Table 1 Scoring for examination of the animal and its cage
Score 0 | Score 1 | |
|---|---|---|
Observation of the animal | ||
Spontaneous behavior | Sleeping, resting, digging, running, walking, rearing, climbing, eating, drinking, grooming, sniffing | Sudden movements, backwards movements, transient involuntary muscular contraction of any body part, kicking with hind paws, licking/biting the wound |
Posture | Lying, sitting, moving, | Hunched, arched back, crouched |
Breathing | Undisturbed, regular | Exerted, irregular |
Coat condition | Clean, smooth, well-groomed | Ruffled, dirty, unkempt, piloerection, hair loss (alopecia) |
Eyes | Clear, bright | Discharge |
Body condition | Good, unchanged as judged from external appearance | Sunken flanks, swollen areas, ascites |
Wound | Clean, dry, smooth | Dirty, bloody, uncleaned, signs of self-injury, signs of inflammation or necrosis, i.e., unusual color (e.g., red, pale) or swollen |
Behavior after provocation/weighing | Alert, ready to take flight | Apathetic, sedated, highly aggressive, increased vocalization |
Movement after provocation/weighing | No aberration in moving pattern | Decelerated/slowed, crawling, immobile, lameness, tiptoe gait |
Appearance of cage | ||
Condition of nest | A nest clearly identifiable | Either no nest identifiable or multiple fragmentary nest-like resting places at different locations |
Condition of territory | Cage area clearly structured, i.e., obvious areas for defecation and sleeping | Areas of defecation and sleeping indistinguishable, feces either adhering to nesting materials or not visible |