f6098d8b__and_Use_of_Laboratory_Animals__Comments
[ID] 305 [Entry Date] 04/20/2011 at 05:34:09 PM [Affiliation] Self [Comments] 
Comment 1: I have considerable concern about the increased floor space requirement for female mice with litters to 51 square inches. This new requirement essentially eliminates the potential for continuous breeding of trio groups (1 male, 2 female) in standard sized mouse caging and will significantly increase the time and cost burden of mouse research, which comprises >90% of research animals used in most animal care programs. There there is no scientific justification for this change, it imposes a strict engineering standard regardless of litter size, and it will have a signficant negative impact on the ability of mutant strains to reproduce due to the exclusion of shared maternal nurturing and failure to utilize the post-partum estrus. I urge the NIH to not adopt the 2011 version of the Guide until this new requirement is specifically excluded. I also agree with all of the other statements made in the NABR response to the potential adoption of the 2011 ILAR Guide by the NIH as the standard for laboratory animal care, which is available at http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=15987687&msgid=326524&act=RZO4&c=248297&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nabr.org%2FNABR_Draft_Comments_On_Guide_MSWord.aspx Comment 2: See above and the NABR response to the proposal to utilize the 2011 Guide. I feel this version should not be implemented and the 1996 Guide should remain the officially recognized document until the 2011 version of the Guide is revised sufficiently to remove the costly and unnecessary burden on research that its current form imposes.
Listing of Public Comments on Proposed Adoption and Implementation of the Eighth Edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals