Cognitive Dissonance in Laboratory Animal Medicine and Implications for Animal Welfare.

People experience cognitive dissonance when they entertain 2 conflicting ideas at the same time. Cognitive dissonance may cause a negative emotional state, which can lead to engagement of compensation mechanisms to resolve the conflict. Here we describe a survey that explores cognitive dissonance in laboratory animal veterinarians and veterinary technicians and various ways in which veterinary staff manage dissonance associated with research animal use. Respondents-164 veterinarians and 145 veterinary technicians-were asked to rate their opinions of various statements on a sliding scale of 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree' or 'never' to 'always.' Statements assessed negative emotions (discomfort, powerlessness, frustration) and compensation mechanisms (devaluing, emotional distancing, shifting responsibility) as bases for inferring effects on welfare states of animals. Responses were evaluated overall and were compared according to level of training (veterinarian compared with veterinary technician), years of work experience (0 to 5, 6 to 10, greater than 10), and species tended (large, mixed, small species). Respondents strongly agreed that animal wellbeing and animal use in research were important. Respondents reported feelings of discomfort, powerlessness, and frustration associated with work. In addition, respondents reported feeling empowered to initiate changes affecting animal welfare. The most frequent compensation mechanism noted was shifting responsibility onto the IACUC and institutional rules. Devaluing the animals was another reported compensation mechanism. Responses to emotional distancing statements were divided. Survey responses supported the existence of cognitive dissonance associated with laboratory animal medicine. Potential negative and positive effects on animal welfare are discussed.

PET PODs: A Tool to Assist with Good Welfare Provisions during Emergent Conditions.

The PETS Act amended the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to ensure state and local emergency preparedness operational plans included provisions for individuals with household pets and service animals following a major disaster or emergency. While the national newsworthy events are usually large scope disasters, there are also local events which do not meet the minimal conditions to qualify for state or federal level welfare support. Local governments should be prepared to house pets at evacuation shelters, regardless of the breadth of the event, and especially for local events that do not reach the level of state or federal disasters. Wake County, North Carolina developed a concept of prepared sustainment "PET PODs" equipped with inventory and operational instructions required to create and operate an animal evacuation shelter, which could be, or not be, closely associated with the human evacuation shelter. The Wake County Animal Center "PET PODs" provided supplies for animals which arrived with their owners at evacuation shelters during Hurricane Florence, which in addition to volunteer personnel and donated feed provisions, established the foundation for good animal welfare for dozens of animals.

Interventions and observations associated with survival of orphaned shelter kittens undergoing treatment for diarrhea.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to identify significant associations between treatment interventions and survival of orphaned shelter kittens with diarrhea. METHODS: Orphaned kittens admitted to a large open-intake municipal animal shelter and entering a volunteer foster care provider network between April 2016 and July 2017 were studied. Individual orphaned kittens for which the care provider sought examination by shelter veterinarians because of clinical signs of diarrhea were included. Treatments administered were recorded and their association with kitten survival to adoption or transfer to a rescue partner was statistically examined. RESULTS: A total of 1718 orphaned kittens were fostered, among which 220 kittens (12.8%) from 118 different litters were presented for evaluation of diarrhea. A total of 172 (78.2%) kittens underwent treatment for their diarrhea, among which 153 (89.0%) survived to adoption or transfer to a rescue partner and 19 (11.0%) died or were humanely euthanized. Kittens with diarrhea that were ⩾4 weeks of age were 24.8 times more likely to survive (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.8-89.8; P <0.0001). While controlling for age, kittens that received a vitamin and mineral supplement were 12.8 times more likely to survive (95% CI 3.1-52.5; P = 0.0004) than kittens with diarrhea that did not receive the supplement. Treatment with subcutaneous fluids, penicillin G, tube feeding, a probiotic containing Enterococcus faecium SF68, ponazuril or metronidazole did not statistically significantly increase the survival of kittens with diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Age ⩾4 weeks and treatment of diarrhea with a vitamin and mineral supplement favorably improves survival of orphaned kittens to adoption. Application of these findings are likely to improve the health and welfare of this population and contribute to a refinement in use of shelter resources.

Postapproval Monitoring Practices at Biomedical Research Facilities.

Federal regulations and policies require institutions to establish procedures for ongoing IACUC oversight of approved animal care and use program activities including animal procedures. To fulfill these requirements, research institutions implement postapproval monitoring (PAM) programs designed to assure compliance in animal activities. Although several references commenting on the requirement to conduct PAM are available, few publications discuss actual best practices for accomplishing PAM. Here we use information collected through a survey of large academic research institutions to identify common practices for conducting PAM reviews. Many similarities and differences exist between institutions, which may or may not influence the overall quality of an institution's PAM program.

Regional Anesthesia for Dentistry and Orofacial Surgery in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Regional anesthesia is a commonly used adjunct to orofacial dental and surgical procedures in companion animals and humans. However, appropriate techniques for anesthetizing branches of the mandibular and maxillary nerves have not been described for rhesus monkeys. Skulls of 3 adult rhesus monkeys were examined to identify relevant foramina, establish appropriate landmarks for injection, and estimate injection angles and depth. Cadaver heads of 7 adult rhesus monkeys (4 male, 3 female) were then injected with thiazine dye to demonstrate correct placement of solution to immerse specific branches of the mandibular and maxillary nerves. Different volumes of dye were injected on each side of each head to visualize area of diffusion, and to estimate the minimum volume needed to saturate the area of interest. After injection, the heads were dissected to expose the relevant nerves and skull foramina. We describe techniques for blocking the maxillary nerve as well as its branches: the greater palatine nerve, nasopalatine nerve, and infraorbital nerve. We also describe techniques for blocking branches of the mandibular nerve: inferior alveolar nerve, mental (or incisive) nerve, lingual nerve, and long buccal nerve. Local anesthesia for the mandibular and maxillary nerves can be accomplished in rhesus macaques and is a practical and efficient way to maximize animal welfare during potentially painful orofacial procedures.

A Collaborative Model for Managing Animal Hoarding Cases.

Companion-animal hoarding is a significant problem in the United States and internationally. Hoarding situations can incubate for years before a case is reported to law enforcement or animal control agencies. According to a survey by Gary Patronek, animal control agencies have estimated there are approximately 3000 reportable cases of animal hoarding annually in the United States. Animal hoarding cases vary in size from fewer than 20 animals to hundreds of animals. Every case of animal hoarding results in suboptimal animal welfare. Wake County, North Carolina, developed a proactive plan for addressing companion-animal hoarding that implemented a team approach to assist animals at risk, hold people accountable, address the mental health component of this problem, and create a more humane community. The plan involved animal control officers, crisis intervention counselors, law enforcement officers, veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and animal rescue partners. This intervention strategy was implemented in 2015, and cases were tracked to document animal outcomes. The conclusion of this experience is that a diverse team approach can best address the animal and human welfare challenges and the environmental concerns associated with animal hoarding.

Ensuring due process in the IACUC and animal welfare setting: considerations in developing noncompliance policies and procedures for institutional animal care and use committees and institutional officials.

Every institution that is involved in research with animals is expected to have in place policies and procedures for the management of allegations of noncompliance with the Animal Welfare Act and the U.S. Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. We present here a model set of recommendations for institutional animal care and use committees and institutional officials to ensure appropriate consideration of allegations of noncompliance with federal Animal Welfare Act regulations that carry a significant risk or specific threat to animal welfare. This guidance has 3 overarching aims: 1) protecting the welfare of research animals; 2) according fair treatment and due process to an individual accused of noncompliance; and 3) ensuring compliance with federal regulations. Through this guidance, the present work seeks to advance the cause of scientific integrity, animal welfare, and the public trust while recognizing and supporting the critical importance of animal research for the betterment of the health of both humans and animals.-Hansen, B. C., Gografe, S., Pritt, S., Jen, K.-L. C., McWhirter, C. A., Barman, S. M., Comuzzie, A., Greene, M., McNulty, J. A., Michele, D. E., Moaddab, N., Nelson, R. J., Norris, K., Uray, K. D., Banks, R., Westlund, K. N., Yates, B. J., Silverman, J., Hansen, K. D., Redman, B. Ensuring due process in the IACUC and animal welfare setting: considerations in developing noncompliance policies and procedures for institutional animal care and use committees and institutional officials.

Availability of online educational content concerning topics of animal welfare.

Animal welfare is an important area of study for professionals in fields of animal care and use, and many turn to self-learning resources to gain a better understanding of topics in this area. We assessed the state of these self-learning resources by evaluating open access, freely available resources on the internet with respect to their content and the reliability of their information. We categorized content using a modified list of the topics described in the American College of Animal Welfare's Role Delineation Document, and we identified subject areas that are underrepresented among freely available resources. We identified that the field needs more content describing practical information on subtopics of animal transportation, humane education and economic issues in animal welfare. We also suggest a targeted approach to improve and increase particular aspects of content that concerns the impacts of human, animal and environment interactions on animal welfare. We recommend that veterinary societies place more emphasis on welfare policies in their websites. Additionally, the field of animal welfare would benefit from more available and authoritative information on certain species and uses of animals that are presently underrepresented.

A retrospective review of postapproval monitoring at a large academic institution.

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) are federally mandated to ensure the welfare of animals used in research, testing and teaching. An IACUC must oversee institutional animal care and use programs and promote compliance with all regulations and policies. Postapproval monitoring (PAM) is one administrative tool that an IACUC can implement to help fulfill its federal and societal responsibility. Here, the authors describe the PAM program at a large academic institution, considering the program's accomplishments and how the program has changed since its inception. The authors also provide a retrospective analysis of compliance records during the first 10 y of the program, which demonstrate improved compliance following initiation of PAM.

A sample postapproval monitoring program in academia.

The primary goal of an animal care and use program (ACUP) should be to ensure animal well-being while fostering progressive science. Both the Animal Welfare Act (and associated regulations) and the Public Health Service (PHS) Policy require the institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) to provide oversight of the animal program through continuing reviews to ensure that procedures are performed as approved by the committee. But for many committees the semiannual assessment does not provide an opportunity to observe research procedures being performed. Furthermore, IACUC members are typically volunteers with other full-time commitments and may not be able to dedicate sufficient time to observe protocol performance. Postapproval monitoring (PAM) is a tool that the IACUC can use to ensure that the institution fulfills its regulatory obligation for animal program oversight. When performed by attentive and observant individuals, PAM can extend the IACUC's oversight, management, training, and communication resources, regardless of program size or complexity. No defined PAM process fits all institutions or all situations; rather, the monitoring must match the program under review. Nonetheless, certain concepts, concerns, and conditions affect all PAM processes; they are described in this article. Regardless of the style or depth of PAM chosen for a given program, one thing is sure: failure of the IACUC to engage all available and effective oversight methods to ensure humane, compassionate, efficient, and progressive animal care and use is a disservice to the institution, to the research community and to the animals used for biomedical research, testing, or teaching.