Total severity score
Actions to take for the different level of severity
Severity level
0
No action to be taken because animal is normal
Mild
1–5
Monitor more closely
Mild
6–8
Increase frequency of monitoring; consider corrective measures for improving welfare and well-being (supplementary fluids/care, consider relief measures), notify researcher
Moderate
9–11
Significant suffering likely, provide appropriate relief, observe frequently, consider euthanasia as a humane endpoint
Severe
>12
Highest severity score. Severe suffering, euthanize. Repeating the experiment is not recommended. If repeating the experiment is essential, ask for exemption and provide full justification on the need to repeat
Maximum limit of severity
A good example of a score sheet is the one that was included in the report of the BVAAWF/FRAME/RSPCA/UFAW Joint Working Group on Refinement (19). This score sheet was developed to score clinical signs in rats when they are used in inflammatory bowel disease studies. A table, such as this, could be modified to make it suitable for use in animal-based cancer studies. It is recommended that score sheets should be in an electronic format because this format allows the sheet to be modified at any time in order to permit the recording of unexpected events and any new events when they occur during the procedure or experiment. It is also recommended that a score sheet be structured in such a way that the results of different ways of observing the experimental animals can be recorded, such as on handling, close up, or from a distance.
Items that should be listed on the score sheet include:
1.
All relevant data about the animal, researcher, and the project’s title.
2.
Details of all procedures and/or techniques that will be performed on the animal.
3.
Details of the day and/or time of day when each procedure was done.
4.
The number of times that each procedure will be done on a single animal.
5.
Details of the clinical signs, which are to be expected according to previous experience or have been published in the scientific literature.
Using my personal experience on animals that were used in cancer research and the reports from other authors, such as Workman et al. (10), and organisations, such as the Canadian Council on Animal Care (6) and the Netherlands Inspectorate for Health Protection, Commodities and Veterinary Public Health (20), an example of a score sheet that lists the clinical signs and aberrations in animal welfare and their scores in an animal-based cancer study is shown in Table 2. These clinical signs and aberrations in animal welfare are scored according to the change from normal, and the scores are not specific for a particular type of tumour. The user can modify, if needed, the list of clinical signs and aberrations in animal welfare and the scoring system in order to make the score sheet more relevant for the investigator’s particular research.
Table 2
General example of a score of clinical signs and measures of animal welfare in a cancer research study using nude mice
Signs of compromised animal welfare | Score | |
|---|---|---|
Distance observations | ||
Appearance | ||
Coat | Normal | 0 |
General lack of grooming | 1 | |
Dry coat and/or ocular or nasal discharge | 3 | |
Cyanosis as indicated by bluish-coloured skin/limbs | 3 | |
Anaemia as indicated by a pale skin/feet | 3 | |
Dehydration | “Pinched” skin, ridge lines in skin | 3 |
Dehydration >48 h | 4 | |
Abnormal body posture | Hunched abdomen so that its appearance is similar to that of a pregnant mouse | 1 |
Stretching | 2 | |
Locomotion | Tumours that interfere with locomotion | 4 |
Hind limb paralysis or weakness | 4 | |
Clinical signs | ||
After injection of tumour cells or agent | Transient discomfort after injection | 1 |
Feeding and drinking | Transient post-injection anorexia | 1 |
Recurrent anorexia | 2 | |
Not drinking | 3 | |
Breathing | Normal breathing | 0 |
Rapid breathing (tachypnoea) | 1 | |
Slightly laboured breathing (dyspnoea) | 2 | |
Very laboured breathing (severe dyspnoea) | 3 | |
Laboured respiration accompanied by nasal discharge and/or cyanosis (bluish-coloured skin) | 4 | |
Faecal characteristics | Normal or slightly soft faeces | 0 |
Soft faeces | 1 | |
Diarrhoea | 2 | |
Bloody diarrhoea | 3
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