University of Connecticut

Appendix E: Considerations of Alternatives to Painful or Distressful

Procedures in Animal Research Protocols

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Office of Research Compliance

Whetten Graduate Center, Rm #214, 438 Whitney Road Ext., Unit 1246 Storrs, CT 06269-1246 860-486-8802

Instructions: This form is a companion form to Section VII of form IACUC-1, “Animal Care and Use Protocol Submission Form”. The completion and submission of this form is required if your protocol submission contains:

  • Live vertebrate animal research procedures classified as USDA Pain Category D or E

Section I: PI (Principal Investigator) and Protocol Information

Principal Investigator (PI)
Project Title:

Section II: Background

  1. USDA Policy #11 provides guidance on the use of potentially painful or distressful procedures in animal care and use
  1. USDA policy # 12 requires that procedures involving live animals will be designed in such a way as to minimize discomfort, distress, and/or pain to that which is absolutely necessary to meet research goals, and requires a written narrative of the consideration of alternatives to painful or distressful procedures
  1. The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animalsrequires that a veterinary consultation must occur when pain or distress is beyond the level anticipated in the protocol description or when interventional control is not possible

Section III: Search for Alternatives

  1. For each protocol procedure that is likely to produce pain and/or distress, please complete the following table for any literature search that was conducted. At least one database or other source must be referenced:

Name of procedure / Date literature search was performed (month/year) / Years covered by search / Database(s) searched / All Keywords Used to search (or search strategy)
(must contain the following search terms: “alternative”, “[procedure]”, and “[species]” / Number of “hits” returned
  1. It is also acceptable to utilize current material from other resources. If you used any of the following to evaluate procedures on your protocol, please supply the following information:

Name of Procedure: / Method used to search for alternatives: / Source utilized: / Summary of Topics, searches, strategies, discussions, etc. / Date
Consultation with in-house colleagues / Who was consulted? / What date was the consultation performed?
Consultation with external colleagues/ experts / Who was consulted? / What date was the consultation performed?
Journals and/or Bibliographical sources were utilized / What titles were utilized? / What year(s) were the publications?
Other source(s) were utilized / Describe:
  1. Evidence of Veterinary Consult: (Provide the date that you or your staff consulted (phone, email or in person is acceptable) with a member of the ACS veterinary staff to discuss Category D or E procedures)

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Section IV: Written Narrative

  1. For each search identified in Section III above, please draft a narrative statement that summarizes the relevance of the “hits” your search provided to the context of the objectives and goals of the study. You must include information in your narrative as to why any alternatives found cannot be used for this protocol:

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