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Replication Data for:Standing behavior and sole horn lesions: a prospective observational longitudinal study
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Weary, D.M; Eriksson, Hanna K.; Daros, Ruan; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G — 2021-06-07 Data from a prospective observational longitudinal study examining the relationship between sole hemorrhages or sole ulcers in peak to mid-lactation and time standing during the weeks around calving. A convenience sample of 8 dairy cattle herds were visited every other week, and animals without previous severe horn lesions and deemed sound at 4 to 8 wk before calving were enrolled. Standing behavior was measured with data loggers attached to a rear leg, and standing time and duration of the longest standing bout were determined for each cow. Standing behavior was summarized into 3 periods: before (d -14 to -2), around (d -1 to 1), and after (d 2 to 14) calving. Average daily standing time and average daily longest standing bout were determined for each cow and period.
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Interviews with 12 laboratory animal facility managers regarding institutional transparency
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Brunt, Michael; Weary, D.M — 2021-06-14 The objective of our study was to describe perceptions of transparency among animal research facility managers (all working within the same ethical oversight program), and how these perceptions influenced their experiences. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were used to describe perceptions and experiences of 12 facility managers relating to animal research transparency. Four themes emerged from the participant interviews: 1) communication strategies, 2) impact on participant, 3) expectations of transparency, and 4) institutional policies. Similarities and differences regarding perceptions of transparency existed among participants, with notable differences between participants working at university versus hospital campuses. These results illustrate differences in perceptions of transparency within one institutional animal care and use program. We conclude that institutions, regulators and the public should not assume a uniform interpretation of a culture of transparency among managers, and that sustained communication efforts are required to support managers and to allow them to develop shared perspectives.
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Data for "Pain in the weeks following surgical and rubber ring castration in dairy calves"
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Nogues, Emeline; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G; Weary, D.M — 2021-09-07 Many male dairy calves are castrated when reared for beef production, but for dairy breeds the assessment of the longer-lasting pain associated with this procedure has received little scientific attention. In this study we assessed 2 methods: surgical (n = 10 calves) and rubber ring (n = 11). All calves were castrated at 28 d of age using multimodal pain control. During the 8 wk that followed, we recorded wound healing, local inflammation, body weight, milk and calf starter intake, lying time, and wound-directed behavior. Surgical wounds were fully healed on average 4 wk after the procedure, but only 1 calf in the rubber ring treatment fully healed within the 8-wk study. Inflammation was greater after rubber ring castration; skin temperature in the area around the lesion was 1.7°C (±0.35) higher than for the surgical treatment. Compared with surgically castrated calves, those castrated by rubber ring gained less weight over the study period (on average 11.9 ± 5.1 kg less), a difference due in part to lower intake of calf starter (on average 1.8 ± 0.6 kg less). Calves in the rubber ring treatment spent less time lying down (on average 4.2 ± 1.2% fewer scans per day) and licked their lesions more frequently (on average 16.0 ± 3.3 more licks per day). We conclude that the rubber ring calves experienced more pain in the weeks following the procedure and thus recommend that surgical castration be favored for preweaning dairy calves.
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Attitudes of laboratory animal professionals and researchers towards carbon dioxide euthanasia for rodents and perceived barriers to change
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Brunt, Michael; Améndola, Lucia; Weary, D.M — 2022-02-14 In this study we conducted an online survey of Canadian and European laboratory animal professionals and researchers (n 592) to assess their attitudes towards the use of CO2 and alternative methods for rodent euthanasia using quantitative 7-point scale (from 1 (  strongly oppose) to 7 (  strongly favour) and qualitative (open-ended text) responses. CO2 was identified as the most common method used to kill rodents, and attitudes towards this method were variable and on average ambivalent (mean SD score on our 7-point scale was 4.4 1.46). Qualitative analysis revealed four themes relating to participant attitude: (a) the animal’s experience during gas exposure; (b) practical considerations for humans; (c) compromise between the animal’s experience and practical considerations; and (d) technical description of the procedure or policies. Many participants (51%) felt that there were alternatives available that could be considered an improvement over CO2, but perceived barriers to implementing these refinements. Qualitative analysis of these responses revealed five themes: (a) financial constraints; (b) institutional culture; (c) regulatory constraints; (d) research constraints; and (e) safety concerns. In conclusion, concerns regarding the use of CO2 often focused on the animal’s experience, but barriers to alternatives related to operational limitations. New research is now required on to how best to overcome these barriers.
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Replication data for: Redefining dominance calculation: Increased competition flattens the dominance hierarchy in dairy cows
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Sheng, Kehan; Foris, Borbala; Krahn, Joseph; Weary, D.M; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G — 2023-12-15 Dominance hierarchies are known for mitigating conflicts and guiding priority of access to limited resources in gregarious animals. The dominance hierarchy of dairy cows is typically constructed using agonistic interactions, usually monitored at the feed bunk right after fresh feed delivery when competition is high resulting in numerous interactions. Yet, the outcome of agonistic interactions under time of high competition time may be more influenced by cows’ high valuation of fresh feed than their intrinsic dominance attributes. Thus, the dominance hierarchy constructed using agonistic interactions under high versus low competition times might differ. The aim of this study was to test how the structure of the dominance hierarchy changes in relation to different levels of competition. We monitored a dynamically changing group of 48 lactating dairy cows over 10 mo with 6 cows exchanged every 16 d, totally 159 cows. We used a validated algorithm to continuously detect the actor and reactor of replacement behaviors as cows competed for feed. We calculated feeder occupancy, the percentage of occupied feed bins, to characterize competition at the moment of each replacement, and created 25 corresponding dominance hierarchies using Elo ratings for occupancy levels ranging from 13% to 100%. With each 10% rise in feeder occupancy, hierarchy steepness fell by 0.02 (R2 = 0.96) and two-way dyads rose by 1.3% (R2 = 0.84). The win rate of the dominant cow within dyads declined with increased feeder occupancy (y = -0.11x -0.21, P < 0.001). Our findings provide evidence that there is noticeable variation in inferred hierarchies based on the competition context, with high competition flattening the hierarchy as subordinate animals succeed more in replacing others in order to gain feed access. This finding underscores that during heightened competition, the valuation of resources impacts agonistic behaviors and the subsequently constructed dominance hierarchy more than the individual's intrinsic dominance attributes. We recommend that researchers avoid using agonistic interactions occurring immediately after fresh feed delivery to establish dominance hierarchies. We also urge researchers to differentiate agonistic interactions based on context when constructing dominance hierarchies to draw inferences on animal behavior, cognition and health.
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Data for: Mouse aversion to isoflurane anesthesia using the drop method
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Bodnar, Maya; Makowska, Joanna; Boyd, Courtney; Schuppli, Catherine; Weary, D.M — 2023-10-26 We assessed mouse aversion to isoflurane administered with the drop method at low concentrations, using a light-dark conditioned place aversion (CPA) paradigm. Latency to enter and the duration spent in the dark (+ isoflurane) chamber was recorded and used to calculate a CPA score based on initial and final preference tests. Our results indicate that using the drop method, to administer isoflurane concentrations between 1.7 and 2.7%, can be used to refine current rodent euthanasia methods.
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Replication Data for: Early pain experiences in dairy calves on pain sensitivity later in life
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Osório-Santos, Zimbábwe; Ede, Thomas; Hötzel, Maria José; Weary, D.M; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G — 2024-02-02 In humans, early painful experiences can increase pain sensitivity later in life, but little is known regarding this phenomenon in cattle. This study assessed if a painful event early in life affects later pain sensitivity in 40-d-old calves. Holstein calves (n = 26) were randomly assigned to control or treatment conditions, blocked within sex and birth weight. At 9.5 ± 1.8 d old, treatment calves had 1 horn bud disbudded using caustic paste, whereas control calves had 1 horn sham disbudded; in both cases, multimodal pain control was provided. All calves had the contralateral horn bud disbudded using a hot iron 4 wk later, again with multimodal pain control. Mechani- cal nociceptive responses were assessed weekly using an algometer applied adjacent to both horn buds and on the rump, beginning 3 d before the first disbudding and ending 30 d after the second disbudding. Following the second disbudding, both groups of calves showed evidence of increased sensitivity (i.e., algometer pressure declined 3.69 ± 0.60 √N to 2.13 ± 0.70 √N) on the contralateral bud, but there was no difference between the control group and the treatment groups. An interaction between treatment and time, likely driven by treatment differences, was found on the rump when tested 5 h after the second disbudding event. These responses are not consistent with the hypothesis that an early pain experience results in increased sensitivity to later painful experiences.
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Replication Data for: Lameness during the dry period: epidemiology and associated factors
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Daros, Ruan; Eriksson, Hanna K.; Weary, D.M; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G — 2019-09-07 Original data, R script (code) and code output for the paper published on Journal of Dairy Science. For best use, replicate analysis using R. Importing data using the .csv file may cause some variables (columns of the spreadsheet) to be imported with the wrong format. Any issues, do not hesitate in contact. Happy coding!
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Measuring lameness prevalence: effects of case definition and assessment frequency
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Sahar, Mohammad Wali; Beaver, Annabelle; Daros, Ruan; Weary, D.M — 2022-05-26 Data from an observational longitudinal study exploring lameness definitions, assessment frequencies and association between the lameness definitions and parity of dairy cattle. The data was collected at UBC dairy education and research farm. A sample of 282 cows were locomotion scored weekly and were followed from calving till 12 weeks in lactation.
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Replication Data for: The effect of placement and group size on the use of a mechanical brush by groups of lactating dairy cattle
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Foris, Borbala; Sadrzadeh, Negar; Krahn, Joseph; Weary, D.M; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G — 2023-02-22 Mechanical brushes are often provided on dairy farms to facilitate grooming. However, current brush designs do not provide data on their use and little is known about the effects of group size and placement of brushes within the pen. The objectives of this study were to automatically detect brush use in cow groups and investigate the influence of (1) group size and the corresponding cow-to-brush ratio and (2) brush placement in relation to the lying stalls and the feeding and drinking areas. We measured brush use in groups of 60, 48, 36, and 24 cows with the brush placed either in the alley adjacent to the feed bunk and water trough or in the back alley. Cows used the brush longer when placed in the feed/water alley compared to when placed in the back alley. Average brush use per cow increased when cows were housed in smaller groups but the brush was never in use more than 50% of the day regardless of group size. We conclude that brush use in-creases when availability is increased and when the brush is placed closer to feed and water.
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Replication Data for: Crowd sourcing remote comparative lameness assessments for dairy cattle
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Sheng, Kehan; Foris, Borbala; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G; Gardenier, John; Clark, Cameron; Weary, D.M — 2023-04-05 Lameness assessments are rarely conducted routinely on dairy farms and when completed typically underestimate lameness prevalence, hampering early diagnosis and treatment. A well-known feature of many perceptual tasks is that relative assessments are more accurate than absolute assessments, suggesting that creating methods that allow for the relative scoring of ‘which cow is more lame’ will allow for reliable lameness assessments. Here we developed and tested a remote comparative lameness assessment method: we recruited non-experienced crowd workers via an online platform and asked them to watch two videos side-by-side, each showing a cow walking, and to identify which cow was more lame and by how much (on a scale of -3 to 3). We created 11 tasks, each with 10 video pairs for comparison, and recruited 50 workers per task. All tasks were also completed by 5 experienced cattle lameness assessors. We evaluated data filtering and clustering methods based on worker responses and determined the agreement among workers, among experienced assessors, and between these groups. A moderate to high interobserver reliability was observed (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC=0.46 to 0.77) for crowd workers and agreement was high among the experienced assessors (ICC=0.87). Average crowd worker responses showed excellent agreement with the average of experienced assessor responses (ICC= 0.89 to 0.91), regardless of data processing method. To investigate if we could use fewer workers per task while still retaining high agreement with experienced assessors, we randomly sub-sampled 2 to 43 (1 less than the minimum number of workers retained per task after data cleaning) workers from each task. The agreement with experienced assessors increased substantially as we increased the number of workers from 2 to 10, but little increase was observed after 10 or more workers were used (ICC>0.80). The proposed method provides a fast and cost-effective way to assess lameness in commercial herds. In addition, this method allows for large-scale data collection useful for training computer vision algorithms that could be used to automate lameness assessments on farm.
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Assessing construct reliability through open-ended survey response analysis
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Koralesky, Katherine; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G; Weary, D.M — 2023-04-14 Online surveys often include quantitative attention checks, but inattentive participants might also be identified using their qualitative responses. We used the software Turnitin™ to assess the originality of open-ended responses in four mixed-method online surveys that included validated multi-item rating scales. Across surveys, 18-35% of participants were identified as having copied responses from online sources. We assessed indicator reliability and internal consistency reliability and found that both were lower for participants identified as using copied text versus those who wrote more original responses. Those who provided more original responses also provided more consistent responses to the validated scales, suggesting that these participants were more attentive. We conclude that this process can be used to screen qualitative responses from online surveys. We encourage future research to replicate this screening process using similar tools, investigate strategies to reduce copying behaviour, and explore the motivation of participants to search for information online.
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Replication Data for: The freestall reimagined: Effects on stall hygiene and space usage in dairy cattle
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Weary, D.M; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G; Beaver, Annabelle; Strazhnik, Emma — 2021-06-11 Lying stalls for dairy cattle are designed to maintain cow hygiene, reduce labor associated with bedding maintenance, and provide cows with a comfortable place to lie down. These considera-tions can conflict: stall features that, e.g., reduce manure contamination of bedding can make the stall less comfortable, explaining why cows prefer lying in more open spaces. We developed an “alternative” lying area in which traditional freestalls (i.e., in which cattle are not confined to stalls but can move “freely” about the pen) were modified to create larger areas, and flexible stall partitions were included to help maintain cleanliness. We assessed cattle lying behaviour, in-cluding lying postures, in this alternative pen compared to both traditional freestalls and an open pack. Not surprisingly, cleanliness was higher in freestalls, but the alternative pen offered sub-stantial improvement in cleanliness over the open pack. There was little difference in postures as-sociated with lying positions (such as lying with limbs outstretched) between the open pack and alternative pen, and both offered greater limb extension compared to freestalls. We conclude that this type of alternative pen can provide producers with the opportunity to improve comfort com-pared to freestall housing and improve cleanliness compared to housing in an open pack.
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Replication Data for: The effects of cow dominance on the use of a mechanical brush
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Foris, Borbala; Lecorps, Benjamin; Krahn, Joseph; Weary, D.M; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G — 2021-11-17 An animal’s social position within a group can influence its ability to access essential resources such as food or a lying area, but little is known about how social position affects the ability to express what are arguably less important but still rewarding behaviors, such as grooming. We set out to assess if dominance measured at the feeder is associated with increased use of a mechanical brush. Over a 2-year period, 161 dry cows were enrolled in a dynamically changing group of 20 individuals with access to a mechanical brush. We determined dominance using agonistic behaviors at the feeder and retrospectively analyzed brush use for the 12 most, and 12 least dominant individuals during the week before calving. Cows that were more dominant at the feeder used the brush more, especially during peak feeding times. Agonistic interactions at the brush did not differ between dominants and subordinates and were not related to brushing duration. These findings indicate that social position, calculated using competition for feed, affects mechanical brush access such that subordinates use the brush less than dominant cows independent of competition or time of day.
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Public consultation in the evaluation of animal research protocols
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Brunt, Michael; Weary, D.M — 2022-02-14 In this study we invited public responses to five different research projects, using non-technical summaries intended for lay audiences. Our aim was to assess the potential for this type of public consultation in protocol review, and a secondary aim was to better understand what types of animal research people are willing to accept and why. US participants (n = 1521) were asked (via an online survey) “Do you support the use of these (insert species) for this research”, and responded using a seven-point scale (1 = “No”, 4 = “Neutral”, and 7 = “Yes”). Participants were asked to explain the reasons for their choice; open-ended text responses were subjected to thematic analysis. Most participants (89.7%) provided clear comments, showing the potential of an online forum to elicit feedback. Four themes were prevalent in participant reasoning regarding their support for the proposed research: 1) impact on animals, 2) impact on humans, 3) scientific merit, and 4) availability of alternatives. Participant support for the proposed research varied but on average was close to neutral (mean ± SD: 4.5 ± 2.19) suggesting some ambivalence to this animal use. The protocol describing Parkinson’s research (on monkeys) was least supported (3.9 ± 2.17) and the transplant research (on pigs) was most supported (4.9 ± 2.02). These results indicate that public participants are sensitive to specifics of a protocol. We conclude that an online forum can provide meaningful public input on proposed animal research, offering research institutions the opportunity for improved transparency and the chance to reduce the risk that they engage in studies that are out of step with community values.
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Data for: The effects of social environment on standing behavior and the development of claw horn lesions
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Weary, D.M; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G; Eriksson, H.K — 2020-05-20 The primary aim of this prospective experimental study was to evaluate how the social environment after calving influenced standing behavior in primiparous cows. At calving, primiparous cows were mixed with familiar peers in a low-stocked pen (≤ 33% stocking density; n=22) or mixed with unknown older cows at 100% stocking density (n = 20). All study animals were mixed with older cows 3 wk after calving. Time spent standing and perching (standing with only the front feet in the stall) were measured d 1 to 3 after calving using 5 min scan sampling. To evaluate if the low-stocked treatment constituted a low-stress social environment, agonistic interactions at the feed barrier were measured for 90 min following feed delivery for a subsample of animals in both treatments (12 animals/treatment). The daily behavioral time budget, including the 90 min following milking, was examined for this subset of animals. A secondary aim was to assess if the social environment after calving was related to the risk of developing claw horn lesions later in lactation. Sole and white-line lesions were recorded at wk 6 and 12 postpartum, and animals were categorized as either having or not having at least one hemorrhage of severity ≥3 (scale 1 to 5) for each lesion type and assessment. Prolonged standing after regrouping was not observed, and standing time and time spent perching did not differ between treatments. Agonistic behaviors directed towards the focal animals occurred less frequently in the low-stocked pen compared to the control. The number and severity of sole and white-line lesions increased after calving; at wk 6 postpartum 20% of the animals in the low-stocked treatment and 50% of the animals mixed with older cows had white-line hemorrhages of severity score ≥3. In summary, under the conditions of this study social environment did not influence standing behavior, but did affect agonistic interactions and likely influenced the risk of claw horn lesions in the weeks following calving.
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The effect of access to a well-resourced environment on dairy calves' cognition and affective states
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Suchon, Malina; Weary, D.M; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G — 2024-11-08 This study aimed to explore the effect of environmental complexity on the ability of dairy calves to discriminate between conspecifics and on their sensitivity to reward. Calves were housed either in 1) pair housing for 22.5 h/d with 1.5 h of daily access to a well-resourced pen which included 3 other calves and physical devices (enriched calves, n=6 pairs) or 2) pair housing for 24 h/d (control calves, n=6 pairs). After 10 d of housing treatment, calves were trained to discriminate between 2 calves in a Y-maze over 20 d. Twelve of the 24 calves tested met the learning criterion and treatment did not affect the number of sessions needed to reach the learning criterion. Calves were then subjected to a Successive Negative Contrast test during which they were trained to approach a milk reward over 3 trials/day for 3 days. On the last training day, latencies of enriched calves increased over daily trials while control calves were faster and remained relatively consistent, suggesting a greater sensitivity to reward. Starting on day 4, the reward was reduced for the 5 following test days. On test days, calves’ latencies to reach the reward increased across daily trials but no effect of treatment or days was found. Our findings suggest that calves can discriminate among individuals but learning performance did not differ between treatments. Calves raised in standard pair housing showed increased sensitivity to reward, supporting they may experience a more negative emotional state in comparison to calves reared with temporary access to a well-resourced environment
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Replication Data for: Individual and environmental factors associated with defecation while lying down in dairy cows
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Foris, Borbala; Mangilli, Livia; Van Os, Jennifer; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G; Fregonesi, Jose; Weary, D.M — 2021-09-14 How lying stalls in barns housing dairy cows become contaminated with feces is not well understood. We investigated the influence of cow-cow differences and overstocking on the likelihood that cows defecate while lying down in the stall. Cows in later stages of pregnancy were less likely to perform this behavior, with no effect of weight, parity, age, or lameness. Also, the more time cows spent lying down the greater the likelihood of the behavior, but the cow to stall ratio had no effect.

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