Veterinary resources and animal health

The veterinarians participate in the supervision of the experimental animals and in the consultation during experimental planning.

The veterinarians work with preventive animal health care, pain relief, surgery, pre-/post operative care and assessment of animal welfare. The veterinarians monitor the facility’s infection control by deciding on the import of animals, health inventory and infectious outbreak action plan.

When you have questions of a veterinary nature, you should contact the veterinarian of your animal department. This will primarily be done via the functional email that the facility has. If you do not know who your facility veterinarian is, contact the animal care staff or responsible manager at your department.

Contact the facility veterinarian when

• A sick or injured animal is detected
• Prior to experiments with severe severity or other experiments where the animal ethical committee decided it or the veterinarian deemed it appropriate
• Import/export of animals
• Consultation on ethical application and experimental planning
• For advice on the design of trials and procedures
• Questions about pain relief, anesthesia and surgery or other animal health issues
• Questions about what is stated in the ethical permit
• Questions about legislation
• Ordering of narcotic drugs
• Reuse of animals/change of ethical permit
• Suspected infection
• Infectious outbreaks

Please see e-mail adress for each animal facility here.

More about the veterinarians' mission

The veterinarians at Comparative Medicine assist researchers and personnel regarding animal health, animal husbandry, infection control, planning of animal experiments and decides on animal imports. The veterinarian decides on the reuse of animals, unless the ethical committee has already made such a decision.

The veterinarians produce written plans for preventive animal health care, pain relief, surgery, post-operative care and assessment of the animal's well-being. Based on these plans the guidance needed for the mental and physical well-being of the laboratory animals is conducted.

The veterinarian monitors the animal welfare and infection control and participates in both the experimental planning and the supervision of the animals. The veterinarian diagnoses sick or injured laboratory animals and treats and prevents it. Health certificates are also issued in connection with exports. If an animal is sick or injured, the facility veterinarian should always be contacted.

The facility veterinarian at your animal department must, together with the manager and the animal care staff, participate in the consultation when you submit an application for the animal ethical committee.

Plan and perform health inventory

Comparative medicine follows FELASA's recommendations for the health inventory of laboratory animals. The sampling and scope are determined by the veterinarians based on these recommendations. At present, health surveys are conducted every two to three months, depending on barrier level. Samples are sent for analysis from each animal room throughout the facility. This is coordinated and directed by the facility veterinarian.

Advice and support after office hours

Experiments that require the facility veterinarian's presence or counseling should be conducted during regular business hours, or otherwise after agreement.

The animal departments at Karolinska Institutet have different routines for whom to contact if you need urgent help in the animal department after regular working hours. Check with the head of your animal department about what applies.