Happy New Year from Animal Care Services

With the first newsletter of the new year, we want to take a moment to thank our research and animal care community for your unwavering dedication and hard work. The care and attention you give to the animals is deeply appreciated and plays a vital role in fostering a culture of compassion at UofG. We look forward to continued collaboration in 2025, supporting your animal-based research while enhancing the well-being of the animals you work with.

As highlighted below, ACS is focused on developing our training program, offering more training sessions, and introducing specialized technical workshops. We will also continue to provide support to all research personnel submitting AUPs through our AUP help drop-in sessions, all while working toward our goal of reducing AUP turn-around times.

ACS, in collaboration with the ACC Chair, is actively working to recruit additional members for our mandatory institutional committee that oversees the use of animals in research and teaching. If you know of any colleagues or friends who might be interested in joining, especially in roles such as faculty non-users or community representatives, please feel free to suggest their names.

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January 2025 ACC Meeting

ACS Highlights

 

Scientific Merit Review

Research projects with animals must undergo two reviews: 1) an independent, expert peer review of the scientific merit of a proposal (SMR); 2) a review whether the proposed animal use is acceptable, and the animal-based methods are appropriate (ACC). To improve efficiency, the two review processes run concurrently, e.g. the initial administrative and veterinary prereviews of the AUP are typically performed directly when ACS receives your AUP submission. If it is evident that your SMR was not completed during a funding application process, your project will be sent for an internal SMR. SMRs are administrated outside of ACS, and therefore, if you have questions regarding the SMR process, please review the AUP ancillary requirements and direct all inquiries to smr-pmr@uoguelph.ca. Your AUP will not be brought to an ACC meeting for review and approval without confirmed scientific merit of your project.

Pedagogical Merit Review

Teaching projects and educational courses using live animals must similarly undergo a merit review prior to the AUP goes to ACC. A Pedagogical Merit Review Committee, administered outside of ACS, decides if your teaching project using live animal has pedagogical merit. As PI you must complete and submit a Pedagogical Merit Form and respond to questions regarding learning outcomes, assessment methods and replacement alternatives. For Curriculum courses, a shorter form may be filed. Please refer to the Guideline for Pedagogical Merit Review of Animal-Based Teaching for more details and direct all inquiries to smr-pmr@uoguelph.ca. Your AUP will not reach final stage of review and ACC approval without confirmed pedagogical merit of your course.

General News

 

ACC:

  • New Members Needed! The ACC is looking for community representatives and institutional personnel not involved in animal-based activities to join the committee. Click above to find out more!

Compassion Resilience Project

Are you a member of the animal care and use community on campus? Are you feeling fatigue, emotional distress or burn-out to compassionate caring? The Compassion and Resilience Project is now launched as an on-campus resource that has a focus on fostering a culture of compassion resiliency, and we invite you to join us for some fun events with out community. For more information, please visit our page on the Wellness@Work website Compassion Resilience Project: Support for the animal care and use community!, Wellness@Work or contact us at compassioncrc@uoguelph.ca

Conducting Animal Research on Farms or other External Facilities

Please be reminded that an AUP is required when you conduct research at sites external to University of Guelph facilities, e.g. a commercial livestock farm, a contract research facility, an animal shelter, or in the wild. An AUP is also mandatory when your animal-based research is at another institution, in another province, or with animals outside of Canada. For more details, please contact acc@uoguelph.ca.

Training

 

Please refer to the Facility Orientation and Workshop Schedule page on the Animal User Training Program website for all training schedules. For specific guidance on what training you require to work with or care for animals at UofG, contact us at training@uoguelph.ca.

New training video to support rodent asepsis SOP

As a follow-up to the ongoing implementation of SOP.ACS.818.Asepsis for rodent survival surgery, ACS has developed a training resource to illustrate the new expectations. This training video is available here or on Courselink for users registered in the Rodent Surgery Workshop. A link is also available within the SOP.

New Stereotaxic Surgery Workshop

A Stereotaxic Surgery Workshop has been developed and is being offered through the Animal User Training Program. The workshop will be required for all new surgeons planning to perform stereotaxic surgery as part of their research on an approved AUP. This workshop will cover stereotaxic frame operation, animal positioning, ear bar placement, landmarking, dental cement mixing and other basic principles of stereotaxic surgery in rodents. The Rodent Surgery and Rodent Anesthesia workshops are prerequisites to complete this hands-on workshop. Contact us at training@uoguelph.ca for more details

AUPs

 

AUP help drop-in sessions held every Wednesday from 1:00-2:30pm in-person with ACS or virtually on Teams. Check out the Interactive Support Sessions for Researchers page for more information. 

AUP Approval Timeframes

The ACC acknowledges the importance of timely approval of new AUP submissions and those being amended. Through increased ACS staffing and ongoing process refinements, the timelines for AUP approval have shortened. It is standard practice that minor amendments are approved within 24hrs. Major amendments and new protocols require review of the full ACC [Guideline 14 - Major and Minor Amendments]. Generally, PIs can expect an initial administrative review of their protocol by ACS within 5 business days of submission. Once initial administrative items have been addressed, AUPs are scheduled for the next available ACC meeting. Veterinary pre-review questions are typically sent out to PIs in advance of the ACC meeting, so that the PI responses from this review may inform the ACC meeting. To better understand where your protocol is within the review process reach out to the ACS office at acc@uoguelph.ca.

Community Spotlight

Image of Dr Van Raay's lab

We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations, thanks, and best wishes to Mary Fowler, Manager of the University’s Campus Animal Facilities, who is retiring after nearly 40 years of dedicated service to the University of Guelph.

Mary began her journey at UofG in 1986 as a research technician in the Department of Pathobiology and took on the role of managing the Central Animal Facility in 1995.

Throughout her career, Mary has earned numerous accolades, including receiving the Charles River Canada Award in 2012 and being named a Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science (CALAS) Member of Distinction in 2022.

Mary’s unique and impactful presence will be greatly missed by many at UofG, but we wish her all the best as she embarks on new adventures.

It's a Joly Holiday with Mary - created by Martha Manning 

To have your work or a fun photo of your animals highlighted, share it with us. Each issue will include one submission as we champion our community and the amazing animals that make our work possible.

Upcoming Events

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February Wellness@Work Calendar 

CCSAW Research Seminar:
Complicated cats or clueless caregivers? Improving cat care and welfare by better understanding their needs with Dr. Lee Niel

  • Wednesday Feb 26, 2025 
    12:30 - 1:30 pm
  • Location TBD

International Women's Day Breakfast 

  • Thursday March 6, 2025 
    8:30 - 10:00 am
    Peter Clark Hall

BRAD Webinar:
Unlocking Prevention: How Vaccine Research in Animals Saves People and Their Pets 

  • Thursday April 17, 2025
    12:00 - 1:00 pm
    Register

Resource Corner

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Share and Subscribe

We thank our community for reading and sharing the first issue of the Animal Care Community Newsletter. We ask all investigators, educators, and facility managers to continue to share the newsletter with their staff and students. Those who wish to subscribe to the newsletter can submit their names to acc@uoguelph.ca and we will add them to the list.

Missed an issue? All archived issues of the newsletter are available on the Animal Care Services institutional page.

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Adoption at UofG

Animals used in research at UofG are generally not adopted; however, there are some opportunities depending on the nature of the work and a review by the consulting veterinarians. Adoption must be listed on the AUP and approved by the ACC. Re-homing animals supports the 3Rs and allows suitable animals to live fulfilling lives after research or teaching use is concluded. This practice reflects a commitment to ethical responsibility and promotes a humane, sustainable research environment. Please forward questions about adoption to acsvets@uoguelph.ca.

Currently up for adoption

8 retired training rats looking for homes

  • All female, 1 year old
  • Well socialized, used to people and being handled
  • Must be adopted in pairs (or more)
  • Contact Michaela at mranda02@uoguelph.ca 

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ACS Highlights

 

How Many Animals Did You Use in 2024?

In January 2025, all PIs with active AUPs will see the regular email from Animal Care Services requesting submission of the animal use numbers reportable for 2024 (Jan 1 - Dec 31).

Questions may be forwarded to Sascha Tuuha at stuuha@uoguelph.ca or to acc@uoguelph.ca.

New Compliance and Facility Coordinator

We welcome Chantelle Kuhn as Compliance and Facility Coordinator in ACS. Chantelle completed a BSc at Laurentian before completing her veterinary technician training at Ridgetown. She has broad experience as an RVT having worked at a Pet and Wildlife Rescue, in the OVC ICU, and at the CAF and Isolation facilities here on campus. In her new role Chantelle will lead ACC Site Visits, OMAFA inspections, and CCAC assessment visits. She looks forward to establishing close working relationships with Facility Managers and Lead Hands as a liaison between ACC and the facilities.

Welcome Chantelle to ACS!

Image of Chantelle Kuhn

General News

 

ACC:

AUPs must be renewed annually even when there has been no animal use, no animals ordered or research commenced. 

The renewal date falls 365 days after the AUP approval date, and yearly thereafter for a maximum of 3 renewals.

Autogenerated reminders are sent to PIs -60days and -30days prior to the renewal date and on Day 0. If no response is received from the PI by the due date, the AUP is considered non-compliant, prompting follow-up from the ACS office.

Questions about AUP Annual Renewals may be forwarded to acc@uoguelph.ca.

Training

 

Please refer to the Facility Orientation and Workshop Schedule page on the Animal User Training Program website for all training schedules. For specific guidance on what training you require to work with or care for animals at UofG, contact us at training@uoguelph.ca.

  • Winter 2025 Training Schedule
    (Coming soon)

Mentor-Facilitated Training

For procedure-specific training not covered through regularly scheduled workshops, individuals may be required to complete one-on-one mentor-facilitated training.

Please email training@uoguelph.ca for direction on mentor-facilitate training.

Qualified instructors assigned to give this training may be principal investigators, veterinarians, senior researchers, or experienced facility technicians. Other personnel with expertise in the species and the methodology to be trained may provide MFT however they should be confirmed by ACS before training occurs.

The completed training must be documented by submission of a Certification of Mentor- Facilitated Training Form.

Animal Utilization Protocols

 

AUP Help Drop-in Sessions held every Wednesday from 1:00-2:30pm in-person in the ACS boardroom or virtually on Teams.
We look forward to seeing you soon!

Do you have Volunteers?

Any person working with live animals in research, teaching and public events must be approved by the ACC to do so.

This also applies to ‘Volunteers’, defined as a person hired temporarily as a helper in an animal-based project, who is not financially compensated, and does not directly benefit from the outcome of the project. The PI is responsible for all volunteers listed on the AUP and for all of their training and animal activities.

The name of the volunteer must be listed under the assigned tasks, and ACC-mandatory training is assessed by the Animal User Training Program and always includes the online CORE Modules. Ensuring that any personnel is appropriately trained in the care and use of animals is required by provincial law and the Canadian Council on Animal Care, and is reflected in the University of Guelph Animal Care and Use Policy.

Volunteers may pose unintended risk to research, animals, or themselves when not adequately trained. More details are available on our FAQ page (Animal Handling).

Please feel free to reach out to acc@uoguelph.ca with any questions.

Community Spotlight

Image of Mary Fowler

Here you can see the dedication of Dr. Van Raay's lab to ensuring that the zebrafish colony at the Hagen Aqualab is provided with new environmental enrichment. This enrichment will help maximize animal welfare by ensuring that these animals have opportunities to perform natural behaviours such as exploration and foraging. Enrichment has been seen to reduce stress within zebrafish tanks, leading to more robust and reproducible experimental data, and improve reproductive health.

To have your work or a fun photo of your animals highlighted, share it with us. Each issue will include one submission as we champion our community and the amazing animals that make our work possible.

Upcoming Events

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University Holiday Closures

  • Closed Monday December 23rd, and will reopen Thursday January 2nd
  • ACS veterinarians continue to be available at acsvets@uoguelph.ca for all animal health related concerns

Wellness@Work January 2025 Calendar

NC3Rs Experimental Design Assistant Virtual Workshop

  • January 16, 2025, 
    9-11am GMT

CCAC Virtual Learning Series
Animal Welfare Assessment

  • January 29, 2025 
    1 - 2:30pm ED
  • Registration opens January 6th

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Welcome

Welcome to the first edition of our Animal Care Community Newsletter. In each bi-monthly issue you will find updates from Animal Care Services, the Animal Care Committee, and stories from within our community. Our mission is to foster communication amongst those of us who use and work with animals in science at our institution. If you have any questions about the content of this newsletter or wish to contribute to our community spotlight please contact us at acc@uoguelph.ca.

This initial edition of the newsletter has been share with investigators, educators, and facility managers. Help us by sharing this with your teams. Anyone who would like to subscribe can submit their names to acc@uoguelph.ca.

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ACS Highlights

 
  • RFP submissions for the new AUP System are being evaluated and demos are happening in October 2024. Reviews are being conducted by researchers, facility staff, and ACS staff. Implementation of the new system is expected for spring/summer 2025.
  • Reminder that relevant guidelines, SOPs, and forms for animal users can be found on the Research Services Office (RSO) Document Locker by searching "animals" in the "Area" section.

ACC

General News

 

Canadian Council on Animal Care:

The CCAC provides overarching guidelines and policies that the ACC/ACS use to guide our animal care and use program. Here are links to recently published CCAC documents:

The CCAC has published their annual report, "Redefining our view of animal welfare in science".

Training

 

ACS Training welcomes new students and staff to the University of Guelph. Below you will find the link to our training schedule. For specific guidance on what training you require to work with or care for animals at UofG, contact us at training@uoguelph.ca.

Animal Utilization Protocols

 

Community Spotlight

housing of teaching rats

Here you can see the ultra enriched housing that is home to the teaching rats at the Central Animal Facility. This was made possible by the dedicated staff and Dr. Sarah Baert (ACS) who secured funding from the AWI Implementing Refinement Grant to develop this space.

To have your work or a fun photo of your animals highlighted, share it with us. Each issue will include one submission as we champion our community and the amazing animals that make our work possible.

Upcoming Events

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Resource Corner

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