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University Committee on Animal Resources

URMC / UCAR

University Committee on Animal Resources (UCAR)

Information for Investigators

Triennial Refresher Training

UCAR Refresher Training 2023 is now available and UCAR requires that you complete Refresher training every three years.  UCAR Refresher Training is in MyPath.  Everyone completes the UCAR Refresher Training General Content and also the species specific training applicable to (only) the animal(s) you work with: Birds; Farm Animals (goat, pigs, sheep); Reptiles and Amphibians; Rodents (mice and rats); USDA Regulates Rodents (guinea pigs, gerbils, hamsters, naked mole rats, blind mole rats, damarland rats and degus); USDA regulated species (cats, rabbits, nonhuman primate, ferrets) or Zebrafish.

This is a good time to remind you, if staff or students have left your lab to let UCAR know so they can be removed from your protocol(s).  Any questions, please contact UCAR.

Information for New Investigators Who Use Animals in Research or Teaching -

A new page has been added as a resource for new Investigators. You can access it under the "Animal Use Protocols" heading on the left hand side navigation of this website. It outlines transferring a grant, transferring animals, animal use protocols, required training, grant information, contact information, and suggested references that will be useful to all incoming investigators new to the University of Rochester.

Rodent Surgery and Analgesic Records-

After the AAALAC Accreditation visit in June 2017, it was suggested that UCAR review the documentation for the administration of anesthesia and analgesia related to survival rodent/bird surgeries.  If you perform recovery rodent or bird surgery in your laboratory or within the vivarium, you must fill out one of the green “Be Gentle-Post-Op” cards with all the required information (date, ID#, UCAR #, Procedure Date, analgesic administration) along with reasons you stopped analgesic therapy.  You should retain these cards unless you have the same information listed in a lab notebook.  UCAR will be looking for this information during laboratory visits.  AAALAC, Int. will review this information when they visit next in 2020.  One of the most common analgesics used for major invasive recovery surgeries is buprenorphine (a controlled substance) and the dosing recommendation is at least every 12 hours in mice and at least every 8-12 hours in rats.  Analgesic therapy and all exemptions to UCAR policies must be reviewed and approved by UCAR. See the Policy Page.

Submit a Protocol Online