Response to Protocol Review Scenario: A word from USDA and OLAW

In response to the questions posed in this scenario, the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Animal Care (USDA, APHIS, AC) and the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) offer the following guidance:

The Animal Welfare Act regulations, among other things, require that each facility establish and maintain a program of adequate veterinary care which includes appropriate methods to prevent, control, diagnose and treat diseases and injuries, along with daily observation of all animals to assess their health and well-being¹. All of these requirements are met when a veterinarian that is adequately involved in the animal health program makes a diagnosis and implements treatment instructions. Reporting outcomes of veterinary interventions to the IACUC is not required; however, it is a good practice to keep the IACUC informed so as to identify and address broader programmatic problems when a pattern becomes evident.

The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals espouses regular communication between the veterinarian and the IACUC as necessary for an effective animal care and use program, and IACUCs must be informed of animal welfare issues^1,2,3. The information provided in the scenario suggests that the veterinarian promptly attended to the animal's clinical needs, but the outcome affected the continued usefulness of the animal in the ongoing PHS-funded research. For this reason, the veterinarian should inform the IACUC. Research facilities are expected to have records documenting that medical problems are being addressed and animals are receiving proper veterinary care².

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