New research could help the welfare of working animals

Press release issued: 9 December 2014 With over 42 million horses and 95 per cent of the world's donkeys found in developing countries, new research could change the health and welfare of millions of working animals in some of the poorest parts of the world. The three research studies led by Dr Becky Whay , Reader in Animal Welfare and Behaviour in the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol, aim to build greater understanding and encourage collaboration in addressing the welfare problems of the world's working equids. The papers, funded by the Brooke , are part of a new collection of free research articles published online by the Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ) and sponsored by World Horse Welfare. The first paper, The range and prevalence of clinical signs and conformation associated with lameness in working draught donkeys in Pakistan , aimed to identify lameness in all severities in the working donkeys examined, the related clinical signs and affected bone and muscle structures. The researchers found a high frequency of severe lameness, pain and foot, joint, tendon and spinal abnormalities in the working donkeys. The results from the study will enable future studies to identify risk factors for lameness in working donkeys and develop and monitor interventions aimed at reducing lameness incidence and severity. The second paper, Identifying behavioural differences in working donkeys in response to analgesic administration , looked at pain-related behaviour in working donkeys to enable their owners and vets to recognise and manage pain.