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Simple Summary: In this paper we argue that the current oversight system for animal-based science in Canada needs major reform to keep pace with progressive legislation in other nations and to prioritize the replacement of animals as best scientific practice. Canada's current non-legislated oversight system for animal-based science not only fails to adequately incentivize the replacement of sentient animals as best scientific practice in any meaningful way, but also fails to adequately protect those animals bred, harmed, and killed in the name of science. In this paper, we outline the various shortcomings of the Canadian Council on Animal Care, and we highlight the need for Canada to move towards national legislation akin to that seen in other jurisdictions like the U.K. We conclude that while legislation alone cannot ensure the replacement of sentient animals in science, it appears to be a precondition for significant progress in animal protection and for the development and adoption of non-animal methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) is Canada's most endangered endemic mammal and is found exclusively on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. In the 1990s, the wild population drastically declined to fewer than 100 animals, primarily due to habitat alterations. In 1997, a conservation breeding-for-release program was established to supplement wild marmot populations as part of the National Recovery Plan. Retrospective analyses of captive breeding studbook records since 2000 indicate that among animals of proven fertility, the proportion of breeding pairs weaning a litter of pups is only 53%, which is less than optimum to support the reintroduction of animals to increase the wild population. Factors associated with the female were found to have the greatest impact on the odds of successfully weaning a litter, including age of the female and her previous success, although the age of the male also had an effect. A comparison of adrenal function between new and established breeding pairs, and successful and unsuccessful breeding pairs, indicated lower fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in established and successful pairs. This suggests that certain pairings are associated with lower stress than others, possibly reflecting social buffering of the stress response. The results of these analyses will be used to inform the captive management breeding program as it continues to supplement the wild populations of this endangered species. The Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) is Canada's most endangered endemic mammal. In 1997, a conservation breeding-for-release program was established to supplement wild marmot populations. Retrospective analyses of captive breeding studbook records since 2000 indicate the age of the sire and the dam significantly impacted the odds of successfully weaning a litter. Dams and sires between 5 and 7 years of age had more than double the odds of reproductive success compared to older animals. Successful reproduction by the dam in the previous year also doubled the odds of successfully weaning a litter in subsequent years. Assessment of adrenal function via fecal glucocorticoid analyses indicated established breeding pairs had decreased stress compared to new pairs (5.74 ± 0.28 ng/g vs. 7.60 ± 0.34 ng/g; p < 0.0001). Pairs that were ultimately successful at weaning pups in a breeding season had decreased stress compared to unsuccessful pairs (6.05 ± 0.34 ng/g vs. 7.22 ± 0.28 ng/g; p = 0.0006). These endocrine results suggest social buffering via familiarity and breeding/pair bond formation may be decreasing stress in established and successful pairs, respectively. The results of this study will be used to assist in the captive breeding management of this species to optimise numbers of animals produced to supplement the wild populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The clutches of berried female lobsters can be classified into four stages based on appearance: black with tightly packed eggs (stage 1), brown (stage 2) or orange (stage 3) with loosely packed eggs (stage 3), and hatching (stage 4, clutch "mossy"). This scheme has been used for decades, yet precisely how it relates to the biology of the developing eggs has not been investigated. We kept berried females in aquaria and monitored both the appearance of their clutches and investigated eggs closely by picking ten at regular intervals and inspecting them under a microscope. Our findings suggest additional criteria to the staging scheme to increase its accuracy. Firstly, clutches should be inspected closely enough to note whether individual eggs are uniform in colour or two-toned, which indicates how much yolk is present. Secondly, stage 3 clutches should include all eggs that contain ≤1/3 yolk to capture the period of rapid spring-time development leading to hatch. Thirdly, the presence of pre-zoea should be used to indicate a hatching (stage 4) clutch as they do not turn "mossy" (empty egg casings and adhesive substance visible) until late in the hatching process. Pre-zoea are newly hatched embryos not yet moulted to larvae and recognizable by their oval shape. Qualitative visual clutch staging is a useful tool for rapidly and non-invasively assessing the developmental stage of American lobster, Homarus americanus, embryos. While such a scheme has been used in fisheries monitoring strategies in Canada since the 1980s, the biological relevance of its four visually distinguishable stages is poorly understood. We conducted a laboratory experiment in which 10 ovigerous females were housed and the development of their embryos regularly assessed, both qualitatively and quantitatively, from November until hatching in July/August. We confirmed the biological relevance of the qualitative staging scheme by showing clear quantitative differences in the duration and rate of embryonic development of stages 2–4 (stage 1 was not assessed as the precise spawning date was unknown). Stage 2 represents winter–spring "dormancy". Stage 3 represents a shorter period of rapid development preceding hatch. Stage 4 represents hatching. We also recommend some improvements to the qualitative staging scheme, specifically (1) adding criteria related to the portion of eggs that are occupied by yolk to increase the accuracy of staging, (2) slightly redefining stage 3 to ensure it encompasses the full period of rapid embryonic development pre-hatch, and (3) adding the presence of pre-zoeae as a key indicator of hatching to avoid the misclassification of clutches in the early stages of hatching or those that are completely spent but still have adhesive substance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Increasing threats to wildlife have made assessing their populations, health, and adaptation to stressors ever more important. The use of environmental DNA to make these assessments is relatively new and offers many advantages, such as non-lethal sampling. How novel technologies such as these are framed in the news media is critically important because the general public gathers much of its information about scientific developments from the media, and public perceptions can impact use of technology, responses to data derived from its use, and ethical concerns. To date, media constructions of eDNA and perceptions among the general public have not been examined. The current paper begins to address this gap by undertaking an examination of media coverage of eDNA in Canada and the United States for the past approximately twenty years—likely a critical period in shaping understandings of and responses to eDNA. The findings indicate that eDNA is framed as a powerful tool, yet the social concerns that receive the most attention are those where there are financial interests at play, and these interests have to date eclipsed attending to relevant ethical considerations. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is an emerging technology used for understanding ecosystems, environmental change, and stressors. Cellular and extracellular DNA are collected from environmental samples instead of individual wildlife animals, and as such eDNA comes with associated logistical and ethical benefits. It is increasingly being used, yet to date public knowledge and perceptions of eDNA have not been explored. Given that most of the public gathers scientific information from news media sources, this is a logical first place to start. This paper reports on a framing and agenda-setting analysis of news media coverage of eDNA in Canada and the United States from 2000 to 2020. The findings indicate that eDNA is being framed as an emerging and powerful tool, although questions regarding its validity and reliability are raised vis-à-vis identifying the presence of invasive species. Less than half of the news articles analyzed address broader social or ethical issues in relation to eDNA, and the majority focus on the potential financial impacts of eDNA findings on development projects and business interests. The potential ethical advantages of non-lethal sampling methods used via eDNA sampling are not addressed, nor are the potential ethical issues raised by its potential use in bioprospecting, indicating that the current state of agenda setting regarding eDNA in these newspapers is focused on economic impacts, to the exclusion of potential ethical issues. This unfolding news coverage will likely be key to understanding public perceptions of this novel technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Racing provides employment and career engagement, is passionately pursued, and helps sustain our close relationship with horses, but it can also be associated with injury and losses. Fatalities occur on and off racetracks, involving welfare concerns, economic impact, and damage to racing's public profile and social license. Musculoskeletal injury, the most visible loss, represents only one source and remains poorly understood, while for other losses and off-track mortality little is known. In 2003, the Province of Ontario, Canada introduced a registry for racehorse mortalities, providing opportunities to better understand losses and contributing factors. Following an earlier publication describing losses across all breeds, this paper presents analysis of standardbred mortality and relationships with routine management and competition. Results reveal that aspects of industry structure may contribute to mortality, and that the impact might be anticipated by close monitoring of a horse's profile and performance. The immediate circumstances precipitating any specific fatality should be seen as separate from this underlying environmental liability. This has implications for how future research might be conducted and findings interpreted. It is hoped the present study can be used to decrease mortality and cumulative injury so as to reduce losses and strengthen societal support for racing. Factors associated with mortality in standardbred racehorses were assessed through a retrospective annualized cohort study of all-cause mortality from 2003–2015 (n = 978) (identified in the Ontario Racehorse Death Registry). Race and qualifying data for official work-events were also gathered (1,778,330 work-events, 125,200 horse years). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed sex, age, and indices of workload and intensity and their interactions to be strongly associated with mortality. Track class, race versus qualifying performance, and work-event outcome (finish position, scratched, or failed to finish) also influenced mortality odds, which increased as performance slowed. Intense competition at higher performance levels and qualifying races at lower levels carried particularly high odds. Though occurring frequently, musculoskeletal injury was less frequent than all other presenting problems combined. Industry structure contributes to mortality through interaction between horse characteristics and the competition environment. This substrate may be amenable to management to minimize liability, but incident-specific triggers may represent chance factors and be relatively difficult to identify or control. Differentiating between substrate and trigger when studying specific clinical problems may provide greater clarity and yield in identifying underlying causes. Mortality may reflect a continuum of circumstances, cumulative impacts of which might be identified before a fatal event occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Cat scratching is a self-motivated and natural behavior, yet cat owners commonly report unwanted scratching on household items, such as furniture, walls, and carpets. This study explored the influence of owner management strategies, owner characteristics, and cat characteristics on the performance of unwanted scratching in the home. Perspectives of various intervention and management methods were collected using an online survey (n = 2465). Results reveal that owners generally agreed with providing additional appropriate surfaces and items for their cat to scratch rather than more permanent solutions, such as surrendering, euthanizing, or declawing. There were fewer reports of unwanted scratching for cat owners with older cats, and for those that provide enrichment items (e.g., sisal rope), outdoor access, positive reinforcement training, and restrict access to items they did not want scratched. Through this study, results suggest that cat owner interventions and management strategies can influence reports of unwanted scratching in cats and encourages the continued education to the public on effective options available. Despite scratching behavior in owned domestic cats being a self-motivated and natural behavior, it is commonly reported as a behavior problem by owners when it results in damage to household items. The objectives of this study were to use a cross-sectional survey targeting cat owners within the United States and Canada, to explore perspectives on cat scratching behavior and management strategies, as well as identify factors that influence the performance of inappropriate scratching behavior in the household. A total of 2465 cat owners participated in the survey and three mixed logistic regression models were generated to explore associations between (1) cat demographic factors, (2) provisions of enrichment, and (3) owner demographic and management factors with owner reports of problematic scratching. In this convenience sample, inappropriate scratching was reported by 58% of cat owners. Owner perspectives and management strategies aligned with current recommendations as they preferred to use appropriate surfaces (e.g., cat trees) and training to manage scratching as opposed to surrendering, euthanizing, or declawing. Logistic regression results found fewer reports of unwanted scratching behavior if owners provide enrichment (flat scratching surfaces (p = 0.037), sisal rope (p < 0.0001), and outdoor access (p = 0.01)), reward the use of appropriate scratching objects (p = 0.007), apply attractant to preferred items (p < 0.0001), restrict access to unwanted items (p < 0.0001), provide additional scratching posts (p < 0.0001), and if their cat is 7 years of age or older (p < 0.00001). Whereas if owners use verbal (p < 0.0001) or physical correction (p = 0.007) there were higher reports of unwanted scratching. Results suggest that damage to household items from scratching behavior is related to management strategies owners employ, and these findings can be used to support owner education in mitigation and prevention of inappropriate scratching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Improving the veterinary experience for domestic dogs and their owners is important to promote canine welfare and owner compliance with routine veterinary care. Incorporating dog owner perspectives on portions of the veterinary appointment can help increase dog owner satisfaction and clinic visits. Thus, an online survey was distributed to current dog owners residing in Canada and the United States, to assess owner agreement towards 13 handling techniques used on dogs during routine veterinary appointments, when the participants' dog was calm, fearful, or aggressive. We also assessed the influence of participant's pet attachment and demographic information on owner agreement towards the handling techniques. Participants (N = 1176) generally disagreed with the use of more restrictive techniques and agreed with less restrictive techniques, regardless of dog behavior. We found that dog owners preferred full body restraint used on fearful dogs if they had previous veterinary experience or were male; whereas dog owners preferred minimal restraint used on fearful dogs if they had a stronger attachment to their pets or if they did not have previous veterinary experience. As owner perspectives align with current handling recommendations, we encourage veterinarians to incorporate owner perspectives to help improve dog and owner experiences during routine veterinary care. Veterinary care can be a source of stress for domestic dogs and their owners. If a dog owner is not satisfied with the veterinary experience, this may reduce the frequency of veterinary visits and negatively impact a dog's health and welfare. Allowing dog owners to offer their perspectives on aspects of the veterinary appointment may help improve owner satisfaction. We assessed owner agreement towards 13 recommended handling techniques used on dogs during routine veterinary appointments, when the participants' dog was calm, fearful, or aggressive. An online cross-sectional survey targeting current dog owners, residing in Canada and the United States, was used to examine the influence of participant's pet attachment (using the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS)) and demographic information (age, gender, experience working in the veterinary field) on owner agreement towards the handling techniques. The majority of participants (N = 1176) disagreed with higher restraint techniques (e.g., full body restraint, muzzle hold) and tools (e.g., dog mask), and agreed with lower restraint techniques (e.g., minimal restraint) regardless of dog demeanor. Logistic regression models revealed that for medium/large dog owners, having previous veterinary work experience resulted in lower agreement with the use of minimal restraint (p < 0.0001) and higher agreement with the use of full body restraint on fearful dogs (p = 0.01). Small dog owners were more likely to agree with the use of minimal restraint on fearful dogs if they had a higher pet attachment score (p < 0.001), and were more likely to agree with full body restraint if they had previous veterinary work experience (p < 0.0001) or were male (p = 0.02). Owner perspectives align with current handling recommendations and provide further support for the use of low stress handling methods to improve owner satisfaction and dog welfare during routine veterinary care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this article, we report on action research in the Canadian province of Alberta, based on forging alliances with officers who enforce federal, provincial, and municipal legislation involving animals. Some of these officers worked in rural areas, and others worked in urban areas. Some mainly enforced Alberta's Animal Protection Act, while a few specialized in enforcing Canada's Criminal Code. For the most part, however, participating officers had a mandate to enforce animal-related local bylaws. Such ordinances or rulebooks exist because Alberta's Municipal Government Act allows local councils to enact legislation regarding domestic and wild animals, particularly as regards people's health, property, safety, and welfare. Many professionals refer to policies such as these, which are deeply rooted in the western legal tradition, such as "animal control." Our findings illuminate how animal-control policies and personnel can help to protect domesticated animals, not just people. Even so, our research highlights that animal-control policies as well as animal-protection policies routinely fail to protect officers who enforce legislation involving animals. Furthermore, whenever officers who enforce legislation involving animals work in unsafe conditions, this endangers human as well as non-human lives. Across Canada and internationally, laws exist to protect animals and to stop them from becoming public nuisances and threats. The work of officers who enforce local bylaws protects both domestic animals and humans. Despite the importance of this work, research in this area is emergent, but growing. We conducted research with officers mandated to enforce legislation involving animals, with a focus on local bylaw enforcement in the province of Alberta, Canada, which includes the city of Calgary. Some experts regard Calgary as a "model city" for inter-agency collaboration. Based on partnerships with front-line officers, managers, and professional associations in a qualitative multiple-case study, this action-research project evolved towards advocacy for occupational health and safety. Participating officers spoke about the societal benefits of their work with pride, and they presented multiple examples to illustrate how local bylaw enforcement contributes to public safety and community wellbeing. Alarmingly, however, these officers consistently reported resource inadequacies, communication and information gaps, and a culture of normalized disrespect. These findings connect to the concept of "medico-legal borderlands," which became central to this study. As this project unfolded, we seized upon opportunities to improve the officers' working conditions, including the potential of relational coordination to promote the best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Gut health has been a main topic in veterinary medicine research after the ban on the use of antimicrobial growth promoters. Gut health has been defined as absence/prevention/avoidance of gastrointestinal disease so that the animal is able to perform its physiological functions. A bibliometric analysis is a set of statistical methods used to explore trends in the scientific literature such as number of publications, most prolific countries and main research areas to highlight publication dynamics and gaps of knowledge. In this case, a bibliometric analysis was performed on veterinary gut health using the database Web of Science and the R package Bibliometrix. A total of 1696 documents were retrieved between 2000 and 2020, showing an increase of 22.4% in the number of annual publications. Pigs (34.8%), poultry (chicken, duck, turkey and quail—33.9%) and aquaculture (fishes, crustaceans and frog—15.0%) were the most studied species while a scarce number of publications was found on felines, cows, horses, rodents, goats and sheep. China (24.7%), USA (17.2%) and Canada (5.7%) were the most productive countries. Three main research lines aimed to explore animal nutrition, prevention of inflammatory diseases and microbiota composition were identified. This study will help drive future research on the topic. Gut health is a recent relevant research topic in veterinary medicine and it has been shown to be associated with better zootechnical performances and animal welfare. A bibliometric analysis was performed to explore publication trends, dynamics and possible knowledge gaps in this field in the last twenty years (2000–2020). The database Web of Science was searched and the results were analyzed by the R package Bibliometrix. A total of 1696 documents were retrieved in the evaluated period, showing a constant annual growth in the number of publications of 22.4%. These articles focused mainly on pigs (34.8%), poultry (chicken, duck, turkey and quail—33.9%) and aquaculture (fishes, crustaceans and frog—15.0%) while a scarce number was found on felines, cows, horses, rodents, goats and sheep. China was the most productive country (24.7%) followed by the USA (17.2%) and Canada (5.7%). Keyword's analysis showed that the main research lines aimed to explore animal nutrition, prevention of inflammatory diseases and microbiota composition. This study shows a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the evolution of veterinary gut health research that will help to drive future investigations on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey of the United States and Canadian governmental agencies investigated the environmental impact and relative invasiveness of free-roaming domestic non-native carnivores--dogs, cats, and ferrets. Agencies represented wildlife, fish, game, natural or environmental resources, parks and recreation, veterinary and human health, animal control, and agriculture. Respondents were asked to document the number and frequency of sightings of unconfined animals, evidence for environmental harm, and the resulting "degree of concern" in their respective jurisdictions. Results confirmed the existence of feral (breeding) cats and dogs, documenting high levels of concern regarding the impact of these animals on both continental and surrounding insular habitats. Except for occasional strays, no free-roaming or feral ferrets were reported; nor were there reports of ferrets impacting native wildlife, including ground-nesting birds, or sensitive species. This is the first study to report the relative impact of free-roaming domestic carnivores. Dogs and cats meet the current definition of "invasive" species, whereas ferrets do not. Differences in how each species impacts the North American environment highlights the complex interaction between non-native species and their environment. Public attitudes and perceptions regarding these species may be a factor in their control and agency management priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Owners may consider many factors when deciding whether to provide an indoor-only or indoor-outdoor lifestyle for their cats. These include safety, mental and physical health, exposure to parasites or disease, and depredation of wildlife. This international study used a series of online surveys to explore the factors cat owners consider when deciding what lifestyle to provide for their cat, alongside investigating if owner and cat features are associated with greater odds of cats having indoor-only or indoor-outdoor lifestyles. Ten variables were found to be significant predictors of lifestyle. Owner features predicting a greater likelihood of cats being kept as indoor-only were being 26–35 years old, having multiple cats, living in city centres or urban areas, and living in the United States, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. For cats, these features included being junior, having health issues, being pedigree, or having unknown pedigree status. Owner features predicting a greater likelihood of cats being indoor-outdoor were owners being 46–55+ years old or 56+ years old and having children (17 years old or under) living at home. For cats, features included being male and being mature or senior. Road traffic accidents were the major concern for owners of indoor-only cats in all regions surveyed. Owners who provided outdoor access predominantly indicated they did so for the mental wellbeing of their cat. These findings are important in understanding the considerations owners give to their cat's lifestyle and identifying management trends and cat populations potentially at risk of compromised welfare due to unsuitable lifestyles. Outdoor access for owned domestic cats (Felis catus) is a divisive issue. Cat safety, mental and physical wellbeing, infectious diseases, and wildlife depredation are cited as factors influencing owners; however, the degree of consideration each factor receives has not been quantified. This study (i) analysed which demographic variables are associated with greater odds of cats having indoor or outdoor lifestyles, (ii) identified which factors owners consider when making a choice on lifestyle and any regional variations, and (iii) identified if owners consider the different lifestyle options available and recognise their associated benefits. A series of online surveys were used for data collection. Binary logistic regression models were used to generate odds ratios assessing if demographic variables were significantly associated with cat lifestyle. Quantitative analysis of factors considered when deciding on cat lifestyle was accompanied by a thematic analysis of rich-text open-ended responses, providing nuanced insight into the rationale and elucidating additional factors considered. Of the demographic variables tested, 10/12 were significantly associated with lifestyle. Variables with higher odds of indoor-only lifestyles were owners being 26–35 years old, multi-cat households, junior cats, pedigree cats or unknown pedigree status, cats with health issues, living in city centres or urban areas, or living in the United States, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. Variables with higher odds of indoor-outdoor lifestyles were owners being 46–55 years old or 56+ years old, households with residents 17 years old or under, male cats, and cats being mature or senior. Road traffic concerns were the most cited reason for keeping indoor-only cats across all global regions. The second-most cited reason varied regionally. For Europe, it was protection from people. For the USA and Canada, the reason was protection from wildlife, and for Australia and New Zealand, to prevent hunting. Indoor-outdoor cat owners cited most frequently the benefits to their cat's mental health. Over two-thirds of owners did not consider the alternative lifestyle for their cat. These data give insight into the priorities of cat owners with regards to feline wellbeing, feline safety, and wildlife depredation, helpful for individuals or organisations working with human behaviour change. They provide evidence that the numbers of indoor-only cats are likely to rise with increasing urbanisation. Finally, the data identify cat populations who may be at risk of compromised welfare due to unsuitable, or under-researched, lifestyles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Despite the fact that there are currently many humane teaching methods available, harmful animal use in education and training remains widespread among life and health sciences disciplines. The use of humane teaching methods instead is based not only on legal, ethical, and economic factors, but also on evidence that these training techniques are just as efficient or even better in improving knowledge, understanding, and clinical or surgical skills proficiency among students. However, studies systematically comparing the learning outcomes of both harmful animal use and humane teaching methods are more than a decade old, and the evidence needs to be updated. Here, we assess and summarize the currently available studies through the process of a systematic review. We found 50 relevant studies and established that in 90% of studies humane teaching methods were as or more effective than harmful animal use in achieving desired learning outcomes. These results are clear—there is no valid educational reason for continued harmful animal use in education and training. Humane alternatives to harmful educational animal use include ethically-sourced cadavers, models, mannequins, mechanical simulators, videos, computer and virtual reality simulations, and supervised clinical and surgical experiences. In many life and health sciences courses, however, traditional animal use persists, often due to uncertainty about the educational efficacy of humane alternatives. The most recent comprehensive reviews assessing learning outcomes of humane teaching methods, in comparison to harmful animal use, were published more than 10 years ago. Therefore, we aimed to collate and analyse the combined evidence from recent and older studies about the efficacy of humane teaching methods. Using specific search terms, we systematically searched the Web of Science, SCOPUS, and EMBASE databases for relevant educational studies. We extracted information on publication years, the country in which the study was conducted, field, humane teaching methods, form of learning outcome assessment, and the learning outcome of the humane teaching methods, in comparison with harmful animal use. We found 50 relevant studies published from 1968–2020, primarily stemming from the USA, UK, and Canada. Humane teaching methods produced learning outcomes superior (30%), equivalent (60%), or inferior (10%) to those produced by traditional harmful animal use. In conclusion, a wide-spread implementation of humane teaching methods would not only preserve learning outcomes, but may in fact be beneficial for animals, students, educators, and institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Continuous monitoring of the herd status is important but routine assessments on farm can be challenging. In this study, a remote herd assessment tool was developed to help producers and advisors detect herd management issues related to herd welfare and health. This tool was based on pre-recorded indicators from routinely collected on-farm records. Indicators were aggregated to a composite index to benchmark the overall herd status, with a large composite index indicating an overall high herd status and a small composite index indicating an overall low herd status. Robustness of the composite index was evaluated and indicated little fluctuation for herds with a low or high status. These results suggest that herds in need of support could be prioritized and effectively monitored over time, limiting the need for time-consuming farm visits. The benchmarking tool allows evaluating herds relative to their peers, highlights areas with opportunities to improve, may be further suitable for certification systems, and may be applied to studies to benchmark multidimensional aspects of livestock farming such as environmental and socio-economic studies. Continuous assessment of the herd status is important in order to monitor and adjust to changes in the welfare and health status but can be time consuming and expensive. In this study, herd status indicators from routinely collected dairy herd improvement (DHI) records were used to develop a remote herd assessment tool with the aim to help producers and advisors benchmark the herd status and identify herd management issues affecting welfare and health. Thirteen DHI indicators were selected from an initial set of 72 potential indicators collected on 4324 dairy herds in Eastern Canada. Data were normalized to percentile ranks and aggregated to a composite herd status index (HSI) with equal weights among indicators. Robustness analyses indicated little fluctuation for herds with a small HSI (low status) or large HSI (high status), suggesting that herds in need of support could be prioritized and effectively monitored over time, limiting the need for time-consuming farm visits. This tool allows evaluating herds relative to their peers through the composite index and highlighting specific areas with opportunities for improvements through the individual indicators. This procedure could be applied to similar multidimensional livestock farming issues, such as environmental and socio-economic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]