Rodent

Affective state determination in a mouse model of colitis-associated colorectal cancer

Behavioural indicators of affective state, including burrowing, clinical scores and the Mouse Grimace Score have not yet been validated in mouse models of chronic gastrointestinal disease. Additionally, a comparison of these methods has not been characterised. This study aimed to...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Chartier, L. C., Hebart, M. L., Howarth, G. S. et al. 2020. Affective state determination in a mouse model of colitis-associated colorectal cancer. PLOS ONE 15(1), e0228413.

Alternative anesthesia of neonatal mice for global rAAV delivery in the brain with non-detectable behavioral interference in adults

Viral-transduced gene expression is the current standard for cell-type-specific labeling and cell tacking in experimental neuroscience. To achieve widespread gene expression, a viral delivery method to neonatal rodents was introduced more than two decades ago. Most of those neonatal viral...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Tang, W., Zillmann, U., Sprengel, R. 2020. Alternative anesthesia of neonatal mice for global rAAV delivery in the brain with non-detectable behavioral interference in adults. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 14, 115.

Alternatives to shipping live mice

Many in the lab animal field are familiar with shipping animals from vendor to investigator, from investigator to vendor, and from investigator to investigator. Sharing mouse models represents being good stewards of our animal resources and prevents unnecessary duplication of...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Relocation & Transport, ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Larson, M. A. 2020. Alternatives to shipping live mice. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(5) (September/October), 52-54.

Assessing pain in models of rheumatoid arthritis

A hallmark symptom of rheumatoid arthritis in humans is painful swollen joints. Pain can manifest before any inflammation is noticeable as well as persist long after inflammation has resolved. In rodent models of arthritis, ankle or footpad width is a...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Singleton, S., Nefla, M., Dennison, N. et al. 2020. Assessing pain in models of rheumatoid arthritis. Animal Technology and Welfare 19(2), 149-152.

Buccal swab based genotyping of genetically modified mice

Routine sample collection for genotyping genetically modified animals (rodents) (GMAs) typically includes tail snip, toe clip, or ear biopsy. To decrease the potential pain and distress caused by tissue sample collection for genetic analysis, we desired to use a nonsurgical...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Identification MethodAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Huang, J., Kayne, P. S. 2020. Buccal swab based genotyping of genetically modified mice. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(5) (September/October), 64-66.

Challenging a myth and misconception: Red-light vision in rats

Due to the lack of L-cones in the rodent retina, it is generally assumed that red light is invisible to rodents. Thus, red lights and red filter foils are widely used in rodent husbandry and experimentation allowing researchers to observe...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Niklaus, S., Albertini, S., Schnitzer, T. et al. 2020. Challenging a myth and misconception: Red-light vision in rats. Animals 10(3), 422.

Changing human behavior to improve animal welfare: A longitudinal investigation of training laboratory animal personnel about heterospecific play or “rat tickling”

Despite evidence for rat tickling’s animal welfare benefits, the technique is rarely implemented in part because of a lack of training. This study’s purpose was to determine the efficacy of online-only or online + hands-on training programs on key outcomes...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: LaFollette, M. R., Cloutier, S., Brady, C. M. et al. 2020. Changing human behavior to improve animal welfare: A longitudinal investigation of training laboratory animal personnel about heterospecific play or “rat tickling”. Animals 10(8), 1435.

Clinical management of pain in rodents

The use of effective regimens for mitigating pain remain underutilized in research rodents despite the general acceptance of both the ethical imperative and regulatory requirements intended to maximize animal welfare. Factors contributing to this gap between the need for and...

Year Published: 2020Topics: AnalgesiaAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Foley, P. L., Kendall, L. V., Turner, P. V. 2019. Clinical management of pain in rodents. Comparative Medicine 69(6), 468–489.

Combination of ketamine and xylazine with opioids and acepromazine in rats: Physiological changes and their analgesic effect analysed by ultrasonic vocalization

In this study, the effect of four anaesthetic protocols that included the combination of xylazine (X) and ketamine (K) with acepromazine (A) and opioids (methadone (Me), morphine (Mo) or tramadol (T)) was evaluated in laboratory rats of both sexes. Ultrasonic...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Analgesia, Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Alemán-Laporte, J., Bandini, L. A., Garcia-Gomes, M. S. et al. 2020. Combination of ketamine and xylazine with opioids and acepromazine in rats: Physiological changes and their analgesic effect analysed by ultrasonic vocalization. Laboratory Animals 54(2), 171–182.

Comparing distress of mouse models for liver damage

In order to foster animal welfare as well as high quality of research, many countries regulate by law that the severity of animal experiments must be evaluated and considered when performing biomedical research. It is well accepted that multiple parameters...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Tang, G., Seume, N., Häger, C. et al. 2020. Comparing distress of mouse models for liver damage. Scientific Reports 10(1), 19814.