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Animal Tracking & Monitoring
Animal Tracking
All animals must be tracked throughout their stay in managed facilities. Mice, rats, hamsters, and gerbils are charged per diem on a per-cage basis, requiring each cage to have a fully completed card. Larger animals are charged per animal, so each individual animal must have its own completed cage card. Accurate and complete cage cards are mandatory for every animal and/or cage, as they are considered part of the research data.
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
Death is not an acceptable endpoint.
The investigator is responsible for monitoring the well-being of research animals. 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 (ACC) and be attached to the Animal Use Protocol (AUP). 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 our "Animal Health Record Expectations."
Additionally, we will provide your lab with a binder to organize and store your health and treatment records.
Contact Us
For more information on animal tracking and monitoring, contact acvs@uwo.ca.