The majority of animals used in this institution are purchased from commercial suppliers and dealers. These commercial sources are most numerous when dealing with rodents and rabbits and fewest with respect to dogs, cats, farm animals and non-human primates. No animal may enter any MUSC animal facility except through the Division. The Director, DLAR or other veterinarians are available to discuss the most appropriate source of animals for individual projects.
Most rodents come from a few major sources and health status information is generally available.
Serious diseases can be introduced in this manner. The process for receiving animals from non-approved sources is included in Appendix 5. When dealing with commercial suppliers who have multiple production colonies, it is often best to try to obtain animals from the same colony to prevent any possible differences in biological response. It is impossible to guarantee that animals arriving in the facility have not had any prior exposure to infectious agents. It also is not possible to absolutely prevent any exposure once the animals are in the facility.