The most common health problems encountered in an animal facility are usually not directly related to animals. They are injuries resulting from falling on slippery floors, lifting items improperly, burns from heated materials or steam, exposure to toxic substances, and cuts from needles, wires, knives or other sharp instruments.
The term euthanasia was derived from the Greek terms eu meaning ‘good’ and thanatos meaning ‘death’. The definition of euthanasia found in the Guide is “the act of killing animals by methods that induce rapid unconsciousness and death without pain or distress.”
These guidelines have been developed to assist investigators and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC) in their choice and application of survival rodent bleeding techniques.
Since there are no reliable non-animal methods for determining the acute toxicity of chemicals/drugs to mammals, such information must be obtained from animal studies. The rationale and specific justification for the study must be presented to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) in the Animal Study Protocol Application Form, along with Appendix IV (Radioisotopes/Toxic Chemicals/Biological Hazards). If novel or unknown compounds are being used, Appendix VII must also be completed.
When experimental situations require food or fluid restriction, at least minimal quantities of food and fluid should be available to provide for development of young animals and to maintain long-term well-being of all animals. Restriction for research purposes should be scientifically justified, and a program should be established to monitor physiologic or behavioral indexes, including criteria (such as weight loss or state of hydration) for temporary or permanent removal of an animal from the experimental protocol (Van Sluyters and Oberdorfer 1991).
Induction of neoplasia in laboratory animals by passage of live tumor cells or by exposure to carcinogens requires careful observation of the animals for secondary effects of neoplasia. Animals found in a moribund state from tumor growth should be humanely euthanized. Tumors passaged subcutaneously should be repassaged before they ulcerate through the skin.
This policy applies to all studies involving challenge with microorganisms or chemicals that could reasonably be expected to cause significant discomfort for some animals.
Generic protocols for toxicology or infectious disease studied will generally not be considered by the IACUC. Separate protocols for each agent, or at least related groups of agents, must be submitted to the Committee.
Prolonged physical restraint may be stressful to the animal and should be avoided unless essential to the research objectives. All physical restraint, other than routine manual restraint, must be described in the protocol. Physical restraint for periods of longer than four hours must be described in detail and justified for consideration by the IACUC. Convenience alone is not adequate justification to use prolonged physical restraint.
To reduce the number of animals subjected to adverse immunologic reactions, the following guidelines have been adopted by the IACUC. The IACUC is aware of the diverse opinions and techniques associated with animal immunization. Protocols that propose to use alternate procedures contrary to these policies will be considered upon the receipt of written justification and documentation. If appropriate documentation is lacking, it may be necessary to conduct a study designed to provide appropriate documentation.
The Animal Welfare Act requires that painful or stressful experimentation be relieved or moderated by the use of analgesics, anesthetics, or tranquilizers when these agents will not interfere with the experimental objectives. Animal study protocols must indicate the drug(s) and dose to be used (Section B-14, Animal Study Protocol Application (ASPA) form). If pain or stress is unavoidable and such drugs are contra-indicated by the nature of the study, the principal investigator must write a justification for review by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.