Shelters are stressful environments for domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). Evaluating dogs' welfare is crucial to improve their life condition and to promote a better management of shelters. We aimed at verifying which variables improved welfare in 10 shelter dogs ((hosted in the shelter "Centro...

The aim of this study was to identify farm-level factors associated with the prevalence of lameness in dairy cows kept in small scale mountain dairy farms. The study population included 1 891 dairy cows (1 069 cows housed in the free stalls and 822 in tie stalls) reared on 204 farms (111 free ...

The objective of this study was to determine the risk factors for skin alterations at herd and cow level on dairy farms with different housing systems in South Tyrol (Northern Italy). A cross-sectional study was conducted on 204 farms (111 free stalls and 93 tie stalls) from March to October 2019...

The increasing attention paid by both the legislature and consumers concerning animal welfare has raised criticism regarding the tie stall housing system of dairy cattle, since it restricts voluntary movement and limits the social behaviour of cows. The aim of this study was to compare the welfare ...

Five week-old Pannon White rabbits were housed in a closed climatized rabbitry and randomly assigned to pens (56 rabbits) having a basic area of 1 m² with a stocking density of 16 and 12 rabbits/m² or to 18 individual cages (0.24 m²; 1 rabbit/cage; stocking density of 4 rabbits/m²). The pens and...

Tie-stall and loose housing are the main housing systems adopted in Piemontese cattle farms in Piedmont Region (North Western Italy). In this study, we used the ANI35/L2000 index to assess the cattle welfare in both types of housing systems, by studying 56 farms. Within each housing system, farms...

In Italy, National Law (281/1991) prohibits euthanasia of shelter dogs if they are not dangerous or suffering seriously. Adoption rates in rescue shelters are often lower than entrance rates, leading inevitably to overcrowded facilities where animals are likely to spend the rest of their lives in ...

This pilot study tested an on-farm protocol based on resource, management, and animal-based measures to evaluate the on-farm health and welfare of rabbits kept in four different housing systems. In detail, the four housing systems were (1) standard breeding cages for reproducing does (3,300 cm²)...

This article describes the behavioural, welfare and regulatory aspects regarding the design and use of conventional farrowing crates in intensive pig production.

In order to evaluate the welfare of lambs reared up to 4 months of age in different management systems in Europe, nine lamb meat farms (3 in Spain, 2 in Portugal, 1 in Germany, 1 in Slovenia and 2 in Italy) belonging to different production systems (intensive, semi-intensive, semi-extensive,...