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Technology used to detect pig facial expressions
“Early identification of pig health issues gives farmers the potential to improve animal wellbeing..."
Study could lead to on-farm tool for monitoring health and welfare 

Scientists are using state-of-the-art technology to detect different emotional states in pigs, which could result in a tool to help farmers monitor health and welfare.

Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) has teamed up with experts at the University of the West of England (UWE) to capture 2D and 3D facial images of breeding sows in various commercial situations.

Pigs are known to be highly expressive and previous SRUC research has shown they use different facial expressions to signal their intentions to other pigs. Evidence also suggests they use different expressions when they are in pain or under stress.

Images will be processed at UWE Bristol’s Centre for Machine Vision, where various techniques are being developed to automatically identify different emotions. Researchers are hoping to use the technology to recognise facial expressions that are linked to core emotional states, such as happiness or distress.

Once the techniques have been validated, the team plan to develop technology for on-farm use.

Dr Emma Baxter, from SRUC, said: “Early identification of pig health issues gives farmers the potential to improve animal wellbeing by tackling any problems quickly and implementing tailored treatment for individuals. This will reduce production costs by preventing impact of health issues on performance.

“By focussing on the pig’s face, we hope to deliver a truly animal-centric welfare assessment technique, where the animal can ‘tell’ us how it feels about its own individual experiences and environment. This allows insight into both short-term emotional reactions and long-term individual ‘moods’ of animals under our care.”

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.