Attending veterinarian and adequate veterinary care
11.—(1) Every licensee shall employ, on a full-time or part-time basis, an attending veterinarian with relevant training or experience in laboratory animal science and medicine to provide adequate veterinary care to the animals in the research facility of the licensee and shall comply with the following requirements:
(a)
the licensee shall arrange with the attending veterinarian to provide a written programme of veterinary care requirements to be complied with;
(b)
the licensee shall ensure that the attending veterinarian has appropriate authority to provide adequate veterinary care and to oversee the adequacy of other aspects of care and use of animals in the research facility; and
(c)
the attending veterinarian shall be a voting member of the relevant institutional animal care and use committee.
(2) The attending veterinarian shall be employed before the licensee keeps or uses any animal in his or its research facility for any scientific purpose.
(3) Every licensee shall, in respect of the animals in the research facility of the licensee, establish and maintain programmes of adequate veterinary care that are overseen by the attending veterinarian and that relate to —
(a)
the availability of appropriate facilities, personnel, equipment and services which comply with the relevant guidelines;
(b)
the use of appropriate methods to prevent, control, diagnose and treat diseases and injuries of the animals;
(c)
the availability of emergency, weekend and holiday care for the animals;
(d)
the daily observation of all the animals to assess their health and well-being;
(e)
the provision of guidance for investigators and other personnel on the handling of the animals, immobilisation, tranquilisation, anaesthesia, analgesia and euthanasia; and
(f)
the provision of adequate pre-procedural and post-procedural care for the animals in accordance with current established veterinary and nursing procedures.