Vivarium
Director
Jeff Wyatt, DVM.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to assure the humane care and well being of animals used in research and teaching at the University. We strive to promote quality science through responsible animal care and use.
Core Services
The Animal Resource includes three functional components.
- Department of Comparative Medicine: is the academic program including graduate training, course offerings, and research initiatives.
- Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine (DLAM): provides the veterinary care, specialized training, and services to researchers.
- Vivarium: provides all animal care and research specific services.
Services provided by DLAM include:
- Colony Health Monitoring
- Quarantine services
- Animal (mostly rodent) acquisition from other research facilities.
- Rederivation by C-section of infected rodent colonies.
- Surgical Support/Anesthetic services – provide all aspects of anesthesia during surgery of any laboratory animal
- 24/7 beeper on-call veterinary emergency services
- Clinical management of any cases of spontaneous or experimental
- disease
- Necropsy and histopathology services
- Training in specialized techniques (e.g. inhalation anesthesia of rodents, blood collection, aseptic surgical technique, ..)
- Rodent breeding colony management for PIs
Services provided by the Vivarium include:
- Daily husbandry practices- feeding, cleaning
- Daily observations for health problems
- Special request services – experimental diet, water, fasting
- Provide federally mandated enrichment to animals
- Cagewash and autoclave and room sanitation
Major equipment
- HEPA filtered ventilated cages & hoods for barrier maintenance of mice
- Inhalation anesthesia machines for rodents and large animals
- Diagnostic X-ray machine
- Autoclave for surgery packs
- Intensive Care Unit
- CO2 euthanasia stations
Faculty Advisory Group
An advisory group is in development. The following faculty members have been invited to participate:
Nick Crispe
Lin Gan
Martha Gdowski
Edith Lord
Anne Luebke
Jim Melvin
Amy Mohan
Maiken Nedergaard
Gunter Oberdoerster
Eddie Schwarz
Peter Sims
Dave Topham
