Forty-eight goats were selected at eight-time points (1, 7, 14, 28, 42, 56, 70, and 84 days of age; 6 goats per group) and slaughtered for the evaluation of the anatomical and morphological development of gastrointestinal tract. The newborn goats fed maternal colostrum (MC) from birth to 7 d, maternal milk (MM) until 28 d, and maternal milk plus solid diet (MMSD) later. While at 60 d, the goats were weaned and offered only solid diet (SD). Body weight (BW) and carcass weight (CW) showed significant increase with age (p < 0.01). The absolute growth rate (AGR) of BW and CW were higher (p < 0.05) at MMSD phase than MM phase. Internal and external organs as a percentage of BW decreased with age (p < 0.01). However, the complex stomach percentage increased (p < 0.01) with age. The rumen and omasum weight experienced synchronous AGR with age (p < 0.01), especially at the SD phase. In contrast, the AGR of reticulum and abomasum were the highest (p < 0.01) at MMSD and MC, respectively. After weaning, the goats reared on SD showed the highest (p < 0.05) papillae height, lamina propria, muscle layer thickness (MLT), and epithelial thickness (ET). Compared the MMSD phase, the SD phase showed the highest (p < 0.01) colonic mucosa thickness and ileal MLT and villus height. However, the crypt depth (CD) was higher (p < 0.01) at MMSD phase than MM phase. Moreover, the CD and MLT of the jejunum increased (p < 0.01) with age. Furthermore, duodenal CD, MLT, and ET increased (p < 0.01) in SD phase. Overall, these findings contribute to a better understanding of the effective development pattern of the rumen and ultimately contribute to optimal feeding management, offset weaning challenges, and avoiding digestive disorders in newborn goats.

The ability to spend more time in lying down is extremely important on dairy cattle welfare. Lying behavior provide impending data on how cows interact with their environment. To assess how well the lying behavior of dairy cows in tie-stalls were varied with the THI, we assessed a total of 170 Holstein-Friesian and Jersey crosses lactating cows belongs to four agro-ecological zones which differ from environmental temperature and sea level height (UP-Up Country, MC-Mid Country, CT-Coconut Triangular and WP-Western Province). Lying behavior was recorded using electronic data loggers (HOBO Pendant G Acceleration Data Loggers), which attached to the cow’s hind leg, below the hock after validating for recording positions at 30 sec intervals for 5 consecutive 24-h periods. Variation of temperature and Relative Humidity (RH) inside the cattle shed was recorded throughout the experimental period using HOBO^® temperature loggers (HOBO U23 Pro v2 Temperature/RH Data Loggers) in five minutes’ interval of time. Recorded data were converted into a readable mode using SAS 9.4 version and then further statistical analyzes were continued using SPSS 23.0 version. Greater resting behaviors were attained by dairy cows in UP and MC areas with longer lying times (11.74 h/d, 11.26 h/d respectively) and lying duration (78.0 min, 84.95 min respectively) compared to WP and CT (lying times - 9.00 h/d, 9.26 h/d respectively and lying duration 48.32 min, 64.34 min, respectively). Significantly higher frequency of lying bouts were perceived in WP (13.22), and others remain comparable (UP = 11.87, MC = 9.82, CT = 9.67). All cows in four agro-ecological areas, prefer to lie on their left side. However, majority (78%) were in thermal stress condition (Discomfort – 72 < THI < 75, Alert – 75 < THI < 79, Danger – 79 < THI < 84, Emergency –THI > 84) and elevated THI had significantly (p < 0.05) reduced total lying time (p = −0.492), lying duration (ρ = −0.341), total lying time at right side (ρ = −0.213), total lying time at left side (ρ = −0.429), right side lying duration (ρ = −0.353), and left side lying duration (ρ = −0.341). Thus, we can conclude, heat stress condition due to climatic changes could diminish the welfare of cows and their sustainability.

Street dogs survive on food handouts provided by individuals or the wider community yet receive limited or no veterinary care. They are also known to carry various zoonotic diseases such as Rabies, posing a high risk to public and dog population health. Dog sterilization is one of the most humane and effective methods available to control the street dog population. Dog sterilization programs run with limited resources, and data recordkeeping is often challenging, and thus post-operative return to each specific individual’s capture area is frequently not achieved. Street dogs are territorial, and dislocation results in several welfare issues and an increased risk of post-operative complications, in some cases resulting in death. Humane Society International developed a mobile phone-based application called “SETU”, drawing on years of field experience in street dog location recording, clinical and post-operative treatment data collection. SETU app makes sure that dogs are released back at the exact captured location, which improves welfare significantly and generates a variety of useful data reports to maximize the authenticity of sterilization programs.

Today, the kennel is considered one of the crucial concerns of the human-animal relationship, since it is very often regarded as animals dump, a place where dogs exile and thus a burden on society. Therefore, drawing up strategies for a new “kennel conception”, as an added value for human society, environment and dogs as well is mandatory. Accordingly, this shelter dog in southern Italy represents a model multifunctional structure aiming towards the One Health perspective.

Animal welfare and environment protection, together with human-dog relationship are the aims of such a dog shelter. It normally relies on the initial on a careful behavioral assessment and categorization by veterinary behaviorist, in order to guarantee the most suitable life conditions for the animals in the kennels, increase the chances of adoption and involve dogs in projects tailored to their predispositions.

In this respect, dogs housed there are normally included in training courses with the aim of increasing the skills to be used in different human social contexts, such as support to the inmates, rescue in the rubble, animal assisted interventions, as well as zooanthropology projects in schools. All these activities allow an improvement of the awareness degree, that is at the basis of the human animal relationship, thus reducing the risk of aggression and damage by the dog, as well as the creation of dysfunctional relationships.

A strength of this shelter is represented by the environmental protection schedule, where the objectives, established every three years, are the continuous improvement and minimization of the environmental impact, which are technically and economically sustainable. The shelter uses chemical-physical purification areas and phytovaporation of wastewater, thus reducing environmental pollution of the area.
A single health for animals, humans and environment is the task for the shelter approach.

Empethy is a digital free platform that aims to facilitate the meeting between demand (pet owner) and offer (shelter dog, dog's association, volunteer, etc.) relating to the adoption of animals throughout the Italian territory. This platform will definitely give the possibility to carry out a questionnaire aimed at detecting the level of compatibility between the potential future owner of the dog/cat and the corresponding alter ego.

The matching query is based on a series of questions related to the habits, lifestyles, and personality traits of the prospective owner, compared to the corresponding characteristics of the dog/cat.

Each animal has its own history and needs, which will become characteristics that meet lifestyle and needs of the future owner.

Empethy’s ads are built with the aim of highlighting these characteristics in a clear and detailed manner, to accompany and support future adopters in the process of choice. The complexity of the human-animal relationship requires an interdisciplinary approach with a view to one welfare, and it is important to create a network around new adopters through the internet platform. Several studies show, in fact, that not all human-dog relationships are healthful, leading to the creation of dysfunctional bond that result in kennel abandonment and behavioural problems. One of the main causes underlying such an issue is attributed to a mismatch between dog characteristics (age, breed, size, health, character, behavior), and owner's expectations. Mismatch often occurs when the owner has not made a fully conscious and reflective choice, also driven by an "impulsive adoption", or following purely aesthetic canons. Therefore, this platform points to make it possible, reducing the impact of expectations bias through the "perfect match" through behavioural screening and evaluation tools.