USE OF ANALGESICS AND ANESTHETICS IN ANIMALS USED IN RESEARCH AND TEACHING

It is difficult to assess pain and distress in animals, so procedures that cause pain or distress in humans should be assumed to cause similar effects in animals. Analgesia or anesthesia should be administered if animals may experience more than momentary or slight pain or distress unless there is scientific justification for not doing so. The veterinarian is responsible to ensure that adequate sedation, analgesia, or anesthesia is provided.

PI’s responsibility 

When animals may experience more than momentary or slight pain or distress, the animal care and use protocol must include a detailed description of how this will be assessed and alleviated. Principal investigators must ensure research personnel are adequately trained to assess pain and distress in the species being utilized. If animals are subject to major surgery, provision of postsurgical analgesia is required.

The investigator must provide the IACUC with a scientific justification for withholding sedatives, analgesics, or anesthetics. The justification should provide evidence that the agents would compromise the scientific aspects of the research protocol. Investigators are strongly encouraged to consult with the veterinarian during the protocol planning about the use of drugs for controlling pain and distress.

Veterinarian

The veterinarian must approve the proposed methods and use of agents to prevent or alleviate pain or distress in experimental animals. The veterinarian reviews animal care and use protocols and consult with investigators to find the appropriate methods of treatment that meet the clinical needs of the animals and do not compromise the scientific integrity of the experiments.

In the event of unanticipated pain or distress associated with the protocol or resulted from spontaneous illness or injury, the veterinarian must be notified immediately.

The veterinarian is responsible for determining the cause of pain and administering appropriate therapy. The veterinarian is authorized to make independent emergency decisions concerning the treatment regimen of animals experiencing unalleviated pain or suffering. This authority is delegated to veterinarian by IACUC. Such animals must be provided appropriate veterinary care or be humanely euthanized unless this is in direct conflict with experiment goals described in an IACUC-approved protocol. Whenever possible, the investigator is consulted prior to initiating treatment or euthanasia, but the animal’s welfare is the primary consideration.

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

IACUC has the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that pain and distress in research animals are limited to the extent necessary for the course of approved experiment. This includes review and approval of methods and agents to prevent and alleviate pain and distress, and the PIs demonstrated effort to find alternatives to potentially painful procedures. Committee decisions will be based on regulatory requirements as well as advice from the veterinarian and the investigators. At least every three years, the IACUC will review protocols that involve pain or distress to assess methods and agents being used and if there any deviations from this policy.