Rowena Packer
|
|
Rowena is a PhD student in the Centre for Animal Welfare researching healthy conformational limits in UK domestic dog breeds. Her research aims to provide recommendations to dog breeders with regard to which body forms confer low risks of associated inherited disorders.
Biography
Education
Rowena graduated from the University of Bristol in 2009, with a BSc (Hons) in Animal Behaviour and Welfare. Her final year research project investigated the potential to apply meta-analysis to the results of animal welfare studies, using feather pecking in laying hens as an example, under the supervision of Professor Bill Browne .
During the following summer she worked under the supervision of Dr Melissa Bateson at Newcastle University’s Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, investigating fear of humans in hand-raised and wild caught European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris).
She then began her PhD at the Royal Veterinary College in October 2009, under the supervision of Dr Charlotte Burn, Dr Anke Hendricks and Professor Christopher Wathes, in the Centre for Animal Welfare.
Grants & Awards
- (2011) Early career bursary - 1st International Conference on Veterinary and Animal Ethics (ICVAE)
- (2010) UFAW Research and Project Award (with Dr Charlotte Burn and Dr Anke Hendricks) - to support current PhD research
- (2010) RVC Prize Poster Day - 1st year Prize
- (2009) UFAW Dissertation Award - for the highest mark in final year project
- (2009) ASAB Vacation Scholarship (with Dr Melissa Bateson)
- (2008) University of Bristol Undergraduate Scholarship - Awarded for the highest aggregate marks in Animal Behaviour and Welfare exams
- (2008) UFAW Vacation Scholarship, "Quantifying the benefits of ranging in individual laying hens" (with Prof Christine Nicol)
Research
Conformation and disease
Rowena’s research centres around the welfare of pedigree dogs. Recent studies have highlighted the risks of genetic disorders associated with some dog breeds through inbreeding and the quest to conform to pedigree standards.
Rowena’s research focuses on disorders directly associated with exaggerated conformations characteristic of some breed standards. Several exaggerated breed characteristics are commonly acknowledged to be detrimental to welfare, but empirical evidence is lacking and the extent of the exaggerations that can be accepted is currently unknown.
Her current project focuses on:
- Brachycephalic Airway Obstruction Syndrome (in relation to skull conformation)
- Intervertebral Disc Herniation (in relation to back and leg conformation)
- Ulcerative Keratitis (in relation to skull and eye conformation)
It is hoped that this epidemiological study will generate quantitative recommendations for ‘healthy’ conformational limits necessary to prevent these disorders, with the aim of raising dog welfare through improved breeding practices.
Owner perceptions
Rowena is also interested in owner's perceptions of clinical signs and disease in companion animals, and how this may differ with those of vets and scientists. This is with a particular emphasis on conditions that may be thought of as 'normal for the breed'. This has been investigated in her own work on BOAS, and also with BVetMed elective project students investigating areas such as BCS scoring/obesity.
Teaching
Rowena is currently a tutor to first year Bioveterinary Science (BSc) students, and is involved in several Directed Learning sessions and lectures related to animal welfare.
Clinical
Rowena's current study is based in the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals (QMHA) at the RVC, with clinical cases being recruited throughout 2011.
Selected Publications
Packer RMA, A Hendricks & CC Burn (in press) Do dog owners recognise clinical signs related to a conformational inherited disorder that is 'normal for the breed'? A potential constraint to improving canine welfare. Animal Welfare [pdf]
Conference Presentations
Packer RMA, A Hendricks, JL Axe & CC Burn (2011) Preliminary indications of a lack of owner recognition of clinical signs related to a conformational inherited disorder - a potential constraint to improving breeding practices in pedigree dogs. UFAW International Animal Welfare Symposium, Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth