6. Sterilized food should be stored in sterilized containers and the date of sterilization
marked on the container.
Water
1. Type
1. For most purposes tap water from a potable water faucet is adequate for research
animals.
2. For experimental reasons, animals may have special water requirements, such as a
need for deionized water, for sterilized water, or for water treated with medications.
2. Amount
1. Generally, animals should have drinking water available at all times.
2. If water is restricted for more than 24 hours for large animals, or 5 hours for rodents
or rabbits:
1. For experimental reasons this must be approved by the IACUC and objective,
written criteria for assessing the animals’ hydration must be provided.
2. For medical reasons this decision should be made with veterinary input.
3. Quality Control
1. For potable tap water, quality control beyond that which the municipality provides is
not usually necessary.
2. Special water needs may require additional monitoring. Water may need to be
analyzed for chemicals or cultured for microorganisms.
Health Monitoring
1. Frequency
1. Animal health status must be monitored at least once daily, including weekends and
holidays, foul weather notwithstanding.
2. Animals with specific health problems, animals recovering from anesthesia, or
animals on studies that have the potential for rapidly changing the animals’ condition
(e.g. infectious disease, tumor induction, toxicity) may require more frequent
monitoring.
2. Clinical Signs of Disease
1. Clinical signs of disease can be extremely variable depending on the species of
animal and the condition being monitored.
2. Changes in behavior, food or water consumption, fecal or urine output, reduction in
grooming behavior, aggression, muscular rigidity, reaction to handling can be
nonspecific signs of distress or disease.
3. More specific signs or objective measurements of organ dysfunction should be
monitored if indicated by the animal’s condition or the expected impact of the
experiment.
4. Further information is available from RAR.
3. Veterinary Care
1. All animals used for research, testing or teaching at the University of Minnesota must
have an attending veterinarian listed on the protocol.
2. Veterinary care must be available on holidays and weekends as well as during work
hours.
3. Research Animal Resources can provide veterinary consultation on request.