Last modified on July 17, 2010

Husbandry

Much of the information may be found within the biology section for each species.

Barriers page has a lengthy discussion of barrier management, including quarantine, rederivation, and a description of terms used to describe the disease status of rodents.

Dogs and Cats

Pigeons

Bleach

Dog and Cat Husbandry and Colony Management

Dogs and cats are classified according to their origin: random source, conditioned for research, or bred for research. Random source animals are usually the least expensive, but their health history is unknown and they may be incubating any of a number of diseases. In dogs these include canine distemper, parvovirus, adenovirus type II or Bordetella bronchiseptica. In cats these include feline herpesvirus 1 (rhinotracheitis), panleukopenia, calicivirus, or Chlamydophila (pneumonitis). Dogs and cats may also be carriers of Salmonella. Conditioned animals undergo a process (usually 30-60 days) whereby they are freed of all parasites and infectious diseases and are acclimated to the laboratory environment. Dogs and cats that are bred for research have advantages over the others, such as pedigrees, improved health status, and adaptation to the laboratory environment.{3776}

Conditioning of dogs and cats can be achieved with the following suggested program:{3776}

1. Arrival

    a. Physical exam, rejection of those that are ill, wrong age, or don't meet research criteria

    b. Weigh, sex, maintain ID, start health records

    c. Vaccinate

    d. Treat for external parasites

    e. House individually; might consider limiting food for first 24 hours

    f. Consider broad-spectrum antibiotics in cats (tetracycline for Chlamydophila)

2. Post-arrival

    a. Check for heartworms

    b. Provide permanent ID

    c. Devocalize dogs if necessary

    d. Fecal exam

    e. Monitor food and water consumption; observe daily

3. Pre-release

    a. Physical exam

    b. Repeat heartworm exam if warranted

    c. Fecal exam

    d. Hematology and serum chemistry if warranted

Housing and Sanitation

Criteria for evaluating caging systems for dogs and cats include the following:{3776}

1. Physical comfort; keeping the animal dry, clean and at the appropriate temperature

2. Provision of sufficient space for normal postural adjustments, and avoidance of overcrowding in group-housing situations.

3. Primary enclosure should be designed for effective sanitation.

4. Housing should meet the needs of the research.

Outdoor housing can still be utilized, but has the disadvantages of less standardization of environment, potential access by vermin, poor noise control, and inefficient space utilization.

In general, caging that meets the suggestions of the Guide also meets the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act. However, some provisions of 9CFR exceed those of the Guide: (1) not more than 12 unconditioned dogs (or cats) can be accommodated in the same primary enclosure; (2) cats must be provided with litter boxes; and (3) solid resting surfaces are required for cats, and these must be elevated if the primary enclosure houses two or more cats.{3776}

Nursing queens must be provided with additional floor space. The minimum is 5% more floor space per kitten.

During quarantine, extra precautions should be followed to prevent transmission of respiratory pathogens. These may include hand washing, outer clothing change between rooms, not recirculating air, not transferring supplies or equipment between rooms, and thorough disinfection of cages and equipment. Bleach (5.6% diluted 1:32) has been found to be the best broad-spectrum viricidal product.{3776} While phenolics are not well metabolized by cats, they can tolerate exposure to moderate amounts (i.e. 4-second burst from a commercial product every other day for 25 days).{3735}

Pigeons

Pigeons do well when the temperature is 68° F at relative humidity of 30-50%. Individual caging is often used, but may not allow the birds to stretch their wings adequately resulting in osteoporosis and/or muscle atrophy. In most Skinner box testing paradigms, this will not be a problem for the research, but it is a welfare consideration. In individual cages, birds enjoy toys, particularly mirrors and bells.

For birds off-study, group housing in cat or rabbit cages, dog runs, or a flight room, are helpful and economical. Multiple feeders are necessary to prevent the less dominant birds from being refused feed. Pigeons prefer perching on shelves to wooden dowel perches, preferably placed against a wall. Flight rooms can be bedded with any material, spot-cleaned daily, and completely sanitized monthly.{4515}

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Bleach

Household bleach is 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (52,500ppm), manufactured by mixing chlorine with sodium hydroxide and water. Bleach works with detergent and mechanical action to remove soils. Chlorine gas can be generated only if bleach is mixed with acids. For sanitizing following cleaning, a dilution of 1 tablespoon per gallon of water left on the surface for 2 minutes is effective. For disinfection, 3/4 cup bleach per gallon of water is needed with a 5 minute contact time, followed by rinsing. The solution breaks down quickly into salt water, so hazardous waste disposal is unnecessary.{4243} CDC recommends 500-5000ppm (i.e. a 1:100-1:1000 dilution) for HIV.

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