Animal Program: Veterinary Authority

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Policy Number:

UW-4139

Responsible Office:

Research Animal Resources and Compliance

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

This policy supersedes any local policies or practices related to the authority of campus research animal veterinarians. 

Definitions:

Compliance with this policy is required of all campus investigators and their staff, facility managers, animal care supervisors, animal research technicians, all departments, college units, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs), and animal facilities as a condition for retaining the privilege to work with animals at UW–Madison. No individual or unit using animals for research, teaching, and outreach at UW–Madison is exempt from this policy.

Policy:

1. The Animal Welfare Act (C.F.R. 9 § 2.33(a)(2)) stipulates, "Each research facility shall ensure that the attending veterinarian has appropriate authority to ensure the provision of adequate veterinary care and to oversee the adequacy of other aspects of animal care and use." The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (which covers animal research funded by the National Institutes of Health) states, "The institution must provide the AV [attending veterinarian] with sufficient authority, including access to all animals, and resources to manage the program of veterinary care."
   
   In keeping with the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act and the Guide, research animal veterinarians at UW–Madison have the authority to require actions that in their professional judgment are necessary to:
   1. Ensure that animal facilities and animal husbandry (including physical environment, environmental enrichment, caging, nutrition, and population management) are adequate to ensure an appropriate level of animal care.
   2. Ensure that the content of training for personnel is appropriate for the provision of animal care and the conduct of approved research or teaching involving animals.
   3. Ensure that procedures for animal procurement and transportation are appropriate and provide oversight for quarantine and stabilization of animals.
   4. Ensure the presence and appropriate use of methods to prevent, control, diagnose, and treat diseases and injuries, including those that may be associated with research or teaching. This includes the development and use of effective channels of communication among the veterinarians, animal care staff, and research staff; the establishment of appropriate health monitoring practices; and the maintenance of adequate and accessible medical, husbandry, and teaching records. This provision also requires that research animal veterinarians have the authority to direct and/or provide for appropriate medical care, including euthanasia, as necessary and consistent with standard veterinary practice.
   5. Ensure that there are mechanisms of direct and frequent communication regarding daily observations of animals so that timely and accurate information on problems of animal health, behavior, and well-being is conveyed to the veterinarian.
   6. Ensure the provision of adequate pre- and post-procedural animal care is in accordance with current established veterinary medical and nursing procedures.
   7. Ensure that any animal pain and distress is managed in accordance with standard veterinary practice.
   8. Ensure that humane euthanasia methods are consistent with guidelines published by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and are appropriate for the scientific objectives.
2. Research animal veterinarians are authorized to intercede in any activity involving the use of animals for research, teaching, and outreach purposes, including the removal of animals from a study, which in their judgment jeopardizes animal welfare or compliance with federal or university policies. This includes the authority to enforce existing rules and policies that involve any portion of the program of animal care and use, such as various safety policies (e.g., proper BSL-2 procedures, adequate PPE), and individual facility standard operating procedures (e.g., order of entry into rooms in a facility).

External References:

C.F.R. 9 § 2.33(a)(2)

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:

Vice Chancellor for Research

Policy Manager:

Vice Chancellor for Research

Contact:

IACUC Administrator -- IACUC Administrator, iacuc_administrator@rarc.wisc.edu, (608) 262-1238

Date Issued:

03-18-2015

Revised Dates:

10-03-2021

Retrieved:

01-19-2025 12:01:11