The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine

Animal Resources

Operations & Services

Operational Hours

The AR facilities are staffed seven days a week; business hours are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For security purposes, all facility areas are locked at all times. Access to areas using access control cards is obtained by faculty sending a written request to the Director, Dr. Chris King [cking@uga.edu] or Assistant Director, Dr. Stephen Harvey [sbharvey@uga.edu], of Animal Resources.

Once approved, the faculty member can obtain access for members of his or her staff with a written request to the Fiscal (Business) Office. Individuals requiring access to facilities with keyed entries may come to the AR office (Room 206) to get a key. Users will be required to fill out a Key Check-Out Card, get a superior's (e.g., department head) signature, and provide a deposit before a key will be given. Please allow adequate time to get all required signatures.

Animal Procurement

Obtaining defined quality research and instructional animals presents different problems than the purchase of standard stock items. In purchasing animals, one must consider, in addition to price, the suitability of the animal for the research or instructional program in which it is to be used, the health and genetics of the animal, the ability of the supplier to provide the animal, transportation facilities and connections available, ethical and fiscal integrity of the vendor, and evaluation of the vendor's facilities and programs for producing animals.

Methods of Animal Procurement

Regular Purchase Request: These follow the standard routine for all purchase and require a "lead-time" of at least 2 to 3 weeks before the animals are needed. Costs are billed directly to the user's account.

Emergency Purchase Request: These follow the standard procedure for emergency orders. Procurement has strict guidelines on the use of emergency purchase requests and requires a letter of justification from the user. Costs are billed directly to the user's account.

Blanket Order - AR: To facilitate procurement and save time, AR has blanket orders for commonly used animals (rabbits: Myrtle's Rabbitry and Charles River Laboratories; rats, mice, guinea pigs, gerbils, hamsters: Harlan and Charles River Laboratories). We have a previously authorized commitment to these vendors so that animals can be ordered by phone (subject to availability). Orders should be placed AT LEAST 5 days prior to need so that paper work can be completed and transportation arranged. Costs are billed to the user's account.

Blanket Order - Users: We can establish blanket orders for a specific user when there is a recurring need for a certain species or strain of animal. For reasons explained above, it is imperative that AR personnel make all arrangements with vendors. Five days' lead-time is also needed for these orders. Costs are billed directly to the user's account.

Petty Cash Account for Purchase of Farm and Domestic Animals: AR has a petty cash checking account for purchase of farm and domestic animals. No definite lead-time can be given since obtaining these animals depends upon availability. Users are urged to allow as much prior notice as possible. The user's account is billed directly.

Procedure for Ordering Animals:

Purchase requests, also called Animal Order Request Forms [PDF] are available from the AR Office, Room 206. All animals used in the CVM research and instructional programs MUST originate from the AR office and be procured from vendor sources approved by the Director. Animals will be procured only AFTER the following items have been met:

The user MUST have a current Animal Use Proposal. Users can download AUP Forms from the Web site of the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR).

The user MUST consult with AR Operations Manager, Ben Bonner [btbonner@uga.edu], as to the availability of space or any special needs for the animals.

Orders for animals SHOULD include the number of animals desired, sex, breed, strain, age, weight, and other relevant information. However, more stringent requirements regarding weight ranges, sex, age, etc. often increase the cost of the animal and the time required to fill the order because it may be more difficult to get the animals.

The user MUST get the departmental office manger's signature on the Animal Order Form.

In summary, please allow adequate time for processing orders for animals. A vendor may need extra time to fill an order for animals of a specific strain, weight, etc. In addition, AR does not maintain a stock of any research animals. Discuss your needs with the AR Operations Manager well in advance of the start of your project. Accuracy of information on Animal Order Forms is critical to meet the needs of the user. Incomplete forms or inaccurate information can result in delays and increased costs.

Miscellaneous

Private animal donations are not accepted by AR. Donations may be made through the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital if the animal(s) are needed for on-going research projects.

If the animals are to be transferred to another individual or department, written notice (form available from the AR office, Room 206) should be filled out and returned to the AR office so that fiscal accountability and user records may be changed accordingly.

When appropriate, AR personnel will attempt to locate users for animals that could be utilized in other studies.

At the end of some studies, livestock (cattle, horses, and hogs) may have some commercial market value. These animals MUST be marketed according to state laws. The Dean has issued a policy that only AR personnel are authorized to sell College-owned animals.

Animals, if they are available, may be used for demonstrations for short periods of time and then returned to AR. The animal is not to be altered in any way, i.e., anatomically, physiologically, behaviorally, etc.

Research Animal Adoption Policy

Under specific circumstances, the CVM will authorize the adoption of dogs and cats previously used for research and instructional purposes. The UGA-CVM Research Animal Adoption Policy [PDF] defines the conditions for adoption.

Postsurgical Care

Postsurgical care of experimental and instructional animals is the primary responsibility of the user to whom the animal is assigned. Animals MUST be treated humanely and care must comply with standards in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and in Policy #3 of the USDA-APHIS-Animal Care Resource Guide. The Director of AR is charged with the responsibility to see that postsurgical care is accomplished humanely and in accordance with acceptable veterinary medical practices. He is available for consultation regarding these matters.

Service Costs

A majority of the operating costs of the AR unit is recovered by a charge-back system to users for the services rendered or material obtained. Costs charged to the user include animal procurement, animal maintenance, and associated services. Every attempt is made to establish equitable per diem and service rates based on established cost-accounting and rate-setting procedures. Per diem rates include routine housing and care, feeding a standard diet, watering, and sanitation. Any other activities requested by the user will be on a charge-back basis.

Click here to visit our per diem and service charges page.

Animal Census

Since users are billed for animal maintenance, it is imperative that counts of animals be accurate. AR personnel and animal users must share this responsibility. Rodent species are counted each time the cages are changed (mice and hamsters, once weekly; other rodents, twice weekly), while larger small animal and farm animal species are accounted for daily so that per diem charges can be made. With this system, the user may pay unnecessary per diem costs if accurate accounting is not done. Log books in which transactions are entered are maintained in the AR facilities.

AR personnel responsibility:

maintain a daily inventory of animal population,

place newly acquired animals "on board,"

record in log book dead animals found by AR personnel,

record in log book animals euthanized by AR personnel, and

make actual head counts of rodent species when cages are changed.

User responsibility:

record in log book any animal(s) terminated from a project,

record in log book any animal(s) transferred to another user or outside institution, and

record in the log book any animal found dead by the user.

Entries in log book should be made on the day the transaction is effective. Entries should include:

the date,

user's name,

number and species of animal,

animal ID number (if available),

activity (transfer, termination, death, etc.)

and the initials of the recorder

Failure to make proper entries in the log books will cause discrepancies between the actual population, the AR inventory, and the user's inventory.

Monoclonal Antibody Facility

Part of the UGA Animal Care and Use Program, the MAF laboratory functions as a core research laboratory service dedicated to creating custom monoclonal antibodies.

Activities include:

Maintaining mice, performing fusions, cloning selected cell lines, preserving these selected cell lines in liquid nitrogen, and producing and purifying antibodies from cell cultures.

Communication

In order to minimize the possibility of misunderstanding and confusion, all requests for services, instructions, and purchases should be in writing (on the appropriate form, email, or as a memorandum).

Transportation

Vehicles and personnel are available on a limited basis for the transport of animals or materials. For current charges for these services contact the AR Operations Manager.

This page last updated February 11, 2008.