LARC Notification

Health Checks

1. Husbandry staff observes an out of study health problem. They tag the cage and scan the cage into the RIO system
2. Rodent team veterinary nurse responds to health check by examining the animal. A veterinarian may be asked to look at the animal as well.
3. The rodent team nurse contacts the lab and tells them what actions need to be taken.
4. The lab attends to the animal and completes the health check requirements.

Overcrowded Cage Notification:

Investigators arre contacted regarding any cages that are overcrowded or otherwise not in compliance with IACUC Housing Density guidelines.

This may include any of the following conditions:

• No more than 5 adult mice of the same sex may be grouped in a cage.
• A breeding cage may not contain more than one male and two female adults.
• Litters must be weaned by their designated wean dates.
• Rodent cages applying a housing density exception must be properly labelled.
• Trio breeding cages may not contain more than 12 pups after P12 of the younger litter.

A yellow tag will be placed on these cages and should be removed after the overcrowding has been resolved.

*Unless urgent, cages must be attended to by the next business day at NOON or LARC staff may separate the animals for Investigators for a fee.

*These cages must be attended to within FIVE HOURS of this email or LARC staff may separate the animals for you at a fee.

Weaning Notifications:

IACUC policy is that litters of mice must be weaned by 21 days of age. A yellow WEAN tag will be placed on rodent cages and should be removed after weaning. In the event that a litter appears too young to wean, investigators must indicate a new expected wean date at the bottom of the litter tag attached to the cage. Litters must be weaned, or appropriately labelled with an updated wean date, by the next business day at NOON to avoid being tagged as overcrowded. Please be sure to follow Standardized Care for Weanling Mice SOP and weaning cage example.

**Please note that once the supportive care is dried or unusable, it’s recommended to lixit train the animals again as they can no longer be dependent on the supportive care initially provided.

For strains that consistently require delayed weaning, exceptions to the 21 day weaning age may be made. Exceptions are requested by completing section L in the RIO application. The request should include justification for extended weaning and should include appropriate documentation or scientific justification as to why the density guidelines should be modified. Please refer to the IACUC Policies on Mouse Housing, Cage Density and Temporary Housing for more details.

***Note: In the case of a strain which is known to require more than 21 days before weaning, the Investigator should separate the dam from the male during pregnancy to avoid breeding at the post-partum estrus.

Euthanasia:

The IACUC requires that labs respond to animal health checks according to the timelines outlined in the table below: