OVC Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Lab

03/27/2026

We are still recruiting for our study on new cat caregivers. Please share!

**New Study Alert!** If you acquired a new cat in the past year please consider participating.

If you are interesting in participating please either use the QR code below or the following link:

https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bCrLhlCJFIVBvqC

03/09/2026

**New Study Alert!** If you acquired a new cat in the past year please consider participating.

If you are interesting in participating please either use the QR code below or the following link:

https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bCrLhlCJFIVBvqC

03/09/2026

THANK-YOU for your interest in our new study. As usual, our dog-loving community has come through for canine science again!

We have PAUSED our study's sign-up for the moment, as the response has been so excellent. We hope to continue recruiting new participants in the coming weeks, so please stay tuned!

01/09/2026

Here is a link to the first paper from Carol Tinga's rabbit-themed thesis! More papers coming... stay tuned!

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, news reports indicated increased numbers of stray rabbits and surrender requests at shelters and rabbit rescues. This study examined the impacts of the COVID-19 and Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2) pandemics on rabbit intake, care, and management...

12/01/2025

Anticipating and losing a companion animal can be very hard, and we may need support for ourselves and our families. The OVC Pet Trust has launched the new Pet Loss Support Resource Centre for just this reason. Please see the link below to access the free resources:

Always Near Me: Navigating Pet Loss This six-part video series created by OVC Pet Trust at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), University of Guelph shares the heartfelt stories of people navigating the grief of losing a beloved companion animal. Made possible through The Banjo Fund, established i...

11/18/2025

🐰 Rabbit people! Nat Powdrill-Wells and colleagues asked people in East Anglia, England, about owning rabbits and rabbit housing. 🐰 Where did you first learn about rabbits? 🐰 What do you think about the rabbit housing you can buy in your country? Did you buy it, or DIY it? 🐰

10/21/2025

Rabbits living in successful pairs/groups are believed to experience better welfare, but research into how to successfully pair companion rabbits is rare. To start closing this gap, Loek ten Broeke and colleagues at Ghent University present results from a pilot study at a rabbit shelter about initial rabbit-rabbit introductions.

The pet rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), known for its social nature, often experiences suboptimal living conditions when kept in solitary housing, as it fails to meet its social needs. In this study, the social dynamics during the introduction of companion rabbits are investigated focusing on opposi...

09/05/2025

The Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ Guidelines for Humane Rabbit Housing in Animal Shelters is out, and it's free to download!

The Journal of Shelter Medicine and Community Animal Health (JSMCAH) is an independent online journal published by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians. JSMCAH publishes original research, case studies, professional guidelines, and review articles relevant to shelter and community animal health...

09/03/2025

A fantastic learning opportunity for vets, student veterinarians, and vet techs/nurses. The House Rabbit Society is based in California, but they offer this training to healthcare providers from other countries too.

We’re making strides with our medical training program, where the next generation of veterinary professionals—pre-veterinary students, veterinary students, v...

08/15/2025

Lab members Carol (left) and Maggie (right) recently shared their respective knowledge of rabbit and cat welfare at the Hamilton-Burlington SPCA's Critter Camp for children, ages 6-8. Thanks to Ruby for including us in the program, and for the tour!

07/30/2025

Rabbit owners, can you detect mild & moderate pain in your companions? Charlotte Forder and colleagues showed owners rabbit videos and had owners list signs of pain and score pain on a simplified Bristol Rabbit Pain Score (BRPS: created for vets re acute pain; see previous posts). To learn more about owners identifying and assessing pain, click on the link below for the open access paper.

Background Rabbits are popular family pets. They are prey species and so have evolved to hide signs of illness and pain. Recent research has developed robust pain scales for use in a clinical setting, but to date none has examined rabbit owners’ ability to recognise pain in their animals. This stu...