Animal Care Policies (Published March 25, 2011)

Question 1

According to policy #1, how frequently must elephants be tested for TB?

What happens if an elephant tests positive?

Answer 1

“All captive elephants in the US must be PERIODICALLY tested for TB”

“Any animals found positive on culture will be required to undergo quarantine and/or treatment”

Question 2

What does policy #1 say regarding Tb testing of humans in contact with regulated elephants?

Answer 2

Yes

“all attendants, handlers, and/or trainees who have direct contact with elephants should be tested for TB on at least an ANNUAL basis”

Question 3

What is the purpose of policy #2, Submission of Traveling Exhibitor Itinerary?

Answer 3

Exhibitors who are in continuous travel status should update their itinerary as often as necessary to ensure AC knows their whereabouts at all times

Question 4

Exhibitors who take animals from their facilities from time to time should notify AC when any animal is gone for how many days?

Answer 4

4 consecutive days

Upon request, a licensee shall provide an itinerary of absences of less than 4 days

Question 5

What information should be included in the itinerary?

Who should be notified and what are acceptable methods of notification of the itinerary?

Answer 5

• Information in intinerary
  
  1. Dates away from home facility
  2. City & state for all stops
  3. Site name or address of all stops
• AC may be notified by mail, fax, or email to the Regional office or Inspector

Question 6

What does policy #3 state about the use of expired medical materials?

Can they ever be used?

Answer 6

• The use of expired medical materials such as drugs, fluids, or sutures on regulated animals is not considered to be acceptable veterinary practice and is not consistent with adequate veterinary care as required by the regulations promulgated under the Animal Welfare Act.
• For acute terminal procedures…medical materials may be used beyond their “to be used by” date if such materials use does not adversely affect the animal’s wellbeing or compromise the validity of the scientific study
• The AV and IACUC must maintain control over the use of expired medical materials

Question 7

What does policy #3 state about the use of pharmaceutical-grade compounds in research?

Answer 7

• Investigators are expected to use pharmaceutical-grade medications whenever they are available, even in acute procedures
• The use of non-pharmaceutical grade medications should be reviewed by the IACUC
• Cost savings is not an acceptable justification for their use in regulated animals

Question 8

According to policy #3…

• may hotel meeting rroms and auditoriums qualify as dedicated surgical facilities if properly prepared?
• may people eat, drink or smoke in surgery areas?

Answer 8

No…for both

• APHIS has determined that motel meeting rooms and auditoriums do not qualify as dedicated surgical facilities
• Current professional standards preclude eating, drinking, or smoking in surgery areas, and locations used for food handling purposes do not qualify as acceptable areas for performing surgeries.

Question 9

According to policy #3, how often must a part-time AV visit a facility?

Answer 9

The attending veterinarian must visit the facility on a regular basis, i.e., often enough to provide adequate oversight of the facility’s care and use of animals. APHIS recommends this visit occur at least annually.

Question 10

If a facility does not have a full-time attending veterinarian, it must have a ______ ______ ______ ______.

Answer 10

Written Program of Veterinary Care (PVC).

Question 11

According to policy #3, is defanging considered acceptable?

Answer 11

No…the removal of the canine teeth of a nonhuman primate, or wild or exotic carnivore, unless for the immediate medical needs of the animal does not constitute appropriate veterinary care.

Question 12

When is tooth reduction allowed?

Answer 12

Tooth reduction that exposes the pulp cavity does not constitute appropriate veterinary care as it may result in oral pathologic conditions and pain.

Reduction that does not expose the pulp cavity may be acceptable in some instances such as a behavioral study or breeding situation.

Question 13

According to policy #4, Necropsy Requirements, when and on what animals should a necropsy be formed?

Answer 13

• When warranted by circumstances including, but not limited to the list below, and at the discretion of the attending veterinarian, regulated facilities should perform necropsies as part of providing adequate veterinary care
  
  • The facility is undergoing a high death loss.
  • There exists a strong chance that an undiagnosed infectious disease is present at the facility (with or without potential zoonoses)
  • Circumstances around a death indicate a violation of the AWA may have contributed to the situation.

Question 14

How long must necropsy records be retained?

Answer 14

Necropsy records, like other medical information, should be maintained at the facility for at least 1 year or as otherwise specified in the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations and standards, and be made available on request to APHIS personnel.

Question 15

What constitutes a necropsy?

Answer 15

It may include, but is not limited to:

• a systemic gross pathology examination (internal and external)
• appropriate microbiological culture
• histopathology of lesions
• other indicated testing
• complies with currently acceptable professional standards

Question 16

Policy #7 provides clarification specifying brachiating species of NHPs in order to determine proper space requirements.

What is the definition of a brachiating?

Name some brachiating NHPs mentioned in policy #7….

Answer 16

Brachiating means any primate whose form of locomotion involves using its arms, legs, and/or tail while its body is suspended

• Spider monkeys (Ateles spp.)
• Woolly spider monkeys (Brachyteles spp.)
• Woolly monkeys (Lagothrix spp.)
• Gibbons & siamangs (Hylobates spp.)
• Chimpanzee, bonobo, & young gorillas & orangutans

Question 17

Animal care policy #10 addresses Specific Activities Requiring a License or Registration based on the definition of “dealer” and “research facility” described in 9 CFR, Part 1, Section 1.1.

Which of the following activities would require a license as an animal dealer?

Which of the following activities would require a facility to be registered as a research facility?

1. A facility that produces antibodies or antisera and is “testing” animals for their immune response and selects animals for production based on the results of this testing.
2. A facility which harvests or produces only normal blood or sera for regulated purposes is not testing. The facility is selling parts of the animal which is maintained for this purpose.
3. A research facility selling antibodies, antisera, or other body parts for research, teaching, testing, or experimentation
4. A research facility only produces antibodies/antisera on a contract basis for particular investigators, not for resale.

Answer 17

1. The facility must be registered as a research facility
2. The facility may meet the definition of a dealer and require licensing as such, unless exempted for other reasons. It would depend on whether the facility is engaged in commerce for the product and whether the facility is breeding the animals.
3. The facility would require a dealer’s license in addition to its registration. This is not intended to apply to legitimate collaboration between researchers and their exchange and/or transfer of body parts, antibodies, and antisera.
4. A license would not be required in addition to the registration

Question 18

Animal care policy #10 addresses Specific Activities Requiring a License or Registration based on the definition of “dealer” and “research facility” described in 9 CFR, Part 1, Section 1.1.

Which of the following activities would require a license as an animal dealer?

Which of the following activities would require a facility to be registered as a research facility?

1. A facility that produces novel genetically engineered animals is using such animals in research, tests or experiments to determine the effect of the unconventional introduction of synthetic, species-foreign, or other such genetic material on the phenotype of the animal
2. A facility which produces cloned animals for regulated purposes utilizing standard veterinary medical practices
3. A licensed exhibitor that collects information on their animals with the intent to improve the nutrition, breeding, management, or care of such animals

Answer 18

1. The facility must be registered as a research facility
2. The facility is considered to be breeding animals and must be licensed as a dealer
3. APHIS has determined these programs may be exempted from the registration requirements of the regulations as long as the collection methods:
   
   • are performed as an adjunct to normal husbandry or veterinary procedures for the benefit of the animal or species
   • are not invasive (feed studies)
   • do not cause pain or distress to the animal (behavioral observations)
   • NOTE: if the research involves domestic dogs or cats, the licensee is NOT exempt from the need for registration

Question 19

Are horses used for the production of PMU covered by the AWA?

Answer 19

Horses used for the production of PMU are not covered by the AWA. This activity is not defined as research, teaching, or testing. People who deal in horses or horse parts are not required to be licensed.

Question 20

Animal care policy #11 addresses Painful and Distressful Procedures. Which of the following is **NOT **specifically listed as procedures that may cause more than momentary or slight pain or distress? (select all that apply)

1. Survival surgery
2. Terminal surgery
3. Administration of Freund’s Complete Adjuvant
4. Blood collection procedures
5. Ocular toxicity testing
6. Dermal toxicity testing
7. Prolonged manual restraint of conscious animal, such as in a restraint chair
8. Food/water deprivation
9. Noxious electrical shock or thermal stress (that is not immedicately escapable)
10. Paralysis or immobility in a conscious animal
11. Forced Exercise
12. Infectious or inflammatory disease models

Answer 20

4. Blood collection procedures
5. Prolonged manual restraint of conscious animal, such as in a restraint chair

The rest are specifically stated as procedures that may cause more than momentary or slight pain or distress in policy #11

Question 21

Who is responsible for ensuring that investigators have avoided or minimized discomfort, distress, and pain to the animals; appropriately considered alternatives to any procedures that may cause more than slight or momentary pain or distress; and consulted with the attending veterinarian in the planning of procedures?

Answer 21

The IACUC

Question 22

According to Animal Care policy #12, what does APHIS recommend as the most effective and efficient method for demonstrating compliance with the requirement to consider alternatives to painful/distressful procedures?

Answer 22

Database search

Question 23

When a database search is the primary means of searching for the use of alternatives to animals, the narrative describing the search should include what 4 pieces of information?

Answer 23

1. The name(s) of the databases searched
2. The date of the search
3. The time period covered by the search
4. The search strategy, including key words used.

Question 24

What is AWIC and who provides the service?

Answer 24

The Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) is an information service of the National Agricultural Library specifically established to provide information about alternatives

Question 25

How frequently are attempts to identify alternatives required by Animal Care?

Answer 25

Animal Care would normally expect the PI to reconsider alternatives at least once every 3 years, consistent with the triennial de novo review requirements of PHS policy.

Question 26

Animal Care Policy #13 addresses Animal Identification. What are the 4 requirements for Animal Care to approve the use of a microchip implantation identification system?

Answer 26

1. The microchip must be placed in a standard anatomical location
2. The microchip scanner device must be readily available to the APHIS representative
3. The animal identification records must indicate the microchip number, the location on the animal, and the name of the microchip manufacturer
4. Any animal with a microchip that goes to another licensee/registrant must have a tag/tattoo if a compatible scanner is not available at the receiving facility.

Question 27

In what cases may an animal undergo multiple major survival surgeries?

Answer 27

No animal is to be used in more than one major survival operative procedure except in cases of:

1. Scientific necessity - as determined by the IACUC
2. Provision of veterinary care
3. Special circumstances as determined by APHIS

Question 28

Who must ensure that survival surgery will avoid or minimize pain and is aseptically performed by qualified personnel?

Answer 28

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

Question 29

According to policy #14, is an approved research protocol required for routine veterinary care or animals husbandry that involves surgery?

Answer 29

No

Question 30

With regard to registration, what must happen if a dealer performs surgery on animals as part of a proposed research animal activity at a research facility?

Answer 30

The dealer must either register as a research facility or be a site of the research facility requesting the altered animals.

Question 31

Under special circumstances the AWA allows for exemptions to the limitation that only one major operative procedure be performed on an animal as part of a research study. Describe the process of obtaining the exemption.

Answer 31

• The Institutional Official of the research facility should make the exemption request to the appropriate Animal Care Regional Director, who will forward it to the Animal Care Deputy Administrator.
• Among other information requirements, the request should include scientific justification, IACUC approval, and a means of permanently identifying the animals.
• The exemption must be included in the Annual Report and be reviewed annually by the IACUC.

Question 32

Policy #15 describes Institutional Official and IACUC Membership. What are the 4 specific positions/roles described in the AWRs?

Answer 32

1. Institutional Official
2. IACUC Chairman
3. Attending Veterinarian
4. Nonaffiliated Member

Question 33

T/F: The regulations do not specifically prohibit one person from filling more than one role on the IACUC and institutions are encouraged to maximize available resources and allow individuals to fill multiple roles on the IACUC.

Answer 33

False

“APHIS strongly discourages such assignments because of the potential for conflicts of interest and/or undue influence by one person over the facility’s program.”

Question 34

T/F: Because the attending veterinarian is already a member of the IACUC, another veterinarian may not assume any one of the other program positions (IO, IACUC Chairman, Nonaffiliated Member).

Answer 34

False…a veterinarian may fill one of the other roles

Question 35

According to the AWRs, what is the minimum number of IACUC members?

Answer 35

3

Question 36

T/F: The nonaffiliated member of the IACUC is to provide representation for general community interests in the proper care and treatment of animals and should not be a user of laboratory animals at any research facility.

Answer 36

True

Question 37

Describe the compensation options for the nonaffiliated member of the IACUC as described in policy #15.

Answer 37

• Permissible only when it does not jeopardize the member’s status as a nonaffiliated member
• Normally limited to payment for travel and related expenses, such as parking and meals, to modest monetary payments for participation
• The dollar amount of compensation, if any, should not be so substantial as to be considered an important source of income or to influence voting on the IACUC.

Question 38

Who is responsible for ensuring that IACUC members are qualified to assess the research facility’s animal program, facilities, and procedures?

Answer 38

The research facility

Question 39

According to policy #17, Regulation of Agricultural Animals, which of the following activities involving farm animals in research are regulated and which are exempt?

1. Farm animals used to manufacture or test biologics for nonagricultural or nonproduction animals, or humans.
2. Farm animals used to manufacture or test veterinary biological products intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of diseases in agricultural animals.
3. Farm animals that are used as models for human subjects or nonagricultural animals (e.g., using calves to develop an artificial heart for humans)
4. Farm animals used in agricultural teaching, such as farm or ranch management procedures (e.g., hoof trimming, shearing), handling practices and breeding techniques.
5. Farm animals used for biomedical teaching; that is, the training of human or veterinary medical personnel in medical methods and procedures, such as surgery, diagnostic techniques, anesthesia and analgesia.

Answer 39

1. Regulated: this includes biologics that are produced or tested for possible use in either agricultural or nonagricultural species, such as multispecies rabies vaccines.
2. Exempt
3. Regulated
4. Exempt
5. Regulated

Farm animals, such as domestic cattle, horses, sheep, swine, and goats that are used for traditional, production agricultural purposes are exempt from coverage by the AWA. Traditional production agricultural purposes include use as food and fiber, for improvement of animal nutrition, breeding, management, or production efficiency, or for improvement of the quality of food or fiber

Question 40

According to policy #17, Regulation of Agricultural Animals, which of the following activities involving farm animals in exhibition are regulated and which are exempt?

1. Farm animal exhibits intended to advance the agricultural arts and sciences
2. Farm animal exhibit intended to draw or entice customers to a nonagricultural enterprise, such as a petting zoo at a restaurant
3. Agricultural animals in livestock shows, fairs, FFA or 4-H venues, or rodeos
4. Farm animal exhibit whose main purpose is to allow public contact with the animals, such as a petting zoo or photo op setting.
5. Incidental exhibition of farm animals, such as public access (viewing) of a working bison farm, where people driving by can see the animals. They are not being kept for the intent of exhibition, nor are they advertised for viewing purposes.
6. “Agricultural” exhibits that also exhibit nonagricultural animals.
7. Nonagricultural animals exhibited at an agricultural venue, such as a county fair.
8. Historic farm parks that are accurate representations of the farm setting and are intended to educate the public as to that way of life

Answer 40

1. Exempt
2. Regulated
3. Exempt
4. Regulated
5. Exempt
6. Regulated
7. Regulated
8. Exempt

All farm (agricultural) animals being used for regulated purposes must be handled and maintained in accordance with the AWA regulations and standards, such as the AgGuide, where applicable.

Question 41

T/F: According to policy #18, Health Certificate for Dogs, Cats, and Nonhuman Primates, dogs, cats, and nonhuman primates transported within the State and in the licensee’s/registrant’s private vehicle may be transported without a health certificate.

Answer 41

True

Question 42

T/F: According to policy #18, regulated dogs, cats, and nonhuman primates transported intrastate by commercial carrier, transported interstate, or in foreign commerce, are required to have properly executed health certificates

Answer 42

True

Question 43

According to policy #18, within how many days of travel must a health certificate be issued when dogs, cats, & NHPs are transported in commerce by a licensee or registrant?

Answer 43

10 days

Question 44

According to policy #19, Capture Methods of Prairie Dogs, is the introduction of water into prairie dog burrows an acceptable means of capture?

Answer 44

No

• Methods used to capture prairie dogs from natural habitats for covered purposes must be done in a humane manner.
• The introduction of water, chemicals or noxious gas into prairie dog burrows and the use of vacuum equipment are not acceptable.
• Live trapping of prairie dogs must only be done with humane traps that do not injure the prairie dog upon capture. The traps must be checked with sufficient frequency to assure that the animal does not go without food, water or shelter for an unnecessary period of time.

Question 45

According to policy #20, Licensing Sales of Dead Animals, which of the following people meet the definition of a “dealer” as described in AWA and require a license for the described activity?

1. Any person who acquires any live covered animal and subsequently euthanizes that animal to sell for a covered purpose.
2. Any person who acquires a dead animal (other than a dog or cat) and then sells it.
3. Any person who acquires a dead dog or cat (or parts) from a USDA licensed dealer or municipal, county, or state pound/shelter and then sells it.
4. Any person who acquires a dead dog or cat (or parts) from private, unlicensed sources, to sell for covered purposes.

Answer 45

1. Requires a license
2. Does NOT require a license
3. Does NOT require a license
4. Requires a license

The definition of “dealer” in the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) states that a dealer “is any person who . . . buys or sells . . . any dog or other animal whether alive or dead for research, teaching, exhibition, or use as a pet . . . .”

Question 46

Who publishes the Ag Guide?

Answer 46

Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS)

Question 47

According to policy #5, who is responsible for compliance with the all regulations and standards, including transportation standards once animals are accepted by the auction market?

Answer 47

The market operator.