Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals - Office of ...

106 GUIdE FOR ThE CARE ANd USE OF LAbORATORy ANIMALSThe veterinary care program is the responsibility of the attending veterinarian(AV), who is certified or has training or experience in laboratoryanimal science and medicine or is otherwise qualified in the care of thespecies being used. Some aspects of the veterinary care program can beconducted by persons other than a veterinarian, but a mechanism for directand frequent communication should be established to ensure that timelyand accurate information is conveyed to the responsible veterinarian aboutissues associated with animal health, behavior, and well-being, and thatappropriate treatment or euthanasia is administered. The AV should provideguidance to investigators and all personnel involved in the care and useof animals to ensure appropriate husbandry, handling, medical treatment,immobilization, sedation, analgesia, anesthesia, and euthanasia. In addition,the AV should provide guidance and oversight to surgery programsand perioperative care involving animals.ANIMAL PROCUREMENT AND TRANSPORTATIONAnimal ProcurementAll animals must be acquired lawfully, and the receiving institutionshould ensure that all procedures involving animal procurement are conductedin a lawful manner. Before procuring animals, the principal investigatorshould confirm that there are sufficient facilities and expertise to houseand manage the species being acquired. Procurement of animals should belinked to the prior approval of animal use and number by the IACUC (seeChapter 2, Protocol Review). If dogs and cats are obtained from randomsources, such as shelters or pounds, the animals should be inspected fortattoos or identification devices such as subcutaneous transponders (NRC2009b); such identification might indicate that an animal was a pet, and ifso, ownership should be verified. Attention should also be given to the populationstatus of the species under consideration; the threatened or endangeredstatus of species is updated annually by the Fish and Wildlife Service(DOI 2007). Appropriate records and other forms of documentation shouldbe maintained for animals acquired by an institution for its investigators.Potential vendors should be evaluated for the quality of animals theysupply. As a rule, vendors of purpose-bred animals (e.g., USDA Class Adealers) regularly provide information that describes the genetic and pathogenstatus of their colonies or individual animals and relevant clinical history(e.g., vaccination status and anthelminthic administration). The use ofpurpose-bred and preconditioned animals is therefore preferable when consistentwith the research, teaching, and testing objectives. In general, animalsused for scientific purposes should not be obtained from pet stores orpet distributors due to the unknown or uncontrolled background of animals