THE CANADIAN COUNCIL ON ANIMAL CARE (CCAC)
The Canadian Council on Animal Care (hereafter referred to as CCAC), was created in 1968 as a result of a committee established by the National Research Council at the request of the Medical Research Council, to investigate the care and use of experimental animals in Canada. The CCAC mandate is "to work for the improvement of animal care and use on a Canada-wide basis".
The CCAC is a non-legislated, participatory, peer review system, under which all experimental care and use of animals in this country is subject to the requirements of. The Following is an excerpt from the foreword of the first edition of the CCAC’s Guide to the care and use of experimental animals:
| "The increasing use of cell cultures, microbial systems, computer simulation and other replacement techniques provides clear evidence of the scientific community’s commitment to implementing the Russell-Burch tenet of ‘reduction, replacement, and refinement’ in the use of experimental animals. However, such methods are, of necessity, complementary to animal experimentation and are initially dependent on animal-based research. The applicability of such techniques depends on validation utilizing animal systems, and on clinical studies. Confirmation of the data frequently requires the investigator to ‘return to the whole animal’." |
There are several position statements made by the CCAC. These are expanded ethical views held by the CCAC with regard to animal testing, and guidelines for invasive and immunological procedures. The following is a small excerpt from these:
| "The use of animals in research, teaching, and testing is acceptable only if it promises to contribute to understanding of fundamental biological principles, or to the development of knowledge that can reasonable by expected to benefit humans or animals. Animals should be used only if the researcher’s best efforts to find an alternative have failed. A continuing sharing of knowledge, review of th literature, and adherence to the Russell-Burch ‘3R’ tenet of ‘Replacement, Reduction and Refinement’ are also requisites. Those using animals should employ the most humans methods on the smallest number of apporpriate animals required to obtain valid information." |
The CCAC has assessment panels which meet with senior administrative personnel of institutions such as universities, community colleges, government laboratories and commercial laboratories, to evaluate animal care and use within the facility. During visits to the areas which house the animals, or in which animal procedures are carried out, the assessment panel will also interview individual investigators and observe specific techniques.
Should an institution be found to be deficient in any manner with regard to the housing or treatment of animals within their facility, the CCAC issues recommendations, either regular, for common housekeeping or facility maintenance concerns, or recommendations of a more serious nature. The more common recommendations are to be implemented prior to the next assessment of that institution, while the more serious recommendations are to be implemented within a shorter period of time, e.g., three months.
While the CCAC is, as was mentioned above, a non-legislated system, and adherence to its guidelines are voluntary, it does however have the power to release reports of non-compliance to the major granting agencies, such as MRC and NSERC, who then have the discretion of imposing financial or other sanctions against those institutions.
In The Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals, the CCAC gives general guidelines on the proper housing conditions of laboratory animals and their environment, and also the proper facilities and environmental conditions for farm animals. Also covered are issues such as animal procurement, transportation, breeding, and different means of restraint and manipulation of the animals.
Emphasis is given to the adherence to strict standards in animal surgery to minimize any discomfort experienced by the animals both before, during and after and procedure, and the guide states "Investigators must consult with a veterinarian to set up an analgesic regime for ALL species of animals used." To accompany this statement, included is a section detailing several analgesics, along with their features, and examples for use. The CCAC guide includes a chapter on the appropriate use of anesthesia, and the care of animals both before and after the use of these drugs, such as recommendations for food allowances prior to the administration of the anesthetic. Within appendices to the guide, are precise dosages of drugs for many different species of animals.
Of course, the CCAC has strong recommendations in the area of euthanasia, which means "good" or "easy death", from the Greek "eu" for good, and "thanatos" for death. Set out in the guide are criteria for a humane death, and reference to control of pain, as well as a fairly detailed description of various methods of euthanasia, with the pro’s and cons for each. Underlying the text of this chapter is a strong commitment to the reduction or elimination of pain and suffering experienced by the animal.
Also of concern to the CCAC are the hazards encountered by the human handlers of both laboratory and agricultural animals. Therefore, a section on occupational health and safety, encompassing such areas as biological hazards, zoonoses and allergies, is included. This section details the proper procedures to minimize human risk in the different areas of animal handling.
For more detailed information about the CCAC and their programs, visit their website:
Canadian Council on Animal Care
Reference:
Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals, Volume 1 (2nd Ed.). Canadian Council on Animal Care. Edited by: Ernest D. Olfert, DVM, Brenda M. Cross, DVM and A. Ann McWilliam. 1993.
