Session 2.2 Pain, welfare and analgesia

摘要: Most objections to animal experimentation concern the experiments themselves. This paper addresses two aspects of laboratory animal welfare separate from the experiments: 1) housing conditions, and 2) routine procedures. Ninety published studies were reviewed to assess the effects of standard laboratory housing conditions on the behaviour of rodents, particularly mice and rats. Preference studies show that mice and rats value opportunities to take cover, build nests, explore, forage, and gain social contact, behavioural needs that are often thwarted by institutional laboratory housing systems. We also reviewed eighty additional studies to assess the potential stress associated with three routine laboratory procedures: Handling, blood collection, and gavage (force-feeding). Pronounced and significant changes in stress indicators (eg concentrations of corticosterone, heart rate, blood pressure) occurred for all …