Animal Care and Services

Per Diems

In general, the animal care per diem covers food, bedding, housing, husbandry, veterinary support, the purchase and maintenance of central vivarium equipment and special services.

The establishment of per diem rates is guided by principles outlined in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Cost Analysis and Rate Setting Manual for Animal Research Facilities (PDF).

View the per diem rates (GW login required)

Veterinary Care

The attending veterinarian, veterinary technicians, and animal care staff provide health monitoring and veterinary care (including routine and emergency care) as well as hands-on training opportunities and consultations.

Animal Care and Use Protocol Assistance

Upon request, the attending veterinarian is available to consult with researchers on the development of their protocols and general animal care issues. Assistance is also available for development or refinement of novel procedures.

Hands-On Training

Small group and customized individualized training is available to all researchers and students upon request. Session topics include proper handling and common procedures.

Sign-up for a training session

Health Surveillance Services

The health of animals under the care of the Office of Animal Research (OAR) is surveilled by testing sentinel and colony animals and environmental monitoring. Quarantine testing is provided for animals imported from other institutions and routine colony testing is performed quarterly.
Surgical Support Services

OAR offers support for surgical models by providing a surgical suite, pre- and post- surgical veterinary care (upon request), and medication administration.

Request Veterinary Care Services (GW login required)

Ordering Animals and Supplies

Importing/Exporting Animals

Importing animals from a non-commercial vendor or exporting animals outside of the George Washington University (GW) requires veterinary and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval. The Standard Operating Procedure for Importing/Exporting Animals from Non-Commercial Vendors (GW login required) governs this process.

Ordering Animals

  • The instructions for completing an animal procurement request are outlined on the iBuy+ website.
  • An order form (optional) is available on the Forms page of the OAR intranet (GW login required). This form can be provided to a departmental administrator as necessary.

Ordering Supplies

For assistance ordering supplies or to identify appropriate vendors, please contact oar@gwu.edu.

Scheduling Procedural Rooms

Within the vivariums, procedural rooms can be reserved by emailing oar@gwu.edu.

Cage Cards

Cage cards are utilized by OAR staff to inform investigators of important findings and observations within the vivarium and by investigators to request animal care services.