Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Cumulative Pain: An Evidence-Based, Easily Interpretable and Interspecific Metric of Welfare Loss

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. 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. Preprints 2022, 2022080247. 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.

Keywords

animal welfare; pain; farm animals; Pain-Track; Cumulative Pain; pain assessment; welfare foot-print; time; interspecific comparisons

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Animal Science, Veterinary Science and Zoology

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