Pain and Distress
Spotlights
Refinement of Animal Use - Assessment and Alleviation of Pain and Distress (PDF | 2.45 MB)International Journal of Laboratory Animal Science and Welfare.
A review article on methods of clinical pain assessment in animals, including a discussion of pain alleviation techniques.
Animal Care PoliciesUSDA. APHIS. Animal Care.
These two policies define painful procedures and provide guidance on the written narrative for consideration of alternatives.
Recognizing Pain in AnimalsNational Academies of Science. Institute for Laboratory Animal Research.
The National Academies have developed a free online resource to help those who care for and use laboratory animals, farm animals, and pets to prevent, recognize, and alleviate pain in different types of animals, from non-human primates to fish. The web site is related to a 2009 report on the Recognition and Alleviation of Pain in Laboratory Animals.
Expert Working Group on Severity Classification of Scientific Procedures Performed on Animals: Final Report (PDF | 190 KB)European Commission. Expert Working Group on Severity Classification Criteria.
Provide scientific-technical background information in support of the revision of the European Commission Directive 86/609/EEC on the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes.
Routine Use of Topical Anesthetics, Systemic Analgesics, and Humane Endpoints to Avoid or Minimize Pain and Distress in Ocular Safety TestingNTP Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM) and the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM).
The recommendations include protocols that describe how to use topical anesthetics and systemic analgesics prior to and after test article administration in order to avoid animal pain and distress. They also identify specific clinical signs and lesions that can be used as humane endpoints to allow the investigator to end a study early in order to alleviate animal pain and distress.
Definition of Pain and Distress and Reporting Requirements for Laboratory Animals: Proceedings of the Workshop Held June 22, 2000Institute for Laboratory Animal Research
These proceedings address the existing and proposed requirements for reporting pain and distress in laboratory animals and explored USDA's consideration of a proposed "working definition" of distress. It also discusses the pain and distress categorization scheme for reporting to USDA.
Guidelines to Promote the Wellbeing of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes: The Assessment and Alleviation of Pain and Distress in Research AnimalsAustralian Government. National Health and Medical Research Council.
Published in 2008 to be used by investigators and members of insitutional ethics committees in Australia, this document is also relevant to people that conduct, review or manage research with animals all over the world.
Farm Animal PainInternational Veterinary Academy of Pain Management.
Lists signs that indicate pain or discomfort in farm animals. A brief discussion of causes and list of treatments are given.
Position on the Treatment of Pain in AnimalsAmerican College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists.
The ACVA encourages veterinarians and veterinary support staff to use their knowledge of pain recognition and management in providing effective management of pain in animals.
Pain Management and Humane Endpoints MeetingThe Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing.
From a CAAT, NIH, NAS conference held in November 1998. Topics include philosophy, assessment, alleviation, and policies for the regulation of pain.
Pain and Distress in Laboratory Rodents and Lagomorphs (PDF | 139 KB)Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations.
The FELASA Working Group considered the nature of pain and distress in laboratory rodents and lagomorphs because they constitute the vast majority of subjects used in experimentation. The information is arranged in sections, although these are not always mutually exclusive
Animal Welfare Policy StatementsAmerican Veterinary Medical Association.
Position statements covering recommendations on antimicrobial use, euthanasia, abuse, pain, and other important animal welfare concerns.
