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

14 GUIdE FOR ThE CARE ANd USE OF LAbORATORy ANIMALSrepresentative of senior administration, the IO is responsible for resourceplanning and ensuring the alignment of Program goals of quality animalcare and use with the institution’s mission.The Attending VeterinarianThe attending eterinarian (AV) is responsible for the health and wellbeingof all laboratory animals used at the institution. The institution mustprovide the AV with sufficient authority, including access to all animals,and resources to manage the programAttending veterinarian: Theveterinarian responsible forthe health and well-being of alllaboratory animals used at theinstitution.of veterinary care. The AV shouldoversee other aspects of animal careand use (e.g., husbandry, housing)to ensure that the Program complieswith the Guide.Institutional mission, programmaticgoals, including the nature ofanimal use at the institution, and Program size will determine whether fulltime,part-time, or consultative veterinary services are needed. If a full-timeveterinarian is not available on site, a consulting or part-time veterinarianshould be available in visits at intervals appropriate to programmatic needs.In such instances, there must be an individual with assigned responsibilityfor daily animal care and use and facility management. While institutionswith large animal care and use programs may employ multiple veterinarians,the management of veterinary medicine, animal care, and facilityoperations by a single administrative unit is often an efficient mechanismto administer all aspects of the Program.The Guide endorses the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine’s(ACLAM) “Guidelines for Adequate Veterinary Care” (ACLAM 1996).These guidelines include veterinary access to all animals and their medicalrecords, regular veterinary visits to facilities where animals are or may behoused or used, provisions for appropriate and competent clinical, preventive,and emergency veterinary care, and a system for legal animal procurementand transportation. Other responsibilities of the AV are outlined in theProgram Oversight section below and in later chapters. For a Program towork effectively, there should be clear and regular communication betweenthe AV and the IACUC.The Institutional Animal Care and Use CommitteeThe IACUC (or institutional equivalent) is responsible for assessmentand oversight of the institution’s Program components and facilities. Itshould have sufficient authority and resources (e.g., staff, training, comput-