AVS-3150 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Nociceptor, Homeostasis, Anthropomorphism
17 Feb 2017
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There can be stress or distress that is not associated with pain. Often, many small stressors can cumulatively cause distress. Indicators of well-being: freedom from pain and suffering, high level of functioning. Is it doing what it is supposed to do: positive experiences. This is the part that most often is overlooked in pets, working animals, and production animals. For a pet dog, this could mean: Stress vs. distress: stress can go on forever. You have enough reserves to handle it: distress cannot go on forever because it uses resources that the body needs for normal function. Waiting until the distress has become so severe that the animal has caused harm to itself is ineffective because at that point it is too late to do anything about the stressor. You can use intuition to decide whether or not an animal is in pain, but you run the risk of anthropomorphizing.
