analysis and in a subsequent field trial using a […]

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Tail biting in pigs – causes and management intervention strategies to reduce the behavioural disorder – a review

One of the largest animal welfare problems in modern pig production is tail biting. This abnormal behaviour compromises the well-being of the animals, can seriously impair animal health and can cause considerable economic losses. Tail biting has a multifactorial origin and occurs mainly in fattening pigs. High stocking densities, poor environment and bad air quality […]

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