Critical Care Management for Laboratory Mice and Rats

Due to the unique nature of developing animal models of human diseases and disorders, many of the standard approaches to veterinary care cannot be applied to the laboratory animal. The first comprehensive resource for common treatment approaches to emergencies and critical cases in laboratory animal medicine, this book shows readers how to administer patient-tailored care based upon knowledge of the characteristics of the animal species, the human disease model of research interest, and practical, economic, and regulatory factors.

For critical care of laboratory rodents, there is a scarcity of sources for comprehensive, feasible, and response-oriented information on clinical interventions specific to spontaneous and induced models of disease. With the more complex cases that need critical care management, many treatment approaches to veterinary emergencies cannot be applied directly to the laboratory rodent. The first text of its kind devoted to the challenges of critical care management for laboratory rodents, Critical Care Management for Laboratory Mice and Rats provides a specialized resource for all veterinary, husbandry, technical, and research professionals who utilize rodent models for biomedical research.

The book covers the varied approaches to laboratory rodent patient care, health assessments, characteristics of specific disease models, monitoring and scoring of disease parameters, and humane interventions. Giving primary consideration to preservation of animal health and welfare, the text also considers how best to balance welfare with the achievement of proposed scientific objectives. Organized into five chapters, this full-color book covers the following topics:

• General Approaches for Critical Care
• Critical Care Management for Laboratory Mice
• Critical Care Management for Laboratory Rats
• Special Considerations for Critical Care Management in Laboratory Rodents
• Resources and Additional Information

The author provides treatment guidelines with the expectation that they will be applied with apt professional judgment, allowing for further modification of clinical recommendations for improved patient-based care and welfare for research animals.