What is the role of the Attending Veterinarian in the animal care program?

• A. To coordinate procurement and budgeting for veterinary services.
• B. To provide veterinary care and oversight, advise the IACUC on welfare issues, contribute to protocol development, and ensure timely medical attention and humane endpoints.
• C. To train the IACUC members.
• D. To enforce animal facility sanitation rules.

Answer: (B)

The Attending Veterinarian is the veterinary authority responsible for safeguarding animal health and welfare through direct medical care and program oversight. This role provides hands-on clinical care, monitors the overall health status of the animals, and reviews procedures to ensure they meet ethical and regulatory standards. A key part is advising the IACUC on welfare issues, helping to assess pain, distress, and the need for anesthesia or analgesia, and contributing to the design and review of protocols from a veterinary perspective. The Attending Veterinarian also ensures that animals receive timely medical attention and that humane endpoints are established and applied, so suffering is minimized.

This role goes beyond administrative duties like budgeting or procurement, and it isn't primarily about training IACUC members or enforcing sanitation rules. Those functions are handled by other parts of the program, while the Attending Veterinarian focuses on medical care, welfare assessment, protocol vetting, and medical oversight within the animal care program.