The Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEM) held its annual Animal Wellness Workshop, part of the Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry Department at the university. During the workshop, the foundations were laid for the “Manual on Best Practices for Therapy Aid Dogs.” The workshop also began working with an informational tool to evaluate the well-being of dogs that assist people in therapy, which takes into account the health, alimentation, environment, fear and anguish of the animals.
Roberto Montes de Oca Jiménez, director of the program, said that veterinarians and animal husbandry experts need to have an extensive understanding of animal well-being, which includes both physical and mental health.
Montes de Oca Jiménez said that scientific knowledge is needed to address aspects of physical health and to evaluate emotional health.
Animal well-being is important in animal husbandry because it reflects the product that is available to consumers. National and international organizations have also created policies and laws to protect animals from mistreatment.
During the two-day workshop, more than 31 participants took part in theoretical and practical sessions that covered the following topics: Animal well-being, holistic health, bioethics, and animal behavior. Jorge Saltijeral Oaxaca, of the Autonomous Metropolitan University and Elena de Varona of the University of Camagüey, Cuba were the instructors.
