ANIMAL WELFARE (LAM)

Question 1

Animals used at Usask:

Answer 1

-chickens
-mice
-fish
-rats
-pigs
-cattle
-dogs

Question 2

LAM vets:

Answer 2

-university vet
-clinical vet
-post-approval vet

Question 3

Specific pathogen free (PSF):

Answer 3

-animals bred to:
>eliminate pathogens
>reduce disease outbreak
>reduce zoonoses
>increase research reliability and replicability

Question 4

Lab animal allergies:

Answer 4

-handlers exposed to allergenic proteins in lab
-urine, dander, salvia, bedding, feed, mold, insects
-33% in workers
-often develop more (especially to rodents and rabbits)

Question 5

Tube handling: mice

Answer 5

-use to transport the mice
-can then dump into your hand
-place tunnel on side of cage, and actively encourage mouse to the tunnel
-don’t chase the mouse with the tunnel

Question 6

Restrain a mouse:

Answer 6

-forefinger and your thumb (2 finger): pushes on the trachea=more stressful (longitudinal fold)
-now a push to 3 fingers (fore, middle and thumb): transverse fold
-support it with the palm of your hand (on it’s back)
*don’t dangle when holding the tail

Question 7

Examination: mice

Answer 7

-distance exam: movement, nesting, housing, social interactions, fur, eyes, grimace score, feces
-physical exam

Question 8

Common conditions: mice

Answer 8

-barbering: pull the fur off other mice (skin not damaged)
-ulcerative dermatitis: continuous scratching, typically the back of neck (skin damaged)
-tail injury
-fight wounds
-congenital conditions
*importance of BCS
*stereotypies

Question 9

Nest scoring:

Answer 9

-don’t want it scattered around
-want it as a pile with a hole and a roof structure on top

Question 10

Mouse stereotypies:

Answer 10

-barbering
-chewers: chew the food and just leave a bunch of food crumbs, don’t really eat it
-backflips
-circling
*mitigate: environmental enrichment (wheels, sticks, group housing)

Question 11

Rats:

Answer 11

-similar to mouse
-environmental enrichment similar, but don’t build nests
-like to chew a lot
-2 level caging

Question 12

Rat handling:

Answer 12

-prefer full body hold (V or circle grip, support back legs with other hand)
-towel wrap
-transfer pipes
-bags
*never by tail!

Question 13

Rat blood volume:

Answer 13

-more than mouse so can get more blood production and do less time slots

Question 14

Rat exams:

Answer 14

-distance
-physical
-grimace scoring

Question 15

Common conditions: rats

Answer 15

-bumble foot: pressure sores
-obesity
-ringtail (ends of tail can fall off)
-porphyrin staining (redness around the eyes)
-mammary tumour
*importance of BCS
-no mycoplasma due to SPF status

Question 16

Grimace chart:

Answer 16

-eyes: squinting
-nose/check flattering
-ear
-whisker (closer to face=stressed)

Question 17

Rabbits:

Answer 17

-New Zealand white rabbits
-tend to be individual housed and not paired
-enrichment (chew toys, hay, exercise area)

Question 18

Rabbit restraint:

Answer 18

-arm holds
-towels
-bags
-cover eyes

Question 19

Rabbit examination:

Answer 19

-distance (feces and urine protection!)
-physical exam
-grimace scoring

Question 20

Rabbit grimace score:

Answer 20

-eyes
-check flattening
-nostril shape
-whisker shape and position
-ear shape

Question 21

Rabbit common conditions

Answer 21

-no Pasteurella
-foot lesions
-fight wounds
-overgrown incisors and molars
-broken back
-anorexia

Question 22

Zebrafish:

Answer 22

-environmental enrichment: need something but we don’t know what they need
-males are territorial and can fit objects more

Question 23

Zebrafish common conditions:

Answer 23

-popeye
-mycobacteriosis
-general ill-health
*water quality