FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The Care of Use of Animals in Biomedical Research

  8. Why Use Animals?
  9. What are the Most Commonly Used Animal Models?
10. Which Animals are Studied for their Unique Characteristics?
11. Where Would We Be Without Animal Research?
12. Man’s Best Friend ... and Research Partner
13. How Many and What Kinds of Animals are Used in Biomedical Research?
14. How are Animals Used in Biomedical Research Cared For?
15. What Laws, Regulations and Guidelines Govern Animal Research?

FAQ — General Questions (1-7)

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14. HOW ARE ANIMALS USED IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CARED FOR?
(Taken from Unit II, Chapter 5, of the Rx for Science Literacy teacher manual.)

Taking care of animals used in research is a major concern of the research community. For humane reasons, scientists try to reduce any pain or distress to the animals. However, good care is also important to the research process as a whole. Animals that are treated well provide the normal biological and behavioral responses researchers need to measure. In contrast, animals that are undernourished, poorly housed or stressed make poor research models. As a result, the scientific data may not be reliable. Since reliability is critical to experiments, it’s just good science to take care of animal models.

Knowledge gained through the years has improved the care research animals receive. From food and exercise to housing and social interaction, research animals are treated with respect and dignity. The following questions and answers provide some of the details about caring for research animals.

Who takes care of animals used in research?
Animals used in biomedical research are taken care of by technicians, who act somewhat like nurses in a hospital setting. They check on each animal’s health daily, and they control the animal’s environment. They are responsible for making sure the research animals are comfortable. This may mean monitoring heat and humidity, noise, light and the use of chemicals and detergents. Some technicians also take blood samples and X-rays, give medications or other therapy, assist in surgery and provide care after surgery.

Most animal care technicians are trained in two-year or four-year college programs, and many research institutions have in-service training. In addition, the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) ensures high quality standards in animal care by certifying technician candidates at three levels. The technicians are supervised by a veterinarian who, in most cases, specializes in laboratory animal medicine or a related area. Like a doctor who treats humans, this veterinarian goes through extensive training to qualify for certification as a specialist. He or she is responsible for monitoring the animals’ care and for examining the animals when they appear ill.

What are animal facilities like?
Like a hospital for humans, animal care facilities are kept clean, and animal care technicians wear lab coats, surgical masks and gloves, when necessary. The technicians and veterinarian make sure the animals are eating properly, are healthy and comfortable and are receiving conscientious care.

How are animals treated?
Animals that are nervous, unhappy or stressed make poor research models. That’s one of the reasons animal caretakers do everything possible to make animals feel comfortable and happy in the laboratory environment. They treat animals with gentle compassion. Even the way animals are lifted and held when taken out of their cages is important. The laboratory is their “home,” and researchers do everything they can to make the animals feel settled.

What about pain?
Except for rare cases in which pain-killing drugs or anesthesia will interfere with a study’s results, researchers make every effort to make sure animals don’t feel pain. In fact, a 1991 study conducted by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) showed that in 94 percent of animal studies, animals suffered no pain. In most cases (61 percent), the animals were not exposed to pain at all. In 33 percent of the cases, pain or distress was involved, but animals were given anesthesia or pain relievers so they would not feel it. In only six percent of the cases were animals exposed to pain without pain-relieving drugs. This small number of studies represents research on chronic pain, which is a problem for cancer patients and burn victims. Although anesthesia or pain killers cannot be given, these are some of the most carefully evaluated studies in research, with the quantity and duration of pain strictly monitored to ensure that they are kept to the minimum level possible.

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