Refinement Database

Database on Refinement of Housing, Husbandry, Care, and Use of Animals in Research

This database, created in 2000, is updated every four months with newly published scientific articles, books, and other publications related to improving or safeguarding the welfare of animals used in research.

Tips for using the database:

  • This landing page displays all of the publications in the database.
  • Use the drop-down menus to filter these publications by Animal Type, Setting, and/or Topic.
  • Clicking on a parent category (e.g., Rodent) will include publications relating to all the items in that category (e.g., Chinchilla, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, etc.).
  • You may also add a keyword to further narrow your search.
  • Please note that at this time, only publications dated 2010 or later (with some exceptions) can be filtered by Animal Type and Topic, and only publications dated 2020 or later (with some exceptions) can be filtered by Setting. Most publications older than 2010 can only be searched by keyword. 
Neveux, C., Ferard, M., Dickel, L. et al. 2016. Classical music reduces acute stress of domestic horses. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 15, 81. (12th International Society of Equitation Science (ISES) Conference Abstract)

Domestic horses are regularly subjected to stressful situations due to management practices, such as social isolation, transport and farriery or, in general due to exposure to new/sudden stimuli. These situations may eventually be harmful to...

Losonci, Z., Berry, J., Paddison, J. 2016. Do stabled horses show more undesirable behaviors during handling than field-kept ones? Journal of Veterinary Behavior 15, 93. (12th International Society of Equitation Science (ISES) Conference Abstract)

Undesirable behavior (e.g. biting, kicking and aggression) during handling is a growing concern in the equine industry, and is likely to compromise horse-human relationships. The present study, carried out over 3 months, investigated the expression...

Watson, J., McDonnell, S. 2016. Effects of three non-confrontational handling techniques on the behavior of horses during a simulated mildly aversive veterinary procedure. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 15, 85-86. (12th International Society of Equitation Science (ISES) Conference Abstract)

During mildly aversive healthcare procedures, horses often exhibit behaviors that may interrupt or prolong the procedure. Handler response often includes increased restraint and/or positive punishment, which can be ineffective or counterproductive. The purpose of this...

Collyer, P. B., Wilson, H. S. 2016. Does a commercial pheromone application reduce separation anxiety in separated horse pairs? Journal of Veterinary Behavior 15, 94. (12th International Society of Equitation Science (ISES) Conference Abstract)

Horses may display increased locomotory and vocal activity when separated from their preferred partners, which can increase anxiety levels and injury risk. This study evaluated physiological and behavioral evidence of separation anxiety in separated preferred...

Zollinger, A., Wyss, C., Bardou, D. et al. 2016. The ‘social box’ offers stallions the possibility to have increased social interactions. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 15, 84. (12th International Society of Equitation Science (ISES) Conference Abstract)

In order to give individually housed stallions the opportunity to have more social interactions, the Swiss national stud farm investigated a separation wall called ‘social box’. Sixteen adult Franches-Montagnes breeding stallions were housed for 3...

Löckener, S., Reese, S., Erhard, M. et al. 2016. Pasturing in herds after housing in horseboxes induces a positive cognitive bias in horses. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 11, 50-55.

Horses are kept in various housing systems, for example, with conspecifics in horse pens or singly in horseboxes, with or without pasturing. To provide appropriate living conditions for horses, it is necessary to know in...

Baines, F. M., Chattell, J., Dale, J. et al. 2016. How much UVB does my reptile need? The UV-Tool, a guide to the selection of UV lighting for reptiles and amphibians in captivity. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 4(1), 42-63.

Guidance is almost non-existent as to suitable levels of UV lighting for reptiles and amphibians, or how to achieve satisfactory UV gradients using artificial lighting. The UV-Tool is a working document that seeks to address...

Christensen, J. W. 2016. Early-life object exposure with a habituated mother reduces fear reactions in foals. Animal Cognition 19(1), 171–179.

Fear reactions in horses are a major cause of horse–human accidents, and identification of effective pathways for reduction in fearfulness can help decreasing the frequency of accidents. For a young mammal, the mother is one...

Lesimple, C., Fureix, C., Aube, L. et al. 2016. Detecting and measuring back disorders in nonverbal individuals: The example of domestic horses. Animal Behavior and Cognition 3(3), 159–179.

Back disorders are amongst the major health-related disorders associated to working conditions in our society. Horses share with humans the exposure to potential physically harmful working conditions leading to back disorders. However, despite their high...

Blois-Heulin, C., Rochais, C., Camus, S. et al. 2015. Animal welfare: Could adult play be a false friend? Animal Behavior and Cognition 2(2), 156–185.

There is no consensus regarding the functions of play. As play behavior is a characteristic of young stages of development, it has been suggested that the higher prevalence of adult play observed in domestic animals...

York, C. A., Schulte, B. A. 2014. The relationship of dominance, reproductive state and stress in female horses (Equus caballus). Behavioral Processes 107, 15-21.

Maintaining a dominant position in a hierarchy requires energetically expensive aggressive displays and physical exertion. Lab based winner–loser studies, often conducted with individuals from non-social species, have shown that subordinates have higher stress hormone levels...

Sneddon, L. U., Elwood, R. W., Adamo, S. A. et al. 2014. Defining and assessing animal pain. Animal Behaviour 97, 201-212.

The detection and assessment of pain in animals is crucial to improving their welfare in a variety of contexts in which humans are ethically or legally bound to do so. Thus clear standards to judge...

Siniscalchi, M., Padalino, B., Lusito, R. et al. 2014. Is the left forelimb preference indicative of a stressful situation in horses? Behavioral Processes 107, 61-67.

Evidence for behavioural and brain lateralisation is now widespread among the animal kingdom; lateralisation of limb use (pawedness) occurs in several mammals including both feral and domestic horses. We investigated limb preferences in 14 Quarter...

Hawkins, P. 2014. Refining housing, husbandry and care for animals used in studies involving biotelemetry. Animals 4(2), 361-373.

Biotelemetry can contribute towards reducing animal numbers and suffering in disciplines including physiology, pharmacology and behavioural research. However, the technique can also cause harm to animals, making biotelemetry a ‘refinement that needs refining’. Current welfare...

Burghardt, G. M. 2013. Environmental enrichment and cognitive complexity in reptiles and amphibians: Concepts, review, and implications for captive populations. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 147(3-4), 286-298.

Reptiles and amphibians have been neglected in research on cognition, emotions, sociality, need for enriched and stimulating environments, and other topics that have been greatly emphasized in work on mammals and birds. This is also...

Bulens, A., Beirendonck, S., Van Thielen, J. et al. 2013. The enriching effect of non-commercial items in stabled horses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 143(1), 46-51.

The effect of the provision of simple objects to stabled horses on their behaviour was investigated to determine whether these objects can affect horses' behaviour in a positive way and thus enrich their environment. A...

Rault, J.-L. 2012. Friends with benefits: Social support and its relevance for farm animal welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 136(1), 1-14.

Despite growing interest in promoting positive welfare, rather than just alleviating poor welfare, potential measures of good welfare, and means to provide it, have remained elusive. In humans social support improves stress-coping abilities, health, and...

Meisfjord Jørgensen, G. H., Hanche-Olsen Liestøl, S., Bøe, K. E. 2011. Effects of enrichment items on activity and social interactions in domestic horses (Equus caballus). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 129(2-4), 100-110.

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of items intended to provide enrichment during turnout, both for individual and group kept horses in an attempt to reduce the amount of passive behaviours...

Sankey, C., Richard-Yris, M.-A., Henry, S. et al. 2010. Reinforcement as a mediator of the perception of humans by horses (Equus caballus). Animal Cognition 13(5), 753–764.

A central question in the interspecific human/animal relationship is how domestic animals perceive humans as a significant element of their environment. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the use of positive or negative...

Canadian Council on Animal Care. 2009. CCAC guidelines on: the care and use of farm animals in research, teaching and testing. Ottawa, Canada.

These guidelines aim to provide information for investigators, animal care committees, facility managers and animal care staff that will assist in improving both the care given to farm animals and the manner in which experimental...

Thorne, J. B., Goodwin, D., Kennedy, M. J. et al. 2005. Foraging enrichment for individually housed horses: Practicality and effects on behaviour. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 94, 149-164.

The results indicate that the potentially beneficial behavioural effects of short-term multiple forage provision do persist when horses are managed on a MF [multiple forage] diet [long-chop and short-chop forages] for a 7-day period. They...

Pough, F. H. 1991. Recommendations for the care of amphibians and reptiles in academic institutions. ILAR Journal 33(4), S1-S21.

Amphibians and reptiles differ in many respects from the mammals and birds most commonly used in biomedical research. These differences affect the physical and biological requirements of amphibians and reptiles in captivity. In this contribution...