Purpose

The IACUC has an obligation to ensure compliance with federal regulations regarding the use of laboratory animals. PHS policy states that animals must be counted in the protocol without regard to the age of the animals. If animals are bred for the purpose of utilizing the animals for research, testing, or training purposes, the animals must be counted toward the protocol even if the animals are not “used” for an experimental, testing, or training procedure.

Action

1. If a pre-weaned animal is genotyped, found to be inappropriate for an experiment and subsequently euthanized, the animal must be counted as being used toward the protocol.

2. If an animal is euthanized prior to weaning and was bred for the purpose of being used for research, testing, or training activities, the animal must be counted as being used toward the protocol.

3. If a pre-weaned animal has any other experimental procedures performed other than genotyping- including behavioral studies- that animal must be counted toward the total number of animals used on the protocol.

4. If an animal is not used experimentally, but is euthanized post-weaning (e.g., the genotyping was performed post-weaning), it must be counted toward the number of animals used in the protocol.

5. At the next cage change after a litter is born, the Center for Comparative Medicine (CCM) will provide a weaning card with the number of animals that were born in the litter.  Research personnel must then enter this number into InfoEd as an order for unused pups.  This will automatically delete this number of animals from the authorized amounts for each protocol.

 

Effective Dates:    June 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026

This policy has been approved by a majority vote of IACUC members.