Veterinary Authority

Policy

The University of Washington (UW) has empowered the Attending Veterinarian (AV) with full authority to provide veterinary medical care or euthanasia, at their discretion, to animals utilized on research protocols approved by the UW Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The duties of the AV may be shared or delegated to other veterinarians, but ensuring program compliance with federal regulations and institutional policy remains the responsibility of the AV.

The AV (or authorized designee) has unrestricted access to all areas where animals are used or housed, including any satellite or laboratory-managed facilities. In the event of an immediate animal health, welfare, or safety concern, the Attending Veterinarian has the authority to temporarily halt an activity, or a portion of any activity pending notification and action by the IACUC.

Regarding the provision of clinical care and research support, the AV has delegated this responsibility to veterinarians employed or contracted by the Department of Comparative Medicine (DCM) and the Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC). The AV (or authorized designee) will make every reasonable attempt to consult with the Principal Investigator (PI), or a representative of the PI, prior to implementing veterinary care actions. However, in emergency situations the veterinarian is not required to obtain approval from the PI or other parties to provide appropriate care in an expedited fashion, if such actions are deemed necessary to protect the interests of the animal or the integrity of the University’s animal care program. In such cases, the veterinarian will notify the PI as soon as reasonably practical.

In most instances, treatment decisions and plans should be a collaboration between the veterinarian and the PI to balance animal welfare and research outcomes. It is the expectation that recommendations for treatment made by veterinarians are followed unless an alternate plan is suggested and agreed upon by both parties. If an agreement cannot be made, laboratory staff may request additional veterinary consultation and/or request a meeting to include the clinical veterinarian, veterinarian’s supervisor, and/or Attending Veterinarian provided that this meeting does not create unacceptable delays in the required provision of adequate care.

If the PI (or delegated responsible research staff member) and the AV (or authorized designee) cannot ultimately reach agreement regarding the need for medical treatment or euthanasia, the AV (or authorized designee) has authority to act to protect the health and well-being of the animal and will make the final decision based on their medical judgement.

The AV (or authorized designee) has the authority to implement modified husbandry practices, provision of enrichment, or social status based on the clinical needs of animals. These requests should be made in collaboration with leadership of the impacted unit/department/group to minimize overall impact on the animal(s). Such requests will be clearly communicated to appropriate individuals using established procedures.

In rare cases, it may be determined in the best interest of an animal to be housed in caging that does not meet federal regulations or guidelines (e.g., incubator housing for neonatal or debilitated animals or housing without perches for animals recovering from injury). When these conditions are anticipated, exceptions to cage size requirements will normally be reviewed by the IACUC at regularly-convened meetings prior to implementation. In the event of emergent or unanticipated situations, the AV may authorize a temporary exception pending IACUC review. If the AV exercises this authority, the AV must promptly notify the IACUC Chair, and IACUC review of the exception must be completed as soon as reasonably possible.