(no subject)

A recent "writer's block" question asked about the use of animals in research. I was dismayed to see so many people thinking that science involved cruelty or pain, and that animals needed to be protected.

Animals are protected legally from cruelty in research; it's the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 (revised in 1970 and in 1985).

" The Congress finds that animals and activities which are regulated
under this chapter are either in interstate or foreign commerce or
substantially affect such commerce or the free flow thereof, and that
regulation of animals and activities as provided in this chapter is
necessary to prevent and eliminate burdens upon such commerce and to
effectively regulate such commerce, in order--
(1) to insure that animals intended for use in research
facilities or for exhibition purposes or for use as pets are
provided humane care and treatment;
(2) to assure the humane treatment of animals during
transportation in commerce; and
(3) to protect the owners of animals from the theft of their
animals by preventing the sale or use of animals which have been
stolen.

The Congress further finds that it is essential to regulate, as provided
in this chapter, the transportation, purchase, sale, housing, care,
handling, and treatment of animals by carriers or by persons or
organizations engaged in using them for research or experimental
purposes or for exhibition purposes or holding them for sale as pets or
for any such purpose or use."


After much discussion, research, debate, and study, Congress came back in 1985 with this:
"Congressional Findings for 1985 Amendment

Pub. L. 99-198, title XVII, subtitle F (Secs. 1751-1759), Sec. 1751,
Dec. 23, 1985, 99 Stat. 1645, provided that: ``For the purposes of this
subtitle [see Effective Date of 1985 Amendment note above], the Congress
finds that--
``(1) the use of animals is instrumental in certain research and
education for advancing knowledge of cures and treatment for
diseases and injuries which afflict both humans and animals;
``(2) methods of testing that do not use animals are being and
continue to be developed which are faster, less expensive, and more
accurate than traditional animal experiments for some purposes and
further opportunities exist for the development of these methods of
testing;
``(3) measures which eliminate or minimize the unnecessary
duplication of experiments on animals can result in more productive
use of Federal funds; and
``(4) measures which help meet the public concern for laboratory
animal care and treatment are important in assuring that research
will continue to progress.''


But wait! There's more:


Sec. 2143. Standards and certification process for humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of animals


(a) Promulgation of standards, rules, regulations, and orders;
requirements; research facilities; State authority

(1) The Secretary shall promulgate standards to govern the humane
handling, care, treatment, and transportation of animals by dealers,
research facilities, and exhibitors.
(2) The standards described in paragraph (1) shall include minimum
requirements--
(A) for handling, housing, feeding, watering, sanitation,
ventilation, shelter from extremes of weather and temperatures,
adequate veterinary care, and separation by species where the
Secretary finds necessary for humane handling, care, or treatment of
animals; and
(B) for exercise of dogs, as determined by an attending
veterinarian in accordance with general standards promulgated by the
Secretary, and for a physical environment adequate to promote the
psychological well-being of primates.

This means that all animals must be handled in a humane and appropriate manner, and that certain species -- such as dogs -- must also have appropriate exercise and other accommodations that reflect their psychological well-being, and not just their physical health.

(3) In addition to the requirements under paragraph (2), the
standards described in paragraph (1) shall, with respect to animals in
research facilities, include requirements--
(A) for animal care, treatment, and practices in experimental
procedures to ensure that animal pain and distress are minimized,
including adequate veterinary care with the appropriate use of
anesthetic, analgesic, tranquilizing drugs, or euthanasia;
(B) that the principal investigator considers alternatives to
any procedure likely to produce pain to or distress in an
experimental animal;
(C) in any practice which could cause pain to animals--
(i) that a doctor of veterinary medicine is consulted in the
planning of such procedures;
(ii) for the use of tranquilizers, analgesics, and
anesthetics;
(iii) for pre-surgical and post-surgical care by laboratory
workers, in accordance with established veterinary medical and
nursing procedures;
(iv) against the use of paralytics without anesthesia; and
(v) that the withholding of tranquilizers, anesthesia,
analgesia, or euthanasia when scientifically necessary shall
continue for only the necessary period of time;

(D) that no animal is used in more than one major operative
experiment from which it is allowed to recover except in cases of--
(i) scientific necessity; or
(ii) other special circumstances as determined by the
Secretary; and

(E) that exceptions to such standards may be made only when
specified by research protocol and that any such exception shall be
detailed and explained in a report outlined under paragraph (7) and
filed with the Institutional Animal Committee.

This means that no animal is left alone with painful or distressful conditions unless there is an actual medical or scientific reason which must be justified in front of a committee of people whose job it is to minimize or eliminate such situations. An example of an allowable reason would be a scientist who is studying stress (mental health research), depression (ditto), or pain (dental research). In those cases, they need to study what causes the stress or pain, and cannot immediately alleviate these issues. However, these are not the majority of research proposals, and more than 95% of all research involves conditions that are not painful or can be treated for potential pain (or distress) without affecting the research. This allows us to give mice, rats, fish, frogs, rabbits, dogs, cats, monkeys, ferrets, birds, salamanders, horses, pigs, etc., etc., the proper medications for medical and surgical problems.

(4) The Secretary shall also promulgate standards to govern the
transportation in commerce, and the handling, care, and treatment in
connection therewith, by intermediate handlers, air carriers, or other
carriers, of animals consigned by any dealer, research facility,
exhibitor, operator of an auction sale, or other person, or any
department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States or of any
State or local government, for transportation in commerce. The Secretary
shall have authority to promulgate such rules and regulations as he
determines necessary to assure humane treatment of animals in the course
of their transportation in commerce including requirements such as those
with respect to containers, feed, water, rest, ventilation, temperature,
and handling.
(5) In promulgating and enforcing standards established pursuant to
this section, the Secretary is authorized and directed to consult
experts, including outside consultants where indicated.
(6)(A) Nothing in this chapter--
(i) except as provided in paragraphs \1\ (7) of this subsection,
shall be construed as authorizing the Secretary to promulgate rules,
regulations, or orders with regard to the design, outlines, or
guidelines of actual research or experimentation by a research
facility as determined by such research facility;
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\1\ So in original. Probably should be ``paragraph''.
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(ii) except as provided \2\ subparagraphs (A) and (C)(ii)
through (v) of paragraph (3) and paragraph (7) of this subsection,
shall be construed as authorizing the Secretary to promulgate rules,
regulations, or orders with regard to the performance of actual
research or experimentation by a research facility as determined by
such research facility; and
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\2\ So in original. Probably should be followed by ``in''.
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(iii) shall authorize the Secretary, during inspection, to
interrupt the conduct of actual research or experimentation.

(B) No rule, regulation, order, or part of this chapter shall be
construed to require a research facility to disclose publicly or to the
Institutional Animal Committee during its inspection, trade secrets or
commercial or financial information which is privileged or confidential.
(7)(A) The Secretary shall require each research facility to show
upon inspection, and to report at least annually, that the provisions of
this chapter are being followed and that professionally acceptable
standards governing the care, treatment, and use of animals are being
followed by the research facility during actual research or
experimentation.
(B) In complying with subparagraph (A), such research facilities
shall provide--
(i) information on procedures likely to produce pain or distress
in any animal and assurances demonstrating that the principal
investigator considered alternatives to those procedures;
(ii) assurances satisfactory to the Secretary that such facility
is adhering to the standards described in this section; and
(iii) an explanation for any deviation from the standards
promulgated under this section.

(8) Paragraph (1) shall not prohibit any State (or a political
subdivision of such State) from promulgating standards in addition to
those standards promulgated by the Secretary under paragraph (1).

This all means that all research is not only justified before it can begin, it must be tracked, monitored, observed, assessed, and re-justified on a regular basis. The USDA inspects all animal facilities in the US, with the exception of Federal research labs. Those are exempted from inspection, which is why they all voluntarily joined a private accreditation process (AAALAC) that is more stringent than the USDA regulations. If a Federal research lab passes this AAALAC accreditation inspection, then you know it would easily pass a USDA site visit.

(b) Research facility Committee; establishment, membership, functions,
etc.

(1) The Secretary shall require that each research facility
establish at least one Committee. Each Committee shall be appointed by
the chief executive officer of each such research facility and shall be
composed of not fewer than three members. Such members shall possess
sufficient ability to assess animal care, treatment, and practices in
experimental research as determined by the needs of the research
facility and shall represent society's concerns regarding the welfare of
animal subjects used at such facility. Of the members of the Committee--
(A) at least one member shall be a doctor of veterinary
medicine;
(B) at least one member--
(i) shall not be affiliated in any way with such facility
other than as a member of the Committee;
(ii) shall not be a member of the immediate family of a
person who is affiliated with such facility; and
(iii) is intended to provide representation for general
community interests in the proper care and treatment of animals;
and

(C) in those cases where the Committee consists of more than
three members, not more than three members shall be from the same
administrative unit of such facility.

(2) A quorum shall be required for all formal actions of the
Committee, including inspections under paragraph (3).
(3) The Committee shall inspect at least semiannually all animal
study areas and animal facilities of such research facility and review
as part of the inspection--
(A) practices involving pain to animals, and
(B) the condition of animals,

to ensure compliance with the provisions of this chapter to minimize
pain and distress to animals. Exceptions to the requirement of
inspection of such study areas may be made by the Secretary if animals
are studied in their natural environment and the study area is
prohibitive to easy access.
(4)(A) The Committee shall file an inspection certification report
of each inspection at the research facility. Such report shall--
(i) be signed by a majority of the Committee members involved in
the inspection;
(ii) include reports of any violation of the standards
promulgated, or assurances required, by the Secretary, including any
deficient conditions of animal care or treatment, any deviations of
research practices from originally approved proposals that adversely
affect animal welfare, any notification to the facility regarding
such conditions, and any corrections made thereafter;
(iii) include any minority views of the Committee; and
(iv) include any other information pertinent to the activities
of the Committee.

(B) Such report shall remain on file for at least three years at the
research facility and shall be available for inspection by the Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service and any funding Federal agency.
(C) In order to give the research facility an opportunity to correct
any deficiencies or deviations discovered by reason of paragraph (3),
the Committee shall notify the administrative representative of the
research facility of any deficiencies or deviations from the provisions
of this chapter. If, after notification and an opportunity for
correction, such deficiencies or deviations remain uncorrected, the
Committee shall notify (in writing) the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service and the funding Federal agency of such deficiencies
or deviations.
(5) The inspection results shall be available to Department of
Agriculture inspectors for review during inspections. Department of
Agriculture inspectors shall forward any Committee inspection records
which include reports of uncorrected deficiencies or deviations to the
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and any funding Federal
agency of the project with respect to which such uncorrected
deficiencies and deviations occurred.

This sets the requirements for the committee of people whose job it is to regulate the research and maintain the appropriate animal welfare in all approved research. It is their job to uphold the AWA and all other Federal regulations regarding research, and they are required to have at least one non-scientist and at least one non-affiliated member from the outside community. This allows the committee to review proposals with a more balanced perspective, and keeps scientists busy explaining their research in non-scientific language.

(c) Federal research facilities; establishment, composition, and
responsibilities of Federal Committee

In the case of Federal research facilities, a Federal Committee
shall be established and shall have the same composition and
responsibilities provided in subsection (b) of this section, except that
the Federal Committee shall report deficiencies or deviations to the
head of the Federal agency conducting the research rather than to the
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The head of the Federal
agency conducting the research shall be responsible for--
(1) all corrective action to be taken at the facility; and
(2) the granting of all exceptions to inspection protocol.

This just sets the standards for the Federal labs in comparison to the rest of the US.

(d) Training of scientists, animal technicians, and other personnel
involved with animal care and treatment at research facilities

Each research facility shall provide for the training of scientists,
animal technicians, and other personnel involved with animal care and
treatment in such facility as required by the Secretary. Such training
shall include instruction on--
(1) the humane practice of animal maintenance and
experimentation;
(2) research or testing methods that minimize or eliminate the
use of animals or limit animal pain or distress;
(3) utilization of the information service at the National
Agricultural Library, established under subsection (e) of this
section; and
(4) methods whereby deficiencies in animal care and treatment
should be reported.

All researchers must be trained before they can even go near any animals. The training includes proper care and handling of their animals, to prevent pain or distress. It also includes safety (as in lab safety), searching for alternatives to their proposed research -- which must be described in every proposal -- and training in the specific techniques that they need to use. If someone needs to do surgery, they must first be trained in the basic principles of aseptic and sterile surgery, in pain control, in appropriate assessment of the species they work with, in appropriate techniques of surgery, and so on. Veterinarians and senior scientists are responsible for maintaining oversight of younger personnel and the training is on-going as things do change. (In my career as a veterinarian, we've changed our minds about post-operative analgesics for simple things like spays. Now we give more analgesics than we used to, and our patients recover with less pain. A similar change has occurred in pediatrics, and babies are now treated for pain rather than being left alone to cry.)

Anyone who violates the law can be fined, and quite a bit of money for each violation. There's all kinds of paperwork that must be filed to track animals, particularly dogs and cats, to prevent them from going to the wrong places or ever allowing pets to be misdirected into the research colonies. There's regulations on how to properly store feed and bedding, how to ensure potable water is always available, how much veterinary care must be available, and so on.

Failure of a veterinarian to provide "adequate veterinary care" is a career-killer. This is one of the most important aspects of the job for a veterinarian in laboratory animal medicine, and it is taken very seriously at all levels. Researchers know that a healthy research animal means better research and that means better results, better papers, and more accolades. Positive reinforcement works on scientists as well as it does for training dogs.

Bottom line: animals in research are well cared for, by law. This kind of law varies from country to country, and some countries have better-written laws than the US.

Note: Animal research also benefits animals. How many diabetic cats, dogs with heart disease, horses with broken bones, any animal with cancer or pain -- how many of these animals would have died or been euthanized if not for the ability to treat them? We use the same medicines and same surgical techniques for all species, modified to fit the specific needs of that species. I've treated my cat for cancer, another cat for diabetes, and several for pain. I've given my dog anti-arthritis medication, as well as vaccinated everyone against rabies. I've taken out cataracts in different species, giving them better eyesight again. It's all the same kind of medicine.