Mouse

Comparison of sublingual, facial and retro-bulbar blood sampling in mice in relation to animal welfare and blood quality

Introduction: Repeated blood sampling is a common procedure in laboratory mice, but at present it is unknown which technique has the least impact on the animals when large or repeated blood samples are required. Retro-bulbar sinus puncture is a reliable...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Gjendal, K., Kiersgaard, M. K., Abelson, K. et al. 2020. Comparison of sublingual, facial and retro-bulbar blood sampling in mice in relation to animal welfare and blood quality. Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods 103, 106680.

Applying refinement to the use of mice and rats in rheumatoid arthritis research

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a painful, chronic disorder and there is currently an unmet need for effective therapies that will benefit a wide range of patients. The research and development process for therapies and treatments currently involves in vivo studies,...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hawkins, P., Armstrong, R., Boden, T. et al. 2015. Applying refinement to the use of mice and rats in rheumatoid arthritis research. Inflammopharmacology 23, 131–150.

Caloric restriction in group-housed mice: Littermate and sex influence on behavioral and hormonal data

Much of the research done on aging, oxidative stress, anxiety, and cognitive and social behavior in rodents has focused on caloric restriction (CR). This often involves several days of single housing, which can cause numerous logistical problems, as well as...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Perea, C., Vázquez-Ágredos, A., Ruiz-Leyva, L. et al. 2021. Caloric restriction in group-housed mice: Littermate and sex influence on behavioral and hormonal data. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8, 639187.

A good life for laboratory rodents?

Most would agree that animals in research should be spared “unnecessary” harm, pain, or distress, and there is also growing interest in providing animals with some form of environmental enrichment. But is this the standard of care that we should...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, RestraintAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Makowska, I. J., Weary, D. M. 2019. A good life for laboratory rodents? ILAR Journal 60(3), 373-388.

Mouse anesthesia: The art and science

There is an art and science to performing mouse anesthesia, which is a significant component to animal research. Frequently, anesthesia is one vital step of many over the course of a research project spanning weeks, months, or beyond. It is...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Navarro, K. L., Huss, M., Smith, J. C. et al. 2021. Mouse anesthesia: The art and science. ILAR Journal 62(1-2), 238-273.

Environmental enrichment improves vestibular oculomotor learning in mice

We assessed the behavioral effects of environmental enrichment on contrast sensitivity, reflexive eye movements and on oculomotor learning in mice that were housed in an enriched environment for a period of 3 weeks. Research has shown that a larger cage...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: van der Geest, J. N., Spoor, M., Frens, M. A. 2021. Environmental enrichment improves vestibular oculomotor learning in mice. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 15, 676416.

A sensitive homecage-based novel object recognition task for rodents

The recognition of novel objects is a common cognitive test for rodents, but current paradigms have limitations, such as low sensitivity, possible odor confounds and stress due to being performed outside of the homecage. We have developed a paradigm that...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Behavioral & Cognitive TestingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Wooden, J. I., Spinetta, M. J., Nguyen, T. et al. 2021. A sensitive homecage-based novel object recognition task for rodents. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 15, 680042.

The pen is milder than the blade: Identification marking mice using ink on the tail appears more humane than ear-punching even with local anaesthetic

Identification marking mice commonly involves ear-punching with or without anaesthetic, or tail-marking with ink. To identify which is most humane, we marked weanling male BALB/c mice using ear-punching (EP), ear-punching with anaesthetic EMLATM cream (EP+A), or permanent marker pen (MP)....

Year Published: 2021Topics: Identification MethodAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Burn, C. C., Mazlan, N. H. B., Chancellor, N. et al. 2021. The pen is milder than the blade: Identification marking mice using ink on the tail appears more humane than ear-punching even with local anaesthetic. Animals 11(6), 1664.

The interactive stress assessment in basic animal science training

In order to assess the extent to which the legally prescribed training for the acquisition of animal experimentation expertise provides scientific personnel with the necessary competence and expertise to carry out a correct harm-benefit analysis in the context of animal...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Guinea Pig, Mouse, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Sheep

Citation: Manthey, T., Nagel-Riedasch, S., Dülsner, A. 2021. The interactive stress assessment in basic animal science training. Animals 11(7), 2145.

Breeding and maintenance of immunodeficient mouse lines under SPF conditions—A call for individualized severity analyses and approval procedures

In the EU, the breeding of genetically modified laboratory animals is, by definition, an animal experiment if the offspring may experience pain, suffering, or harm. In order to determine the actual burden of genetically modified mice, established methods are available....

Year Published: 2021Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Kammertoens, T., Jeuthe, S., Baranzke, H. et al. 2021. Breeding and maintenance of immunodeficient mouse lines under SPF conditions—A call for individualized severity analyses and approval procedures. Animals 11(6), 1789.