ALAT Animal Health and Welfare 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A mouse is found with labored breathing, hunched posture, and ruffled fur. What is the most appropriate first action?
- Continue normal husbandry and monitor
- Remove the animal from the group and notify the veterinarian (Correct answer)
- Increase the cage temperature to comfort the animal
- Administer analgesics from the stock supply
Correct answer: Remove the animal from the group and notify the veterinarian
Sick animals should be isolated to prevent disease spread and reported to the veterinarian for evaluation and treatment.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes 'environmental enrichment' in laboratory animal care?
- Adding extra bedding to increase cage weight
- Providing stimuli that promote species-typical behaviors and reduce stress (Correct answer)
- Increasing lighting duration to extend active periods
- Adjusting room temperature to above-normal levels
Correct answer: Providing stimuli that promote species-typical behaviors and reduce stress
Environmental enrichment includes structures, social housing, and materials that allow animals to express natural behaviors and improve psychological well-being.
Question 3: When monitoring a rat colony for pain, which behavioral sign is LEAST reliable as a sole indicator?
- Reduced food and water consumption
- Orbital tightening observed via grimace scale
- Normal coat condition (Correct answer)
- Decreased locomotion and social interaction
Correct answer: Normal coat condition
Normal coat condition alone does not confirm absence of pain; animals in pain may maintain grooming early in a disease process.
Question 4: Which principle of the 3Rs specifically focuses on reducing animal suffering and improving animal welfare during a study?
- Replacement
- Reduction
- Refinement (Correct answer)
- Regulation
Correct answer: Refinement
Refinement involves modifying procedures to minimize pain, suffering, distress, and lasting harm to animals.
Question 5: A technician notices a rabbit repeatedly pressing its abdomen against the cage floor. This behavior most likely indicates:
- Normal thermoregulatory behavior
- Abdominal discomfort or pain (Correct answer)
- Territorial marking behavior
- Exploration of the cage environment
Correct answer: Abdominal discomfort or pain
Pressing the abdomen against a surface (belly pressing) is a recognized sign of gastrointestinal pain or abdominal discomfort in rabbits.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of a health surveillance program in a laboratory animal facility?
- To reduce the cost of animal purchases
- To detect and prevent the introduction or spread of pathogens (Correct answer)
- To track individual animal body weights over time
- To schedule routine cage changes more efficiently
Correct answer: To detect and prevent the introduction or spread of pathogens
Health surveillance programs monitor the colony for infectious agents to protect animal health, research integrity, and personnel safety.
Question 7: Which agency in the United States sets minimum standards for the humane handling, care, and treatment of laboratory animals under federal law?
- FDA
- USDA via the Animal Welfare Act (Correct answer)
- NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare
- CDC
Correct answer: USDA via the Animal Welfare Act
The USDA enforces the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), which establishes minimum standards for care and treatment of regulated laboratory animals.
ALAT Animal Health and Welfare 2
A mouse is found with labored breathing, hunched posture, and ruffled fur.
What is the most appropriate first action?