1. What is The HSUS doing to address pain and distress in animal research?

The HSUS launched its Pain and Distress Campaign in 1998 with a goal of eliminating avoidable and significant pain and distress in animal research by the year 2020.

This goal is being accomplished mainly through encouraging oversight agencies to strengthen regulations, policies and guidelines; distributing our expert-written technical report entitled Recognition and Alleviation of Pain and Distress in Animal Research as well as other published materials, requesting research institutions to prohibit the conduct of research that will cause severe and unalleviated pain and distress, and encouraging the public to become involved.

2. Why can’t The HSUS end pain and distress before 2020?

The HSUS is working towards a time when animals are no longer used in harmful research and testing—we are working to replace, reduce and refine animal research with the ultimate goal of replacement.

Although the goal is replacement, we work on the premise that animal research will certainly not end tomorrow, so reduction and refinement are essential to reduce the suffering of animals until the day comes when they are no longer used. While 2020 seems like a time in the distant future, we believe it is a realistic time period.

3. What government structures regulate pain and distress in research?

Two main laws apply to animals in laboratories:  

• the Animal Welfare Act, enforced by the United States Department of Agriculture,
• the Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, monitored by that National Institutes of Health’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare.

Improvements in regulation and policy regarding animal pain and distress are essential to the goal of eliminating pain and distress.

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Purpose-bred mice, rats, and birds are not covered under the AWA

4. What percentage of research animals are actually experiencing unrelieved pain and/or distress during experiments?

Research institutions using animals covered under the AWA report to the USDA the number of animals and species used as well as whether drugs were provided for pain and/or distress relief.

Under the USDA’s categorization system, animals are placed in:

• Column C (experiments involving no pain, distress, or pain-relieving drugs)
• Column D (experiments involving pain or distress but with accompanying anesthetic, analgesic, or tranquilizers)
• Column E (experiments involving pain or distress for which pain-relieving drugs would interfere with the purpose of the experiment and were, therefore, not provided)

In 2004, those animals experiencing unrelieved pain or distress (Column E) constituted almost 8 percent of the total animals used in research. This number does not accurately portray the actual percentage since it does not include purpose-bred mice, rats, and birds, who make up approximately 90 percent of animals used in research. 

In addition, The HSUS has found many cases in which institutions have underreported the number of animals in Column E.

Statistics from other countries demonstrate that approximately 20-35 percent of research involves at least moderate pain and/or distress.

5. What is the most commonly used species that appears in Column E (animals experiencing unrelieved pain or distress)?

The most commonly used species reported in Column E in 2004 were hamsters. Keep in mind that purpose-bred mice, rats, and birds are not covered under the Animal Welfare Act  and therefore are not reported, but they would probably be the most commonly used species in Column E if they were.

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There is currently no regulatory definition of “distress”

6. Why does attention to distress not caused by pain continue to be seriously lacking?

Unfortunately, the regulations of the Animal Welfare Act include a definition of “painful procedure” but not of “distress” or “distressful procedure.” In 2000, the U.S. Department of Agriculture called on the public and the research community to comment on possible adoption of a definition of distress and to change the current pain and distress categorization system used by researchers to report to the USDA.

To date, the USDA has not followed through on this proposal. The HSUS believes that the lack of a regulatory definition of “distress” contributes to the lack of attention to this issue and that regulatory change would prompt increased attention.

In February of 2004, The HSUS convened a group of experts for a Workshop on the Operational Definition of Distress. The summary of the workshop was published in Lab Animal in September of 2006. We have urged the USDA to adopt the proposed description of distress, with supporting examples. 

7. What are some ways that The HSUS provides information to institutions on how to minimize pain and distress?

Until alternatives are developed to completely replace animal research, The HSUS encourages research personnel to use the “best practice” that will cause the animal the least amount of lasting distress and/or harm. We do so by researching and reviewing methods and techniques that cause pain and/or distress, are commonly used, and for which practical ways of reducing pain and/or distress can be achieved.

Two examples are the newly published manuscript on Pain and Distress Associated with Polyclonal Antibody Production, and the recently published peer-reviewed journal article Carbon dioxide for euthanasia: concerns regarding pain and distress with special reference to mice and rats.

8. What does the public say about animal research?

Opinion polls demonstrate that public support for animal research drastically declines when the animals experience pain and distress—even if there is the potential for human benefit.

Posted Nov. 14, 2007