Animal Welfare, Ethics and Jurisprudence

SURVEILLANCE, DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND CONTROL OF DISEASE

• All animals should be observed for signs of illness, injury, or abnormal behavior by animal house staff. As a rule, this should occur daily, but more-frequent observations might be warranted, such as during postoperative recovery or when animals are ill or have a physical deficit. It is imperative that-appropriate methods be in place for disease surveillance and diagnosis
• Unexpected deaths and signs of illness, distress, or other deviations from normal health condition in animals should be reported promptly to ensure appropriate and timely delivery of veterinary medical care. Animals that show signs of a contagious disease should be isolated from healthy animals in the colony. If an entire room of animals is known or believed to be exposed to an infectious agent (e.g. Mycobacterium tuberculosis in non-human primates), the group should be kept intact and isolated during the process of diagnosis, treatment, and control. Diagnostic clinical laboratory may be made available.