Category Archive

Pre-surgical care typically involves, at minimum, pre-operative weighing and a general evaluation of health. Animals that do not appear healthy should not be utilized in a surgical procedure and should be brought to the attention of a DLAM veterinarian.

Certain animals and animal materials carry disease agents transmissible to humans. For their own protection, all staff, faculty, students, and volunteers in the following categories are required to participate in the Occupational Health Facility’s screening program by completing a Medical History Questionnaire (MHQ).

Survival surgery is defined as any surgery from which the animal recovers consciousness. Major surgery is defined as any surgical intervention that penetrates a body cavity or has the potential for producing a permanent handicap in an animal that is expected to recover. Minor surgery is any operative procedure in which only skin or mucous membrane is incised (e.g., vascular cut down for catheter placement or implantation of pumps into subcutaneous tissues).

Animal procedures are reviewed by the Animal Research Committee (ARC) to ensure that proposed anesthetics and analgesics are appropriate for the species and research objectives. DLAM veterinary staff is available to provide assistance with, or training in, the proper administration and use of anesthetics. Guidance regarding the choice of approved anesthetics and analgesics may also be obtained from DLAM veterinarians.

It is the responsibility of the investigator to ensure that all animals are monitored daily, including weekends and holidays, for signs of illness, injury or abnormal behavior.

Physical separation of animals by species is generally recommended to reduce the possibility of transmission of latent diseases. This separation is usually accomplished by housing different species in separate rooms.

Quarantine of animals may be necessary to minimize the introduction of disease into established colonies. The extent of the quarantine period is determined by the species and by knowledge of the animals’ source and previous history.

Newly acquired animals can introduce disease into established colonies. In addition, production colonies maintained by suppliers occasionally experience outbreaks of disease. DLAM monitors animal health quality from different suppliers and maintains quality control data provided by vendors. This information can be provided to investigators to assist in choosing appropriate sources of animals.

The Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine (DLAM) is responsible for providing veterinary care and has access to all animals for evaluation of their health and well-being. Both the Animal Welfare Act Regulations and Public Health Service Policy state that the attending veterinarian has the authority to oversee the welfare of the animals in all areas, including the use of sedatives, analgesics or anesthetics, husbandry and nutrition, sanitation practices, zoonoses control, and hazard containment.

Animal users employing specialized procedures (e.g., surgery, implantations, etc.) may be required to demonstrate proficiency in these procedures by means of an individualized review conducted by a DLAM veterinarian.