EAZA Webinars

Arthritis is one of the most prevalent causes of chronic pain in animals, and yet it is also one of the most under-diagnosed due to animals’ ability to ‘mask pain’ and widespread misunderstandings about the disease and the manifestation of pain and lameness. Studies in domestic animals have shown radiographic changes in 40% of young dogs (up to 80% in senior individuals), and there are suggestions of rates up to 70% in all domestic rabbits. While identification and treatment challenges continue to evolve in domestic animals, the massive behavioural, biomechanical, and physiological variation in the species we work with in zoos can further compound this problem, with available research being highly variable on its occurrence.

In this EAZA webinar, Matthew Shackleton will look at factors in care that may predispose animals to arthritis, the importance of environmental management and behaviour in both the identification and ‘treatment’ of the disease, and how contemporary treatment approaches for human chronic pain patients have particular relevance to captive species with specialized anatomical and behavioural adaptations. 

Animal welfare is more than meeting an animals' basic needs: it's about creating environments that provide meaning opportunities for animals to thrive. Welfare assessments can provide a structured, evidence-based approach for understanding how animals experience their physical and social environments and identifying opportunities to improve their quality of life. The greatest value of a welfare assessment comes from translating findings into actionable strategies. This presentation is geared towards animal management and will give examples of Outcome Based Care strategies used at the San Diego Zoo on a variety of taxa using reliable signals and giving back agency for animals to make choices and have a relationship with their environment mimicking natural behaviour and sensory abilities.