Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare
Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare
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Sarah Baert Becomes First ACAW Board-Certified Veterinarian from OVC and CCSAW

ACAW was established to advance the science and practice of animal welfare within veterinary medicine. Diplomates demonstrate proficiency in areas such as pain management, housing and enrichment and the development of welfare assessments across species. Sarah is not only the first graduate of both the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare (CCSAW) to achieve ACAW board certification, but she is also one of only two ACAW diplomates currently in Canada, highlighting the rarity and prestige of this accomplishment.

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Cathy Wentworth – Stanley: Teaching Horses and Humans with Science and Heart

When Cathy Wentworth - Stanley was eight years old, her parents bought her a horse. They weren’t “horse people” and didn’t fully understand her fascination, but that gift was enough to set her on a lifelong journey. Cathy would spend hours just sitting in a field, watching how horses interacted with each other. “I think that sparked my real interest in animal behaviour."

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New publication: AMS Training

Check out this recent publication from the DeVries lab, with Derek Haley and Renee Bergeron! Jessica's work highlights the importance of training prepartum heifers in automatic milking systems.

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Student Successes – New Theses Published

In her University of Guelph PhD research, Anna Garland investigates how being overweight impacts horses—focusing on both the physical changes in fat tissue and the inflammatory effects on joint cartilage. Across four studies, she discovered that inflamed fat tissue can trigger more inflammation in cartilage than direct exposure to bacterial toxins. In one study, horses were fed to gain weight over 16 weeks, and measurements showed that fat wasn’t distributed uniformly—spots like the tailhead and neck held the most fat. Another study compared three weight-loss plans: exercise only, calorie restriction only, or both combined. The exercise groups lost more fat, and when these horses performed a standardized exercise test, their joints showed signs of inflammation in synovial fluid, whereas the diet-only group showed lower levels of inflammatory markers. Overall, Garland’s work suggests that exercise-based weight loss may improve body composition faster, but may also stress joints—highlighting the need to balance weight management with inflammation control in overweight horseshttps://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/items/4bc170b4-4405-4e2b-a747-207543af902c

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