Laboratory animal medicine - needs and opportunities for Canadian veterinarians.

Laboratory animal medicine is a growing field of veterinary practice that emphasizes animal welfare and refinement of research animal care. The Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Medicine/L'association canadienne de la medecine des animaux de laboratoire (CALAM/ACMAL) and the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) provide a framework within which laboratory animal veterinarians practise. Numerous continuing education and post-graduate training opportunities exist in Canada for veterinarians interested in pursuing this specialty.

Evaluation of experimental methods to induce congenital hypothyroidism in guinea pigs for use in the study of congenital hypothyroidism in horses.

Objective: To develop a method to reliably induce congenital hypothyroidism in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) and assess similarities between the resultant developmental abnormalities and those described in horses with congenital hypothyroidism.

Animals: 35 female guinea pigs and their offspring.

Procedure: Guinea pigs were allocated to control groups or groups treated with a low-iodine diet before and throughout gestation; an s.

Guidelines for euthanasia of domestic animals by firearms.

All animals that are to be killed, whether for food, for humane reasons, or because they are homeless, must receive a quick and painless death. In some smaller communities, veterinary or humane society expertise may not be readily available to humanely kill stray and unwanted animals. An alternative that provides for a humane death for the animal is by shooting.

Differentiation of lesions caused by mycotoxin T-2 from autolytic morphologic change in CD-1 mice.

Experiments with topically applied T-2 trichothecene mycotoxin were undertaken to determine whether lesions caused by this toxin could be differentiated from autolysis. Two pathologists, who had previously seen lesions caused by T-2 toxin, graded lesions without knowledge of treatment group and stated whether the animal had received the toxin or not. Both pathologists differentiated T-2 toxin-treated mice up to 6 h post-mortem.