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Sick Animal Response

Western is responsible for retaining institutional veterinarians in establishing and maintaining the animal health program for all animals involved in research and teaching. The sick animal response policy and procedures describe what to do in the case of animal illness or abnormalities and is led by Institutional Veterinarians.

Veterinary On-Call Services

A veterinarian is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (366 in a leap year) to provide emergency veterinary services to animals housed in Laboratory Animal Facilities at Western and its affiliates. During working hours, a veterinarian may be contacted by phone (519-661-2195). This on-call service does not extend to the public. A combination of Institutional Veterinarians and locum veterinarians makes it possible to serve these times. After hours and on holidays, there is always someone available to receive a phone call. The veterinarians are committed to responding to emergency calls within ten minutes. This telephone number is made available by facility managers and should be posted in a prominent location.

If your call is not immediately answered, please leave a message including your telephone number and remain by the phone.  If your call is not returned within 10 minutes, please call again. 

If you have non-urgent questions, you may email the veterinarians at acvsvet@uwo.ca.

Sick Animal Response (SAR) Designates

Veterinarian-certified SAR designates are available to assess and provide treatment recommendations for designated species (e.g., rodents, fish, small birds). They follow the Sick Animal Response Policy (POL-009) and veterinarian-approved SAR algorithms. They act under the direction of institutional veterinarians regarding sick animal interventions.

The SAR designates are available during facility-specific working hours.

Program Overview

  1. Sick Animal Identification
    • SAR reporting begins when a sick animal is identified.
    • The person who identifies the sick animal is responsible to initiate the process.
  2. Sick Animal Classification
    • The SAR process depends on the type of sick animal found.
    • Once classified as designated or directed, follow the appropriate SAR procedure.
  3. Sick Animal Communications
    • Communicating the concern and initiating the treatment plan is essential to avoid welfare concerns.
    • Many people form the team that is responsible for attending to SARs.
  4. Sick Animal Analysis
    • Allows us to make refinements to our animal care program and AUPs.

Anyone should initiate a SAR if they are concerned about an animal’s health. ~90% of health concerns are initiated by skilled animal care staff.

Unexpected morbidity, mortality and the need for expedited endpoints should also be reported through the SAR program.

For more information, see the policies and procedures associated with the sick animal response program: