Adequate Vet Care
General Policy
The Attending Veterinarian is appointed by the Provost of the University and is responsible for assuring that adequate veterinary care is provided to all animals maintained within research facilities. He or she should be board-certified by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine and has full authority for all aspects of the research animal program at the institution. The veterinary care program assures that all animals are procured from lawful sources and that their procurement, transportation, and receipt are in compliance with federal, state, and local animal welfare regulations. It also assures that animals meet specific health requirements before they can be used for research and that they have been provided an opportunity to acclimate to the facility environment, unless specifically exempted by the Attending Veterinarian, so that they are physiologically stable prior to study initiation. Lastly, the veterinary care program assures that all animals are evaluated daily for abnormal findings and that proper treatments or actions are taken based on the expected research outcomes. Based on the specific research procedures, further consultation regarding anesthesia, analgesia, surgery, assessment for pain/distress, and euthanasia may be provided by veterinarians. Specific requirements or guidelines for these program components are provided below or in other IACUC policies.
Daily Health Checks
Veterinarians employed by or otherwise affiliated with the university will provide veterinary oversight to animals housed at the institution that assures that a person trained to identify abnormal health observes all animals daily. Central animal facilities managed by the institution will involve observations by animal care staff; monitoring of animals in satellite housing or research facilities is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator (PI) whose animal protocol is involved. More frequent observations than once daily are required for specific research manipulations such as post-operative recovery, induced physical deficits, or associated with humane endpoints. Specific personnel responsible for these observations are documented and approved in the applicable IACUC-approved protocol. Veterinary technical and professional staff experienced in health evaluation and potential protocol adverse effects confirm daily observations made by animal care staff. All confirmed conditions are communicated to the PI or their designee along with a suggested resolution plan. All communications must be responded to within the requested time. If this does not occur, a veterinarian will determine if the treatment plan should be implemented in the absence of consent from the PI.
In addition, the consulting veterinarian conducts regular rounds of all animal rooms to evaluate on-going cases, answer health questions from animal care and technical staff, and evaluate the quality of the clinical rounds program. These rounds may occur on a weekly, or monthly basis depending on the specific research protocols, number of animals, and species in each location.
Animals are observed daily by staff who contact veterinarians as needed via e-mail, telephone, or emergency pager system.
Record keeping
Clinical rounds will always be documented. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) exist for each facility describing how this will be done. Documentation of confirmed findings and treatment/resolution plans for these species are maintained in the specific individual animal record.