Animals Purchased from Approved Vendors
VASDHS Approved Animal Vendor list
Internal Transfers
Incoming External Transfers
Outgoing external transfers 

Animals Purchased from Approved Vendors

All animals used for VASDHS research must be ordered through the VMU office.    Investigators and staff may contact Approved vendors for current animal and shipping costs, as well as availability of the size, strain and sex required, however Investigators and staff may not place an order for animals, place animals on hold, or provide a purchase order number to a vendor under any circumstances.  Please call the Veterinary Medical Unit (VMU) Manager (x7062) if you need to place a hold on animals or have difficulty locating animals from a particular vendor. 

All orders for rodents must be received by noon on Tuesday for the animals to be delivered the following Tuesday. Rabbit orders must be received by noon on Tuesday for animals to be delivered that week.  All animal orders must have a VMU Animal Order Card attached.  These 5"X 8" cards are available on the forms rack outside Room 6259. Attach the Animal Order Card to the Purchase Request.  The cards must be filled out completely – all forms associated with an animal order (Animal Order Form, Animal Transfer Forms, Purchase Order, etc.) must be filled out legibly and completely.  Incomplete or unreadable forms will delay receipt of animals.

 VASDHS Approved Mouse and Rat Vendor list

• The Jackson Laboratory

• Charles River Laboratories

• Harlan Sprague Dawley

• Simonsen Laboratories

• Taconic Farms

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Internal Transfers

1. Transfers from one VASDHS PI to another VASDHS PI:
1. A Request for Animal Transfer Form must be completed and submitted to the Veterinary Services Coordinator
2. A "VMU Animal Order Card" must be completed and accompany all external animal transfers, including the number of cages needed.
3. If animals are to be transferred between rooms at the VMU, a quarantine period may be required. This is determined based on current animal room entry order and any current disease outbreaks. Generally this quarantine is about 2 weeks in length, but is determined on a case-by-case basis.
4.  The receiving PI will place the new cards on cages of received animals and deposit the old cage cards in the "per diem" box to remove these animals/cages from the originating PI census.
5. Five transfers may be granted for each PI every six months without charge. The transfer OUT fee will be recharged for any additional internal transfers to a different PI.
2. Internal transfers from one protocol to another for the same PI:
1. A Request for Animal Transfer Form must be completed and submitted to the Veterinary Services Coordinator
2. A "VMU Animal Order Card" must be completed and accompany all external animal transfers, including the number of cages needed.
3. If animals are to be transferred between rooms at the VMU, a quarantine period may be required. This is determined based on current animal room entry order and any current disease outbreaks. Generally this quarantine is about 2 weeks in length, but is determined on a case-by-case basis.
4. The PI must place the new cards on cages of transferred animals, and deposit the old cage cards in the "per diem" box to remove these animals/cages from his/her census.
5. Two transfers may be granted for each investigator every six months without charge. The transfer OUT fee will be recharged for any additional internal transfers to a different protocol of same PI.
6. PI’s are responsible for ordering animals on the protocol for which they will be used. Animal transfers must not be used for this purpose.

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Incoming External Transfers

The VASDHS is responsible for the health and welfare of all animals used for research at the VASDHS. Because of this, the Veterinary Medical Officer and Veterinary Services Coordinator are responsible for ensuring, insofar as is possible, that all animals entering the VMU from non-commercial sources or unapproved vendors are clinically healthy and have no evidence of pathogenic or potentially pathogenic diseases. Therefore, health information is required of all animals entering the VMU, and quarantine may be required for animals from most sources

Required health information varies with species and can be information on colonies or on individual animals.  Mice are the most commonly transferred animal species, with the following information required:

Mice:

1. The most recent serology test results, which must include at least coronaviruses, Sendai, parvoviruses, PVM, LCM (mice), Ectromelia (mice) and M. pulmonis.
2. The most recent parasitology test results including pinworms (Syphacia species, etc.), other internal parasites, and external parasites.
3. The most recent test results for pathogenic bacteria.
4. An overall colony and facility history statement from the facility veterinarian that covers the previous year.
5. A description of the sentinel program at the institute

Information is requested by and sent to the Veterinary Services Coordinator.   All transfers require a "Request for Animal Transfer" form. Quarantine space, if needed, will be reserved when the "Request for Animal Transfer" form is submitted.

Process for Incoming External Transfers:

1. A Request for Animal Transfer Form must be completed and submitted to the Veterinary Services Coordinator
2. A "VMU Animal Order Card" must be completed and accompany all incoming animal transfers.
3. The Veterinary Services Coordinator will request health information from the originating institution for review by the VMO.  Health information required is species dependent.
4. Animals cannot be shipped to the VASDHS without approval from the Veterinary Services Coordinator.
5. Animals that are found to have an acceptable health status will be placed in quarantine in order to ensure they had not been infected with pathogens either in transit or just prior to leaving the other institution. For rodents, sentinel animals will be placed (usually contact sentinels but may be dirty bedding sentinels) and will be processed 10 weeks later (to be determined on a case-by-case basis). In addition, the original individual mice that came in will also be tested for MPV.
6. The current quarantine per diem rate will be assessed until animals are moved into a housing room for the appropriate species, strain, or animal health status. Current VMU Charges are posted in the VMU.
7. Animals with an unacceptable health status will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
8. A modification must be submitted to the IACUC if the animal is a different strain than had been approved in the protocol.
9. The local VASDHS PI receiving the transfer will be recharged the current Transfer IN fee, as well as all incurred costs associated with the transfer (e.g. serology, per diem). Current VMU Charges are posted in the VMU.

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Outgoing external transfers

The "Request for Animal Transfer" form must be submitted to the Veterinary Services Coordinator at least two weeks prior to the anticipated transfer. The Veterinary Services Coordinator will contact the receiving institution to determine what health information is needed, and arrange for a health examination and health certificate on outgoing animals, if needed.

1. The Veterinary Services Coordinator will arrange outgoing transfers with the receiving institution’s veterinary staff.
2. The VASDHS PI is responsible for securing the Material Transfer Agreement prior to shipping animals to another institution
3. Animals will not be shipped until the receiving institution confirms acceptance of the transfer. Animals will not be shipped directly to a laboratory or PI without express approval by the institution’s veterinary staff.
4. Animal transfers with UCSD will be handled as described in the Memorandum of Understanding between the VASDHS and UCSD.
5. Any animal transfer forms appropriate for the receiving institution must be completed in addition to the VASDHS form.
6. The local VASDHS PI requesting the transfer will be recharged the current Transfer OUT fee (domestic or international) and for all shipping costs. Current VMU Charges are posted in the VMU

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