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Laboratory Animal Medicine

Guide to veterinary medical resources for the laboratory animal community

Alternatives resources

Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods

ICCVAM is a permanent, inter-agency committee comprised of members from 17 federal agencies and under the direction of the National Institute for Environmental Health Services (NIEHS), charged with promoting the development, validation, and regulatory acceptance of new, revised, and alternative regulatory safety testing methods.

Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing

The CAAT is an academic unit within the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. CAAT manages Altweb and produces information resources, publications, workshops and grants related to identifying atlernatives for animal testing.

NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare

The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) provides guidance and interpretation of the Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, supports educational programs, and monitors compliance with the Policy to ensure the humane care and use of animals in PHS-supported research, testing and training. The site contains policy information, sample documents, training materials, FAQs and guidelines for care and handling.

 

Animal Welfare Act

The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) is a federal law that regulates the treatment of animals in research, exhibition, transport and by dealers. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Animal Care Agency is responsible for enforcing the AWA.

Full text of the Animal Welfare Act (7-USC, 2131-2159) is available through the Government Printing Office.

The National Agricultural Library's Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) was established in 1986 as part of an amendment to the AWA, and is a valuable source of information for employee training resources, alternatives and alternative methods, and humane care and use of animals.