Research Areas & Projects
- Animal Husbandry
- Invasive Procedures
- Environment & Housing

* Click here for information on pdf files.

Painful Procedures - dehorning, beak trimming, tail docking, velveting

The Animal's Voice. Non-invasive ways to measure animal stress at a molecular level are proving their worth by increasing herd health, decreasing use of antibiotics, producing higher quality of meat for consumers, and returning profits to the farm ... Click here to view an article on Dr. Nigel Cook's research (pdf).

• Early Disease Detection
• Nitric Oxide Gas is an Effective Anti-Viral Agent in a Bovine Inoculation Model - click here for poster (May 06)
• Dr. Vincent Molony, University of Edinburgh - research focusing on the mechanisms underlying acute and chronic pain and pain in farm animals. Click here to view a summary (pdf file) of Dr. Vincent Molony's Basil Capes Memorial Lecture at the University of Guelph (March 2004).
• Understanding Pain and its Relevance to Animals
  We all have experienced pain at one time or the other, but scientifically what is pain? A Report by Dr. John Church - April 2000. Click here to view or download the pdf file
• Refinement of On-Farm Surgical Procedures - Bison Dehorning (Sept/02) Project Lead: Dr. John Church, Animal Welfare Specialist, AAF
  Potentially painful procedures within animal agriculture include castration, branding, dehorning, ear notching, teeth clipping, beak trimming, comb and wattle removal and tail docking.
  The animal chosen to be the model for investigating on-farm surgical procedures is bison with the study determining the impact of dehorning and tipping at weaning n post-weaning average daily gain, stress physiology and behavior of bison.