IACUC
Definitions and Classifications for Animal Pain or Distress
Regulatory classification of Animal Procedures:
- General guidelines: Regulatory agencies require reporting of animal use according to potential pain and distress classification, prolonged restraint, multiple major surgery, and exceptions to NIH or USDA standards. In order to meet these reporting requirements, animal use protocols must include information on these types of procedures.
Specifics for classifying animal use:
- Potential Pain/Distress: Procedures are classified according to the level of potential pain or distress that the animal may experience. If more than slight or momentary pain and distress could be caused by the procedure, then relief must be provided (category D). If relief cannot be provided (category E), there must be scientific justification for withholding of relief, the justification must be included in the animal use protocol, and must be approved by the IACUC. Additional information can be found in USDA Animal Care Resource Guide, Policy #11, Painful Procedures.
| Category | USDA Pain Codes |
|---|---|
| No Pain or Distress | C |
| Pain or Distress with Relief | D |
| Pain or Distress Without Relief | E |
- Multiple Major Survival Surgery: A major survival surgery penetrates and exposes the body cavity or produces substantial impairment of physical or physiologic functions (such as laparotomy, thoracotomy, craniotomy, joint replacement and limb amputation). Scientific justification is required in the animal use protocol if more than one major survival surgery is to be performed on an animal during the course of the protocol experiment.
- Prolonged restraint: Restraint lasting over one hour. See details in the OSU IACUC Guideline 024-01.
- Exceptions to NIH or USDA standards: If regulatory housing standards will not be met, scientific justification for these exceptions must be included in the animal protocol, and these must be approved by the IACUC.
