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Definition of Pain and Distress and Reporting Requirements for Laboratory Animals Proceedings of the Workshop Held June 22, 2000 (2000) / Chapter Skim
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Pain and Distress Caused by Experimental Procedures--Is It Time for a Reality Check?
Pages 37-43

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From page 37...
... I also believe that we are in some cases, as the HSUS contends, underreporting pain and distress and not adequately treating it because of the way we do things. I think that most institutions probably suffer from an up-front reporting bias in actually recording the category, the number of animals, and the pain and distress category ahead of time.
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From page 38...
... In addition, as mentioned in the HSUS April 2000 report, there is no category for procedures that cause pain and distress that were partially but not fully alleviated with drugs. Of course, pain medicine specialists will tell you that you are very seldom going to actually get rid of every single iota of pain felt postoperatively by a subject having surgery.
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From page 39...
... For the most part, animal care staff rely on ad hoc observations or on relatively insensitive measures such as weight loss to ascertain whether animals are experiencing pain and/or distress." Dr. Bayne made an excellent (albeit heartbreaking)
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From page 40...
... If that information is available to the IACUC, and the IACUC wants to look at an investigator's study, they can request a formal monitoring sheet or assessment sheet such as Figure 1 to help them make their decisions even if they have not been in the laboratory seeing the animal. Documentation will help laboratory care personnel and other scientists and, of course, will benefit future work.
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From page 41...
... (Y or N) Contact Pi or DLAM veterinarian if you have logged:- Abnormal item in shaded row - abnormal activity / breathing / handling behavior - abnormal or no urination / stool / vomiting FIGURE 1 Laboratory dog assessment form.
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From page 42...
... than the investigator had led her to understand. SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL REPORTING HSUS also states correctly that there is limited published information about animals' experience of pain, distress, and suffering caused by typical laboratory procedures.
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From page 43...
... I agree with HSUS that it is not beyond the scope and responsibility of the scientific community to determine underlying principles of pain and distress alleviation in animals, which can then be applied to various models and methods. I think it is not beyond our scope.
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Key Terms

  • laboratory animal
  • distress caused
  • category assignment
  • laboratory dog
  • assessment form

  • care staff
  • assess pain
  • dog assessment
  • surgical procedures
  • surgical interventions

  • animal species
  • distancing mechanisms
  • optimal animal
  • laboratory animals
  • research publications

  • experimental handling
  • accurate reporting
  • planning experimental
  • category ahead
  • underreporting pain

  • reality check
  • help laboratory
  • laboratory procedures
  • common laboratory
  • evaluate data

  • regular observations
  • surgical study
  • probably suffer
  • usda inspections
  • significant efforts


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