Animal Health & Welfare

Trained Animal Resource Program (ARP) personnel observe all animals daily. Animal health concerns observed by ARP personnel are directed to the ARP veterinary technician or attending veterinarian. Sick or injured animals will have a health alert card placed in their cage cardholder indicating that a sick animal report has been filed with the attending veterinarian. The veterinary technician and/or veterinarian will examine the animal(s) and initiate a medical record for that animal. A reasonable attempt will be made to contact the investigator before medical treatment is started or euthanasia performed. All investigators must make arrangements for alternative contacts that have the authority to make decisions regarding the disposition of animals requiring immediate care in the event the investigator cannot be reached. Investigators who know they will be unavailable for an extended time period may wish to make prior arrangements with the ARP for treatment of sick or injured animals. If the investigator or an alternative contact cannot be reached within a reasonable amount of time treatment or euthanasia will proceed at the discretion of the attending veterinarian. Diagnostic testing may be performed on the animal at the discretion of the veterinarian in order to rule out an infectious process.

The investigator, the attending veterinarian and the IACUC are responsible for determination of the level of discomfort or distress that is appropriate for an experimental procedure. The IACUC is ultimately responsible for approving or withholding approval of procedures that cause pain or distress to experimental animals on the basis of justification provided by the investigator and advisement by the attending veterinarian. Occasionally the level of discomfort or distress caused by an experimental procedure is greater than anticipated and exceeds what has been approved by the IACUC. In this situation the investigator may either modify the experiment to accommodate what the IACUC has approved or the protocol may be amended. If judged appropriate by the attending veterinarian, animals may be removed from a study and treated or euthanized to relieve unwarranted pain and/or distress.