Document Detail


Multidimensional cost-benefit analysis to guide evidence-based environmental enrichment: providing bedding and foraging substrate to pen-housed monkeys.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20858357     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Refinement of animal care and housing is an important shared goal-and challenge-of the team of research, veterinary, and animal care personnel charged with ensuring the wellbeing of laboratory animals. This study addresses 2 issues central to decision-making and implementation of environmental enhancement: methods for useful and comprehensive cost analysis and evaluation of engineering, husbandry, and facilities considerations. The study was undertaken to analyze the feasibility and cost of providing wood shavings as a floor cover for pen-housed monkeys. The beneficial effects of bedding for the welfare of laboratory-housed animals have long been validated. Our study illustrates a workable team-based procedure for comprehensive cost analysis of an important environmental enhancement and demonstrates that the animal welfare benefit is accompanied by decreased husbandry costs. An engineering solution to the potential challenge that wood shavings pose in terms of clogging water pipes was successful. Another successful outcome was the reduction in water (estimated at 192,000 gal annually) and chemicals used to clean housing areas. Emphasis on rigorous evaluation and objective measures of cost and benefit, as well as inclusion of the many factors and teams involved in animal research, holds strong potential for building a better foundation from which to contribute effective changes and improvements in laboratory animal welfare. Taken together, the findings of this study demonstrate that team-based, integrative, and scientific evaluation of environmental enhancement is an effective approach to guide selection of strategies with maximal potential for improving animal welfare.
Authors:
Allyson J Bennett; Christopher A Corcoran; Vickie A Hardy; Leslie R Miller; Peter J Pierre
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS     Volume:  49     ISSN:  1559-6109     ISO Abbreviation:  J. Am. Assoc. Lab. Anim. Sci.     Publication Date:  2010 Sep 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-09-22     Completed Date:  2011-06-08     Revised Date:  2011-07-25    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  101269489     Medline TA:  J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  571-7     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. abennett@wfubmc.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Animal Husbandry / methods*,  standards
Animal Welfare / standards
Animals
Animals, Laboratory
Cost-Benefit Analysis / methods*
Feeding Behavior
Housing, Animal / standards*
Macaca radiata / psychology*
Wood
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
P01AA017056-016688/AA/NIAAA NIH HHS; R01AA013973/AA/NIAAA NIH HHS; R01AA013995/AA/NIAAA NIH HHS
Comments/Corrections

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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