Adequate veterinary care is an essential and required part of every animal care and use program. The Animal Welfare Act regulations (AWARs)1 define the Attending Veterinarian (AV) as a person “who has received training and/or experience in the care and management of the species being attended; and who has direct or delegated authority for activities involving animals at a facility subject to the jurisdiction of the secretary” (§1.1). Furthermore, the AWARs (§2.33, a) state that “each research facility shall have an attending veterinarian who shall provide adequate veterinary care to its animals.” Similarly, the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals2 (PHS Policy; IV, C, 1, e) requires the IACUC to assure that “medical care for animals will be available and provided as necessary by a qualified veterinarian.” The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals3 (the Guide) states that the “attending veterinarian (i.e., a veterinarian who has direct or delegated authority) should give research personnel advice that ensures that humane needs are met and are compatible with scientific requirements.” Collectively, the AWARs, the Guide and the PHS Policy require that the attending veterinarian have the appropriate authority to oversee the adequacy of other aspects of animal care and use and also responsibility to develop and implement an effective program of veterinary care. The Guide describes components of an effective program of veterinary care to include preventive medicine; surveillance, diagnosis, treatment and control of disease; management of protocol-associated disease or disability; anesthesia and analgesia; surgery and post-surgical care; assessment of well-being; and euthanasia. The specific items needed to provide adequate veterinary care will vary widely with the species housed within the research facility and the type of research being conducted using animal models. In summary, the AV must have the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or equivalent degree with training or experience in laboratory animal science or medicine and must have direct or delegated responsibility for activities involving animals at the research facility4. Research facilities should rely upon the advice of the AV to assure the proper care and use of animal models in accordance with all applicable federal, state and local regulations.
In the case of Great Eastern University, with the expansion of research programs from one campus to multiple campuses (some campus sites 50–200 miles away from the main campus), the university administration made the decision that each campus should have an AV with delegated responsibility for activities involving animals at that research facility. While assigning AVs for each campus location, however, Great Eastern University would continue with a single IACUC, NIH/OLAW assurance, USDA registration and Institutional Official for all campuses. Thus, the question raised by some IACUC members centered on whether federal regulations and policy allow for an institution to have more than one AV.
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