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 Criteria for Animals Used in Research, Teaching & Display
• 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, University of Minnesota Policy:

Within Buildings: Research animals should be transported by hand or cart in covered containers able to visually obscure the animals from passers by and physically contain animal wastes. Animals should not be transported on public elevators or corridors. RAR may be consulted for advice on the best routes for your needs.

Between Buildings: RAR must be contacted for transportation of animals between disconnected buildings. The use of personally owned vehicles or public transportation to transport laboratory animals presents a risk of contamination of the vehicle and exposure of family members and other non-research personnel to pathogens. A dedicated vehicle which can be sanitized after use should be used to transport research animals. There is no charge for this service if the animals are being transferred from one RAR holding area to another RAR holding area and advance notification of five full business days is received. 

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
• Rodent Survival Surgery
• 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
• Immunization, Adjuvants, Route of Administration
• 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