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Compassion fatigue, euthanasia stress, and their management in laboratory animal research

This review is designed to assist both individuals and organizations involved in animal-based research to understand and appreciate the importance and potential risks of compassion fatigue and euthanasia stress. We reviewed current literature regarding compassion fatigue and euthanasia stress as...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Newsome, J. T., Clemmons, E. A., Fitzhugh, D. C. et al. 2019. Compassion fatigue, euthanasia stress, and their management in laboratory animal research. JAALAS 58(3), 289-292.

The Animal Welfare Act and the conduct and publishing of wildlife research in the United States

In the US, the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and its enabling regulations (AWAR) cover all warm-blooded animals used for research, testing, experimentation, or exhibition. The only exceptions, made in the enabling regulations, are for two genera of rodents and for...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Mulcahy, D. M. 2017. The Animal Welfare Act and the conduct and publishing of wildlife research in the United States. ILAR Journal 58(3), 371-378.

Disaster planning for animals in hazardous agent containment units

Disaster response planning for laboratory animal facilities is a time- and personnel-intensive undertaking. This article outlines numerous considerations in formulating a plan for disaster response in a high containment animal unit. The planning process is discussed around a set of...

Year Published: 2018Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Roble, G., Pullium, J., Hester, T. et al. 2018. Disaster planning for animals in hazardous agent containment units. ILAR Journal 59(2), 195–202.

The interplay of ethics, animal welfare, and IACUC oversight on the reproducibility of animal studies

Reproducibility in animal studies has been defined as the ability of a result to be replicated through independent experiments within the same or among different laboratories. Over the past few years, much has been written and said about the lack...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Pritt, S. L., Hammer, R. E. 2017. The interplay of ethics, animal welfare, and IACUC oversight on the reproducibility of animal studies. Comparative Medicine 67(2), 101–105.

To treat or not to treat: The effects of pain on experimental parameters

A common dilemma faced by all animal bioethics committees arises when exceptions are proposed to the use of analgesics in painful procedures. The committee and researcher must weigh the possible confounding effects of including additional drugs (analgesics) in their treatment...

Year Published: 2017Topics: AnalgesiaAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Peterson, N. C., Nunamaker, E. A., Turner, P. V. 2017. To treat or not to treat: The effects of pain on experimental parameters. Comparative Medicine 67(6), 469–482.

Play and optimal welfare: Does play indicate the presence of positive affective states?

Play is commonly used to assess affective states in both humans and non-human animals. Play appears to be most common when animals are well-fed and not under any direct threats to fitness. Could play and playfulness therefore indicate pre-existing positive...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Ahloy-Dallaire, J., Espinosa, J., Mason, G. 2018. Play and optimal welfare: Does play indicate the presence of positive affective states? Behavioural Processes 156, 3-15.

Sources of maladaptive behavior in ‘normal’ organisms

A basic assumption of most researchers is that behavior is generally functional, and indeed, in most instances the function is obvious. But in a number of cases, some behaviors of neurophysiologically ‘normal' organisms appear to be maladaptive. Considerable research has...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Abnormal/Problematic BehaviorAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Miller, R. R., Polack, C. W. 2018. Sources of maladaptive behavior in ‘normal' organisms. Behavioural Processes 154, 4-12.

Conceptual and methodological issues relating to pain assessment in mammals: The development and utilisation of pain facial expression scales

Effective management of pain is critical to the improvement of animal welfare. For this to happen, pain must be recognised and assessed in a variety of contexts. Pain is a complex phenomenon, making reliable, valid, and feasible measurement challenging. The...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: McLennan, K. M., Miller, A. L., Dalla Costa, E. et al. 2019. Conceptual and methodological issues relating to pain assessment in mammals: The development and utilisation of pain facial expression scales. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 217, 1-15.

3Rs-related and objective indicators to help assess the culture of care

Within animal research and testing, the need for an effective Culture of Care is widely recognized and described in terms of an establishment-wide commitment to improving the implementation of the 3Rs, animal welfare, scientific quality, care of the staff, and...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Hawkins, P., Bertelsen, T. 2019. 3Rs-related and objective indicators to help assess the culture of care. Animals 9(11), 969.

Animal research, accountability, openness and public engagement: Report from an international expert forum

In November 2013, a group of international experts in animal research policy (n = 11) gathered in Vancouver, Canada, to discuss openness and accountability in animal research. The primary objective was to bring together participants from various jurisdictions (United States,...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Ormandy, E. H., Weary, D. M., Cvek, K. et al. 2019. Animal research, accountability, openness and public engagement: Report from an international expert forum. Animals 9(9), 622.