The George Washington University Animal Welfare Assurance number is A3205-01. The Animal Research Staff is qualified in veterinary medicine, comparative pathology, and laboratory animal care and management. Support areas include rooms for offices, refrigerated diet storage, quarantine, examination and treatment, necropsy, cage sanitation, special procedures, diagnostic laboratory and surgical and radiography suites. Animal holding rooms are readily accessible to investigators' laboratories and are equipped with sinks, flushing drains, seamless floors, automatic watering, light cycle timers, and thermostatically controlled air conditioning with rapid and complete air exchanges. All of the stainless steel and polycarbonate animal caging equipment is of modern design.
Pens are available for dogs, pigs, and ungulates on chronic studies.
Once approval for use of an animal species is obtained, there is no present requirement for updating training for use of that species. All animal handing personnel are encouraged to attend the annual lecture on animal use and care, which is announced in advance. Training requirements must be met before initiating any studies employing animals and before animals can be ordered. Call 994-3520 to schedule training and to obtain materials. Multiple major survival surgeries on a single animal are discouraged and must be fully justified.