Policy – major multiple surgical procedures

Office of Animal Care and Institutional Biosafety (OACIB)
GUIDELINES- Rodent Surgical
Classifications and Analgesic
Guidelines
Version 1.2
Surgical Classifications1 for Mice and Rats:
Class 1
Class 2
Class 3
Class 4
Mild pain
Moderate pain
Moderate/severe pain
Severe pain
Pre-operative Analgesic Requirements for Mice and Rats:
 Class 1-3: Investigator must administer meloxicam or buprenorphine pre-operatively unless using ketamine/xylazine anesthesia for the procedure.  Class 4: Investigator must use an opioid analgesic and when preforming a thoracotomy must administer either buprenorphine, buprenorphine SR LAB (BSR) or a bupivacaine line block pre-operatively. Minimum Immediate Postoperative Monitoring and Analgesia Period for Mice and Rats:
Minimum Post-op Monitoring Period2
Minimum Post-op Analgesia
Surgical
Classification
meloxicam or buprenorphine pre- or postoperatively Day 0-1: meloxicam SID or buprenorphine BID or BSR once Day 0-2: meloxicam SID or buprenorphine BID or BSR once Day 0-2: buprenorphine BID or
Rodent Analgesia Formulary:
Buprenorphine5
Buprenorphine SR6 LAB
(sustained release- BSR)
Meloxicam
Bupivacaine
Rodent Surgical Classifications and Analgesic Guidelines – Guidelines /ACC Notes:
1. Any procedure may warrant reclassification into a higher category by the ACC based on the severity of the anticipated
2. Animals must be monitored for a minimum of two weeks following surgery. The required monitoring during the immediate post-operative period satisfies the requirement of monitoring for the first week as long as the animals are doing well. Two additional days of monitoring separated by 3-4 days are required during the second week. . 3. The day of surgery is considered day 0. 4. If a surgical protocol requires a different analgesic regimen than those described herein, the ACC may require 5. The dose is decreased to 0.05 mg/kg if administered pre-operatively with pentobarbital anesthesia. 6. Buprenorphine SRTM LAB- is the specific formulation developed and recommended for use in laboratory mice and rats. It is critical that investigator follow the procedures for administration in the document Buprenorphine SR LAB Administration Instructions found on the BRL website atunder the Forms tab. 7. Bupivacaine (MarcaineTM or SensorcaineTM) is a local anesthetic which provides perioperative analgesia when injected subcutaneously (SC) at the surgical incision site. DO NOT EXCEED 2mg/kg to avoid toxicity which may result in central nervous system signs (seizures) and/or cardiac dysrhythmias. For use in rodents, prepare a 0.125% (1.25 mg/ml) solution by purchasing 0.25% (2.5 mg/ml) bupivacaine and dilute it 50:50 with sterile water or 0.9% saline. Inject a volume not to exceed 2 mg/kg SC at the site of the incision. Following this preparation, the maximum volume for 300 g rat is 0.5ml and for a 30 g mouse is 0.05ml. Wait a minimum of 5 minutes before making the incision.
Abbreviations: SC is subcutaneous, BID is administered twice daily and SID is administered once daily.
References:
1. ACLAM (2006) Guidelines for the Assessment and Management of Pain in Rodents and Rabbits.
2. Flecknell, P. (2009) Laboratory Animal Anaesthesia, 3rd Edition. Elsevier; London, UK. 3. Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, 8th edition, National Research Council, 2011. 4. Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare,

Source: http://www.brl.uic.edu/media/PDF/guidelines_rodent_surgery_anesthesia.pdf