The Special Care Form (available at the bottom of the page) is a tool to facilitate communication between the Office of Animal Resources (OAR) Facility Manager, the staff member who usually cares for the animals, the institutional veterinarian, the principal investigator, and research staff.

Special Care Forms must be submitted at least one week prior to beginning any Special Care.

All special care must be described in a protocol and approved by the IACUC prior to implementation.

Special Care Requests
  1. Deviate from standard care
  2. Limit access to animals to ensure the integrity of the research
  3. Relinquish care of animals to lab staff

    Deviations to standard care may include, but are not limited to:

    • Special diets
    • Food/water restrictions
    • Drug delivery via water bottles or hydropacs
    • Light cycle modifications
    • Limited access due to research procedures sensitive to room entry such as stress hormone measures or core body temperature readings, etc.

    Considerations when Limiting Access:

    • All animals must be observed at least once daily for food, water, and general health.
    • OAR staff will not enter limited access areas during times when entry would disrupt studies except in the following situations:
      • Emergencies
      • Prior request from the Institutional Veterinarian to see the animals during this time is approved by the PI
      • There is no indication that the animals are being observed daily (e.g. the daily log and special care form are not posted or updated)

    Lab Responsibilities:

    1. Take responsibility for the care of all animals in the colony if limiting access to that colony beyond the normal working hours of OAR staff.
    2. Ensure the research personnel caring for the animals are fully trained by the OAR Facility Manager to provide the appropriate level of care and record keeping prior to the start of special care.
    3. Maintain a daily log visible at all times for the OAR staff and Veterinarian to observe.
    4. Ensure back-up personnel are available to care for the animals, especially in the case of Vacations, Holidays, and Weekends.
      • Personnel caring for animals must notify the OAR Facility Manager of absences to ensure proper back-up is provided. Send email notification to oaroffice@colorado.edu.
    5. Complete the Special Care Form (below) and submit to OAR. 听

    Instructions for Submitting Special Care Form:

    1. Special Care Forms must be submitted at least one week prior to beginning any Special Care.

    2. Click on the button below to open the Special Care Form (Word document).

    3. Email the completed form to OAROffice@colorado.edu.

      • An OAR Facility Manager will contact you to finalize the special care procedures.

    Special Care Form