As noted in the U.S. Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training[1], “Procedures involving animals should be designed and performed with due consideration of their relevance to human or animal health, the advancement of knowledge, or the good of society.” The use of animals is also justified to provide scientific, veterinary, and medical training that is not possible through other mechanisms.
Investigators should consider the appropriateness of the experimental procedures, the species of animals used, and number of animals required. Prospective approval of procedures on animal subjects should be obtained from an institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) or similar oversight body as required under the relevant regulatory authorities. This review should also consider whether the use of animals in a given protocol could be replaced by other experimental approaches such as in vitro studies or computer modeling.
Only animals that are lawfully acquired shall be used in research and teaching. The procurement, transport, maintenance, and use of animals must in all cases comply with federal, state and local laws and regulations. In the United States, animal research may be subject to the Animal Welfare Act, the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, or other guidelines established by funding agencies. The PHS Policy requires institutions to use the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals[2] to develop and implement an institutional animal care and use program.
Analgesics and other techniques should be used to minimize discomfort and pain except when the intervention would compromise experimental goals. Appropriate anesthetics must be used to eliminate sensibility to pain during all surgical procedures. Drugs that produce muscle paralysis are not anesthetics. They must never be used alone for surgical restraint, only when animals are under anesthesia.
If the study requires the death of an animal, humane endpoints should be identified, and an approved method of euthanasia stipulated in the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Guidelines on Euthanasia[3] should be used. Death is acceptable as the endpoint of a study only where euthanasia would compromise scientific outcomes and an IACUC or similar oversight body has approved the exception.
Animals used in research and education must be housed, fed, and maintained in a manner appropriate for their species and their condition. They should also be given appropriate veterinary care.
Personnel who care for or perform procedures on animals must receive training for these tasks. When students or trainees use animals in educational activities or for the advancement of science, such work shall be conducted under the direct supervision of an experienced teacher, investigator, or veterinarian.
The Guiding Principles for the Care and Use of Animals in Research and Teaching were adopted by the American Physiological Society in 1953. They are based upon humane care principles formulated by Walter B. Cannon in 1909. This revision was approved by the APS Council on July 16, 2010.
Footnotes
- http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references
/phspol.htm#USGovPrinciples
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR). Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1996. A prepublication version of the 8th edition of the Guide was released June 2, 2010, but NIH’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare has announced that the 1996 edition will remain in effect for the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals until the new edition of the Guide is published in its final form.
- http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/euthanasia.pdf