Table 1.
Traditional welfare scoring system based on behavioural, clinical and procedure‐specific criteria
| Observation from a distance (for 5 min) |
| (1) Inactive |
| (2) Isolated |
| (3) Hunched posture |
| (4) Huddled |
| (5) Restless |
| (6) Reluctance to move |
| (7) Laboured gait/tip‐toe walking |
| (8) Abnormal interaction with congeners (other than isolation; specify) |
| (9) Excessive attention to surgical site |
| Observation following cage lid opening |
| Reaction at cage opening: |
| (10) Little, no response (not inquisitive, nor alert) |
| (11) Hyperactive |
| (12) Starey coat/piloerection |
| (13) Not grooming |
| (14) Twitching/tremors |
| (15) Type of breathing: normal (N), laboured (L; slow, involving the diaphragm but with closed mouth), open‐mouth breathing (O), noisy breathing (crackles; C). |
| Observation following handling |
| Reaction to handling: |
| (16) Reacts violently (attempt to bite, irritation) |
| (17) Vocalization |
| (18) Fear (faeces, urine) |
| (19) Dehydration (skin pinch test/saggy skin) |
| (20) Discharge from nares/eyes |
| (21) Wound abnormalities (specify: e.g. inflammation, opened…) |
| (22) Skin/mucosa colour: normal (N), pale (P), cyanosis (C) |
| (23) Exploring on top of the platform? |
| Marking scale |
| * for all criteria but breathing and skin/mucous membrane colour: |
| • Absent criterion: 0 |
| • Doubtful or mildly present: 1 |
| • Present: 2 |
| * for type of breathing |
| • Normal (N): 0 |
| • Moderately laboured: 1 |
| • Laboured (L): 2 |
| • Open‐mouth breathing/noisy breathing: 4 |
| * for skin/mucosa colour |
| • Normal (N): 0 |
| • Pale (P): 2 |
| • Cyanosis (C): 4 |
| Total mark out of 50 |
Mice were assessed first from a distance, then following opening of the cage, before finally being handled.