Animal Care Services
Responsibility for day-to-day operation and management of the University of Guelph Animal Care and Use Program lies with Animal Care Services (ACS) as the animal regulatory compliance unit within the Office of Research. The chief role of Animal Care Services is to provide administrative support to the Animal Care Committee (ACC) by facilitating the review process for all Animal Utilization Protocols (AUPs) and administering regular site visits and inspections.
Animal Care Services offers assistance to Principal Investigators/Instructors (PIs) and members of the ACC in the form of experience and knowledge in areas of regulation, policies and standards pertaining to experimental animal use. ACS acts as the liaison between PIs and the ACC, and ACS staff is available to assist PIs with AUP development and refinement. Expert guidance in the field of research animal medicine and welfare is also available to PIs and the ACC through ACS veterinarians.
In addition to administrative support, ACS is dedicated to providing training for all personnel involved with animal care and use at the University through an extensive Animal User Training Program.
Animal Care Services Mission Statement
Animal Care Services strives to provide leadership and administrative support in the fields of animal-based research and teaching through diligent review efforts, collaboration with members of the research and teaching community, and education of personnel.
The objectives for Animal Care Services are as follows:
1) To provide superior animal care; 2) To support investigators and instructors in their academic and research endeavors; 3) To teach and promote the ethical use and management of animals in research and teaching.
Animal Care Committee
The foundation of the Canadian system for oversight of animal use in science is the institutional Animal Care Committee (ACC). Having an established ACC is required in order to be in compliance with the Animals for Research Act of Ontario and requirements set forth by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC). The ACC is directly involved in all decisions regarding animal care and use at the institution.
The ACC is composed of licensed veterinarians, researchers and instructors utilizing animals in research and teaching, researchers, and instructors who do not utilize animals, representatives from the local community, technical staff, facility managers, graduate students, representatives from Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), as well as administrative staff from Animal Care Services. The ACC has a diverse membership in order to ensure that all views are represented and considered during review of proposals to use live animals. Areas of particular focus during ACC review include justification for animal use, numbers of animals, animal procedures that will take place, impact of procedures, experience and skills of individuals to perform the procedures, and species-specific welfare considerations.