Animal Use Guidelines & Exceptions

Anesthesia/Analgesia/Drugs

• Analgesia Guidelines
• Administration of Analgesics to Rodents
• Anesthesia, Surgery and Post-Procedural Recordkeeping 
• Anesthetics, Analgesics and Tranquilizers in Lab Animals
• Avertin (2,2,2 Tribromoethanol)
• Calibration - Output Validation of Anesthetic Machine Vaporizers
• Hypothermia as Anesthesia for Neonatal Rodents
• Needle Re-Use
• Neuromuscular Blocking Agents in Animals
• Prevention, Assessment and Relief of Pain and Distress
• Use of Expired Drugs or Materials
• Use of Non-Pharmaceutical Grade Compounds in Animals

Euthanasia

• Euthanasia Guidelines
• Euthanasia for Amphibians, Reptiles, and Fish
• Humane Endpoints in Animal Care and Use Protocols
• Maintenance of Guillotines
• Perfusion as Euthanasia or as Non-survival Surgery

Housing/Husbandry

• Cage Space Guidelines
• Disaster/Emergency Planning
• Disaster/Emergency Plan Template for Animal Housing Sites
• Environmental Enrichment
• Housing and Husbandry Guidelines
• Investigator Managed Housing Area (IMHA) Oversight
• Maintenance of Animals on an Expired IACUC Protocol
• Social Housing
• Special Food or Fluid Provision Recordkeeping
• Transporting Animals

Surgery

• Anesthesia, Surgery and Post-Procedural Recordkeeping (sample forms at bottom of page)
• Anesthetics, Analgesics and Tranquilizers in Lab Animals
• Aquatic Survival Surgery Perioperative Considerations
• Avertin (2,2,2 Tribromoethanol)
• Multiple Surgical Procedures
• Surgery, Facility Requirements, Post-Procedural Care, Antibiotics

Other Common Procedures

• Administration of Cells, Tissue, and/or Bodily Fluids to Rodents
• Behavioral Equipment (Cleaning/Disinfecting)
• Blood Collection Guidelines
• Egg and Oocyte Harvesting in Xenopus laevis
• Food and Fluid Regulation
• Identification Methods Including Toe Clipping:

Toe-clipping: Toe-clipping must be described and justified in the Animal Care and Use Protocol and approved by the IACUC. Toe-clipping should be used only when no other individual identification method is feasible and only on altricial pre-weaning rodents (mice and rats, but not guinea pigs) after the toes are no longer webbed and before they reach 8 days of age. If possible, it is preferable to remove toes from a hind paw rather than a forepaw. In neonatal mice before 8 days of age it appears to have few adverse effects on behavior and well-being. When possible toe clipping and genotyping should be combined. Under all circumstances aseptic practices should be followed.

• Identification Labeling of Animals Outside of RAR
• Use of Non-Pharmaceutical Grade Compounds in Animals
• Physical Restraint
• Proper Sterilization of Materials Used in Animal Studies
• Restraint and Handling
• Rodent Tail Biopsy
• Tumor Endpoint Criteria

Protocols

• Amendment or Note to File
• Availability of IACUC Protocols
• Client Consent Form Help Aid
• Humane Endpoints in Animal Care and Use Protocols
• ILAR Experimental Design and Statistics
• Maintenance of Animals on an Expired IACUC Protocol
• Routes of Administration Guidelines
• Veterinarian Review Analgesia for Laboratory Animals Guidelines
• Veterinarian Review Blood Collection Guidelines
• Veterinarian Review Acceptable Euthanasia Guidelines
• Anesthesia Guidelines

Sample Anesthesia, Surgery and Post-Procedural Recordkeeping Forms

• Mouse/Rat/Non-Mammal Post-Operative Record
• Mouse/Rat/Non-Mammal Procedure Form
• Mouse/Rat/Non-Mammal Procedure Record
• USDA Species Procedure Surgery Record
• USDA Species Anesthesia Monitoring Record
• USDA Species Post Procedure Recovery and Care Record
• Anesthetic record for non-invasive procedures (e.g. inoculations, tail snips, imaging)
• Decapitation Log