Adaptation period of laboratory animals after transport: a review

Transporting animals leads to a temporary disturbance of normal physiology (homeostasis). After an adaptation period in the new laboratory, the animals must have returned to their normal physiological state. A literature survey was performedin order to establish the minimum necessary length of the adaptation period of mice, rats and rabbits after transport. The minimum length of the period for adaptation that was considered necessary varied from none to 78 weeks; in most studies an adaptation period of 7 days was considered sufficient. However, in most studies no proper experimental setup had been used: either the controls were housed at a different location, or they were sampled at different time points, as compared to the transported animals. Besides transport per see additional factors like a shift in the light-dark rythm, will also disturb the homeostasis. The separate supply of food and water sources during transport is recommended. More research into the effects of transport stress per se is needed, as well as into the interaction of transport stress with other environmental factors occurring simultaneously

The IMPROVE guidelines (Ischaemia Models: Procedural Refinements Of in Vivo Experiments)

Most in vivo models of ischaemic stroke target the middle cerebral artery and a spectrum of stroke severities, from mild to substantial, can be achieved. This review describes opportunities to improve the in vivo modelling of ischaemic stroke and animal welfare. It provides a number of recommendations to minimise the level of severity in the most common rodent models of middle cerebral artery occlusion, while sustaining or improving the scientific outcomes. The recommendations cover basic requirements pre-surgery, selecting the most appropriate anaesthetic and analgesic regimen, as well as intraoperative and post-operative care. The aim is to provide support for researchers and animal care staff to refine their procedures and practices, and implement small incremental changes to improve the welfare of the animals used and to answer the scientific question under investigation. All recommendations are recapitulated in a summary poster (see supplementary information)