MDPI's Journal Cluster of Animal Science Webinar | Issue Cover Authors Webinar of 2025
the chair
MDPI's Journal Cluster of Animal Science
Issue Cover Authors Webinar of 2025
The Animal Science Cluster Editorial Team at MDPI is pleased to welcome you to the Issue Cover Authors Webinar of 2025.
For this webinar, we have invited three authors of publications featured on the covers of the journals Animals and Veterinary Sciences in 2025. During the event, they will present the research highlighted in their cover-featured publications and share related work as well as recent findings from their research groups.
This webinar aims to promote academic exchange, showcase impactful research in animal science, and encourage discussion within the research community.
We very much look forward to your participation in the Animal Science Cluster Issue Cover Authors Webinar of 2025.
Date: 30 March 2026
Time: 10:00 am CEST | 4:00 pm CST Asia
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Meet the Event Chair
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Meet Our Speakers
Dr. Rachel Moxon
Canine Science, Guide Dogs UK and School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, UK.;
Dr Rachel Moxon, Breeding, Welfare and Veterinary Programme Lead, Guide Dogs UK. Rachel began her research career working in equine nutrition and exercise physiology research at Kentucky Equine Research. Rachel joined Guide Dogs in 2008 and now leads the Canine Science Team. Rachel's research interests are dog health and reproduction and her work focuses on improving the effectiveness of guide dogs throughout their working lives, their overall health and wellbeing. Rachel completed her PhD in 2024 at the University of Nottingham, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, where she is now Honorary Assistant Professor in Canine Health Science. Rachel's PhD research focused on the effects of neutering, and neutering prepubertally or post-pubertally, on bitch health, behaviour and development.
Dr. Amelia Cameron
School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, UK;
Amelia is a research fellow in equine welfare at the University of Nottingham, where she also completed her PhD. Through her PhD she developed resources to support horse owners and vets when planning and decision-making throughout a horse’s life, up to and including end-of-life and euthanasia. The TRUSTED resources promote open vet-owner communication, and encourage a proactive approach to monitoring health and quality of life, and planning for the future. Amelia is now trialling these resources with owners and their vets, using feedback from interviews and focus groups to refine them further, and to develop an implementation plan.
Dr. Mario Nicotra
School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Italy;
Mario Nicotra is a young Veterinarian. He graduated in 2023 from the University of Camerino, where he is now attending the Specialization School in Animal Health, Breeding, and Zootechnical Production. Before focusing on research, he worked for 6 months in the Small Clinical Division of the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Matelica (Italy), gaining experience in handling the main veterinary emergencies in pets, mostly dogs and cats, as well as rabbits and wild species. He is currently involved in research on the detection of pharmacological residues in animals and animal-derived foods, the use of phytochemicals and functional foods in animal nutrition, and the development of nanotechnological tools with antimicrobial activity and improved drug delivery.
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Summary of Presentation 1: The health outcomes of neutering bitches before or after puberty, Dr. Rachel Moxon
Rachel Moxon presents her work into neutering timing in relation to puberty. She shares not only the results of the Animals cover issue study that examined the longer-term health outcomes for bitches neutered before or after puberty, but also findings from the wider project, reporting on peri- and postoperative, behavioural, training, growth and physical development outcomes. The presentation closes by highlighting areas of potential future work to increase understandings related to alternative methods of sterilisation and the impact of reproductive hormones on disease.
Summary of Presentation 2: Planning for your Horse Throughout their Life: Developing Resources through Stakeholder Input, Dr. Amelia Cameron
Dr Cameron's presentation describes the multiple study phases that were involved in the development of evidence-based decision-making resources for horse owners and their vets, and the ways in which they are now being trialled in practice. This includes her Animals cover feature study, in which focus groups were utilized to explore equine veterinary and charity teams' experiences of making euthanasia decisions. The TRUSTED resources developed encourage open communication between owners, vets, and other key personnel. They support proactive health care planning throughout horses' lives to help maintain optimal quality of life, up to and including end-of-life care and euthanasia.
Summary of Presentation 3: Nutraceuticals, social interaction, and psychophysiological influence on pet health and well-being: focus on dogs and cats, Dr. Mario Nicotra
As the demand for cats and dogs has increased and their role has shifted from merely working animals to real family members, the interest in their health and well-being has grown. Nutraceuticals and social interactions have been observed to play a supportive role in safeguarding pets’ health and potentially improving their quality of life, thereby ensuring what is called “healthy longevity”.
The full recording can be found below. In order to learn about future webinars, you can sign up to our newsletter by clicking “Subscribe” at the top of the page.