The CALAM/ACMAL Standards of Veterinary Care and laboratory animal welfare

The Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Medicine/L’association canadienne de la médecine des animaux de laboratoire (CALAM/ACMAL) is the professional organization for laboratory animal veterinarians working to support the humane care and use of animals used in research, teaching, and testing across all sectors in Canada. The mission of CALAM/ACMAL is to advise interested parties on all matters pertaining to laboratory animal medicine, to further the education of its members, to promote ethics and professionalism in the field, and to actively encourage student interest in laboratory animal medicine. The organization is over 25 years old and works closely with a number of government and nongovernmental organizations to promote research animal welfare.

One of the central documents produced by CALAM/ACMAL is the Standards of Veterinary Care. First drafted in 1989, this guide has been revised twice, once in 2004 and more recently in 2007. An essential component emphasized throughout the document is that CALAM/ACMAL believes that both the Association and its individual members have a responsibility to provide leadership in the development of best practices for the humane care and use of animals in research, teaching, testing and production, with due consideration of the 3 Rs: replacement of animals used, when possible; reduction of numbers of animals used; and refinement of techniques and procedures employed. When applying the 3 Rs, CALAM/ACMAL supports the principle that elimination of pain and distress through refinement should be given more weight than reduction in the number of animals used. The CALAM/ACMAL Standards of Veterinary Care is also used as a template by peer review panelists to define the adequacy of the veterinary care portion of the animal care and use program, when institutions are being assessed for compliance by the Canadian Council on Animal Care.

The CALAM/ACMAL recognizes that the well-being and welfare of animals used in research, teaching, and testing are the main focus for all the laboratory animal veterinarian’s roles and responsibilities. These include responsibility for promoting and monitoring an animal’s welfare before, during, and after its use. Animal welfare includes physical and behavioral aspects of an animal’s condition, evaluated in terms of environmental comfort, freedom from pain and distress, and provision of appropriate social interactions, both with members of the same species and with humans. The laboratory animal veterinarian is responsible for making determinations concerning animal welfare, in collaboration with the animal care committee, animal caregivers, and animal users. This is a critical point, because the veterinarian’s authority within the institution must be sufficient to meet this responsibility and to ensure that all projects using animals receive institutional review and approval. While the number of animals housed or used may influence the type and extent of veterinary programs, the actual number of animals does not influence the application of the standards. In terms of veterinary care, the expectation is that every animal must be treated with the same ethical consideration and high standards of veterinary care, and must have equal access to appropriate conditions that meet its physical and behavioral needs.

In its most recent form, the CALAM/ACMAL Standards of Veterinary Care sets forth expectations for current Canadian veterinary licensure, the need for specific training in the field and for ongoing continuing education, and the types of appropriate institutional reporting relationships that avoid conflicts, in addition to specifying the comprehensive responsibilities of the laboratory animal veterinarian. These responsibilities have been revised in the most recent version in recognition of the increasing complexity of the role, the increasing regulatory oversight of research institutions, and the changing public expectations for oversight of research animal care and use. The responsibilities discussed in detail in the document include: 1) Animal Welfare; 2) Appropriate Use of Animals in Research, Teaching, and Testing; 3) Health Management, and Disease Detection and Surveillance; 4) Handling and Restraint, Sedation, Anesthesia and Analgesia, and Methods of Euthanasia; 5) Surgical and Perioperative Care; and 6) Other Responsibilities (education and training of animal users; occupational health and safety awareness; awareness of zoonoses; chemical, radiation, and biohazard knowledge; and crisis management). The document is comprehensive, but not proscriptive, and is intended to be used as a tool for veterinarians and institutions to ensure the quality of their veterinary care program.

While long considered a nontraditional area of practice, laboratory animal medicine is a growing specialty in Canada and the USA. Interested practitioners should be aware of critical responsibility of the laboratory animal veterinarian in promoting animal welfare, as outlined in the CALAM/ACMAL Standards of Veterinary Care, when considering opportunities in this field. The document may be found in its entirety at: http://www.uwo.ca/animal/website/CALAM/Content/StandardsVetCare.pdf.