Version 1
: Received: 11 August 2022 / Approved: 15 August 2022 / Online: 15 August 2022 (03:57:59 CEST)
How to cite:
Alonso, W. J.; Schuck-Paim, C. Cumulative Pain: An Evidence-Based, Easily Interpretable and Interspecific Metric of Welfare Loss. Preprints2022, 2022080247. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0247.v1
Alonso, W. J.; Schuck-Paim, C. Cumulative Pain: An Evidence-Based, Easily Interpretable and Interspecific Metric of Welfare Loss. Preprints 2022, 2022080247. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0247.v1
Alonso, W. J.; Schuck-Paim, C. Cumulative Pain: An Evidence-Based, Easily Interpretable and Interspecific Metric of Welfare Loss. Preprints2022, 2022080247. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0247.v1
APA Style
Alonso, W. J., & Schuck-Paim, C. (2022). Cumulative Pain: An Evidence-Based, Easily Interpretable and Interspecific Metric of Welfare Loss. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0247.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Alonso, W. J. and Cynthia Schuck-Paim. 2022 "Cumulative Pain: An Evidence-Based, Easily Interpretable and Interspecific Metric of Welfare Loss" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0247.v1
Abstract
We describe a recently developed approach to quantify welfare loss in animals, the Cumulative Pain metric. It combines the two most relevant dimensions of negative affective experiences: intensity and duration. The metric enables estimating the time individuals spend in negative affective states of a physical or psychological nature (operationally referred to simply as ‘pain’) of different intensities as the result of one or more challenges (e.g., diseases, injuries, deprivations). A new notation protocol (the Pain-Track) is used in which the duration of the experience is represented along the horizontal axis and intensity is represented by four categories in the vertical axis. Pain experiences are partitioned into temporal segments, where hypotheses for the experienced duration and intensity are proposed based on existing welfare indicators (e.g., neurophysiological, behavioral, anatomical, evolutionary). This structure forces transparency about assumptions and uncertainties, highlights knowledge gaps, and enables estimates to be continuously adjusted. Because the Cumulative Pain metric is based on parameters with a broadly common biological meaning, it provides the much needed interoperability among assessments of animal welfare. It enables comparing the impact of practices and living conditions, policies and interventions, and the calculation of welfare footprints of animal-sourced products using a universal measurement unit.
Biology and Life Sciences, Animal Science, Veterinary Science and Zoology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.