InfoEd’s Animal Facilities Management module can help track the health status of your animals! An integral component of tracking animals throughout an approval period of a protocol is the maintenance of their health, not only for the animal’s well-being, but also to protect the integrity of the research being conducted.
Research animals can become sick or injured for multiple reasons, including fighting with cage-mates, self-inflicted wounds, or improper handling. When this occurs, it is imperative for animal and veterinary staff to be notified so the proper care can be given.
The Animal Facilities Management (AFM) module from InfoEd offers the capability to construct Health Reports, which are animal-specific records of a health incident. Animal details including wounds, disease sites, and symptoms can be recorded, as can descriptions of the event. Also included on the Animal details page are areas to enter treatment regiments for vet staff with dates and follow-up instructions, so care can be tracked.
In addition to Health Reports, another important area of concern regarding animal health in the facility is tracking diseases that can circulate between animals. Sentinels are animals that are housed in a facility for a period of time and then analyzed for specific pathogens by blood tests and tissue samples. Once these procedures are performed, lab results can be tracked relative to the animal in the Serology tab, and facility staff can track if infections are present, and if they are spreading from one location to another.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about InfoEd’s Human and Animal Studies, and Animal Facilities modules, please contact Dr. Matthew Tanner, InfoEd Product Manager.
