When we say ‘welfare’, we are talking about more than just your pet’s comfort and happiness. We are referring to it in a very scientific (and nonanthropomorphic) way. Coming from an animal welfare research background, I’d love to get into the nitty-gritty on this one, but I’ll try to keep my summary short and sweet. (Obviously, if you’d like to nerd out on the details with me, just give us a holler!)

What’s the scientific definition of ‘animal welfare’?

The global concern for animal welfare began post World War II while farmers of industrialized countries were seeking more efficient management techniques. This lead to intensive operations, which in turn spawned the production Ruth Harrison’s book, Animal Machines. The book brought the shift in production systems to public attention. Shortly afterwards, an independent committee of scientist generated the Brambell Report which identified areas of animal welfare concern that opened up areas of scientific discussion (Mench, 1998; Veissier et al., 2008). The Brambell Report described positive animal welfare in the context of “Five Freedoms”:

1. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst

2. Freedom from Discomfort

3. Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease

4. Freedom to Express Normal Behavior

5. Freedom from Fear and Distress

This definition was used for quite some time. It wasn’t until start of the 21st centers that ethologist began to view animal welfare through a new lense. In an article published in 2008, Dr. David Fraser presented a new concept that focused less on the ‘absence of negatives’ and more on the ‘presence of positives’. He did this by proposing three overlapping components of animal welfare: basic health and functioning, natural living, and affective states.

By reframing animal welfare in this way, the intention of animal-related codes, laws, and practices could also shift. Rather than just eliminating negative welfare experiences, there was now a larger emphasis on promoting positive welfare states. Dr. Davis Mellor (2016) describes this as moving towards ‘a life worth living’.

How does SVS promote positive animal welfare?

Typically, animal welfare is evaluated across long-term situations … Does the animal’s diet satisfy their nutritional needs? Does the animal’s environment provide resources that allows them to engage in their natural behaviors?

However, in a veterinary hospital setting, it’s important to consider short-term experiences as well … Are cats and dogs kept separate? Are all animals provided comfortable bedding?

Doing the right thing goes beyond just having good intentions. We’ve taken a very scientific approach to our management style. Using Fraser’s model, here are just some of the areas Simon Veterinary Surgical considers while your pet is under our care.

By putting your pet’s welfare in the forefront, we in turn elevate the quality of care in every aspect of our practice. At SVS, you can be sure we’ve done the research and have developed deliberate and intentional standards of care for your pet. We ALWAYS put our patient’s welfare first.

References:

Fraser, D., 2008. Understanding animal welfare. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 50(1), pp.1-7.

Mellor, D.J., 2016. Updating animal welfare thinking: Moving beyond the “Five Freedoms” towards “a Life Worth Living”. Animals, 6(3), p.21.

Mench, J. A. 1998. Thirty years after Brambell: whither animal welfare science? Journal Applied Animal Welfare Science, 1.2, pp 91-102.

Vessier, I., A. Butterworth, B. Bock, and E. Roe. 2008. European approaches to ensure good animal welfare. Applied Animal Welfare Science, 113, pp 279-297.