University of San Diego
IN-23: Laboratory Animal Welfare

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) oversees the ethical use of animals for all teaching and research activities at the University of San Diego. The USD IACUC Policies and Procedures for Animal Care and Use specifically requires the following to be met:
1. Procedures involving animals will avoid or minimize discomfort, distress, and pain to the animals.
a. The principal investigator has considered alternatives to the procedures that may cause more than momentary or slight pain or distress to the animal and has provided a written narrative description of the method and sources, e.g., the Animal Welfare Information Center.
b. The principal investigator has provided written assurance that the activities do not unnecessarily duplicate previous experiments.
2. Procedures that may cause more than momentary or slight pain or distress to the animals will:
a. Be performed with appropriate sedatives, analgesics or anesthetics, unless withholding such agents is justified for scientific reasons, in writing, by the principal investigator and will continue for only the necessary period of time;
b. Involve, in their planning, the attending veterinarian or his or her designee;
c. Not include the use of paralytic without anesthesia;
3. Animals that would otherwise experience severe or chronic pain or distress that cannot be relieved will be painlessly euthanized at the end, or if appropriate, during the procedure.

The IACUC ensures compliance with animal welfare laws and guidelines for the humane treatment of all animals on campus. USD is committed to the ethical treatment and use of animals in all teaching and research activities conducted on campus. As part of this commitment, the University complies with all applicable provisions of the Animal Welfare Act and other laws and regulations relating to teaching and research activities involving animals. The University’s IACUC website contains additional information: https://www.sandiego.edu/cas/faculty-resources/iacuc/.

Any individual who wishes to report concerns about the treatment of animals in teaching or research activities at the University may contact any member of the IACUC, the dean or department chair who oversees the academic unit in which the concern arose, the Department of Human Resources, or the University Auditor.
Anonymous reports may also be made through the University’s anonymous reporting hotline. Information about how to make an anonymous report can be found here: https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/media/en/gui/44558/index.html.

The University’s Faculty Handbook also provides information on the ethical treatment of animals for all University faculty (pp. 21-29): https://www.sandiego.edu/cas/faculty/faculty-resources/documents.php/faculty-handbook.pdf