The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals[1] states, "Animals should be cared for by qualified personnel every day, including weekends and holidays, both to safeguard their well-being and to satisfy research requirements." The Guide[2] also notes that “All animals should be observed for signs of illness, injury, or abnormal behavior by a person trained to recognize such signs. As a rule, such observations should occur at least daily, but more frequent observations may be required, such as during postoperative recovery, when animals are ill or have a physical deficit, or when animals are approaching a study endpoint.”
For animals housed in DLAM-managed facilities, routine daily monitoring by facility staff is generally sufficient to ensure animal well-being. However, research staff are required to perform additional monitoring of animals when more frequent or specialized monitoring is called for, as noted in their ARC protocol.
Animals housed outside of DLAM-managed facilities must be monitored daily by the Principal Investigator and/or their staff, unless the investigator has made arrangements with DLAM staff for daily monitoring; such arrangements must be documented in the ARC protocol and recorded on the animal room log. Refer to the ARC Policy Maintaining Animals in Study Areas, section B.1, for more information.
[2] National Research Council Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, page 112.
Approved 7/9/07; Updated 1/18/11; Revised 12/14/09, 2/8/16, 9/26/16, 7/8/19, 2/27/23
Previously: Responsibility for Monitoring Laboratory Animals