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Animal Tracking & Monitoring
Animal Tracking
All animals must be tracked throughout their stay in managed facilities. All animals are charged for housing and husbandry and must have accurate and complete cage cards. Cage cards must provide proper identifying information as required by CCAC and the ACC. It is the researcher’s responsibility to maintain accurate information on the cards, including up-to-date protocol numbers and contact information.
CCAC and Western require the following information be maintained on cage cards:
- Date of arrival or date of birth, depending on mode of arrival
- Species and sex
- Supplier (where the animals originated)
- Estimated age or weight
- Number of animals per cage (making changes as needed)
- Name of Principal Investigator and emergency contact information
- Animal use protocol number
- Any special animal care instructions
All cage cards have a unique barcode to which they are associated, which can be found directly on commercially-ordered cage cards, and on supplemental papers for all other cage card types. There are three cage card types:
- White: these are cages that are commercially-received from external suppliers
- Pink: these are cages created for weans only.
- Blue: these are cages created for all other animal separations.
It is the Researcher’s responsibility to maintain accurate information on the cards, including up-to-date protocol numbers and contact information.
Animal Health Monitoring
The investigator is responsible for monitoring the well-being of research animals. Animals are also routinely monitored by trained animal care staff, with veterinary oversight provided as necessary to ensure animal health and welfare are maintained.
It is essential to maintain up-to-date health records within each room that are readily available and detailed. These records should enable animal care and veterinary staff to understand all interventions performed on the animals, in compliance with federal and provincial regulations.
Monitoring sheets must receive approval from the Animal Care Committee and be attached to the Animal Use Protocol. It is expected that laboratory staff will accurately document all treatments until they are concluded. For further details, please refer to the Standard Operating Procedure titled, “Animal Records” or “Animal Health Record Expectations.”
Contact Us
For more information on animal tracking and monitoring, contact acvs@uwo.ca.