ACTION ALERT:
Contact:
Dr. Robert Gibbens
Director, Animal Welfare Operations, USDA-APHIS
[email protected]
[email protected]
SAMPLE MESSAGE:
Please LEVY the MAXIMUM FINE against Fort Valley State University for their blatant disregard of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) when their negligence abused dogs, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Their behavior must NOT be tolerated and MUST be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
USDA issues multiple violations of animal care, sanitation at Fort Valley State University
From Haley Garrett, WGXA.TV, January 6, 2022
FORT VALLEY, Ga. -- Fort Valley State University received an inspection
by the United States Department of Agriculture that found several violations
on the treatment of animals in the school's department of veterinarian
science facility.
The USDA visited the university on July 27, 2021, as part of a routine
inspection. A few months later the USDA sent an official warning letter to
the university on the violations found.
They cited seven violations that included issues with animal care and
sanitation in the animals' cages.
2.31(d)(1)(iii) Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
The first violation cited stated that none of the approved protocols
provided assurance from the investigator that the activities do not
unnecessarily duplicate previous experiments. This must assurance must be
provided to the Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee for review and
approval.
2.31(e) Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
The second violation stated that there were 6 teaching protocols missing
required information.
These included:
None of the protocols had an explanation for the appropriateness of the
species and number of animals used.
Four of the protocols (VETY3924, VETY2844, VETY3934, VETY2893) did not
contain a complete description of the proposed use of the animals.
Specifically, the skin scrape, spay/neuter, blood and urine collection
procedures were not described.
All but one of the protocols did not describe the method of euthanasia to be
used when necessary. Protocols describing the conduct of activity involving
animals must contain all of the required information for proper IACUC review
and approval.
The latter part of the inspection results focused on animal care.
Code Violation 2.33(b)(2)Attending veterinarian and adequate veterinary
care.
This violation cited rabbits and dogs that had overgrown nails. Three of the
rabbits had nails extending 1 inch to 1.5 inches beyond the nail bed which
caused them to curve sideways, outwards, and splayed apart from each other.
One dog also had nails extending 1.5 to 2 inches beyond the nail bed. The
USDA says that foot care is needed in order to prevent abnormal nail growth
and additional diseases which can be painful to the animals.
Code Violation 2.33(b)(3) Attending veterinarian and adequate veterinary
care
A dog had hair on the top of its feet that was wet and brown and also had
signs of inflammation on the webbing between the dog's toes. This same dog
also had circular red hairless and raised lesion on the back right of its
foot. Another dog had four feet that were covered in brown stains and were
also inflamed between the toes. In addition, this dog also had a slightly
raised lesion.
The USDA noted that Fort Valley has not identified the condition that
affected the two dogs and had not contacted the veterinarian for guidance
care.
"Failure to promptly identify injuries delays treatment and causes undue
pain and distress in animals with such conditions. A more rigorous method of
daily observation of all animals must be implemented in order to properly
assess their health and well-being," stated the USDA.
Code Violation 3.6(c)(1) Primary enclosures
Two dogs were found being housed in a 6 square feet enclosure but for the
animals' measurements, they should have been in 9 square feet enclosure. The
other six dogs were of the same size or larger than the other two yet still
housed in the same type of enclosure.
The USDA stated that for around five dogs there should also be 6 inches of
room above the dogs' heads while standing in a normal position. However,
their current enclosure did not provide the adequate space.
"Enclosures that are too small can have a negative impact on their health
and well-being. Each dog housed in a primary enclosure must be provided a
minimum amount of floor and head space as required by the Animal Welfare
Act," stated the USDA.
Code Violation 3.31(a)(1) Sanitation.
Sanitation concerns were seen in the enclosures of all eight guinea pigs.
The cages had feces collected in piles in the corner and were along the
bedding area to where there was nowhere free of feces for the guinea pigs to
walk on.
"The accumulation of feces and dirty bedding can result in illness and
discomfort thus having the potential to negatively impact the well-being of
the guinea pigs. Primary enclosures must be cleaned and\ sanitized often
enough to prevent an accumulation of excreta," said the USDA.
Code Violation 3.56(a)(1) Sanitation
Citing another sanitation violation, the room that houses nine rabbits had a
strong odor of urine and feces.
The trays under five of the rabbits enclosed had puddles of urine and
excessive amounts of feces. Feces piles ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 inches in
height in some areas.
In four of the rabbit's enclosures, the floor was stained a brown/red color.
"The accumulation of feces, unclean enclosures and unpleasant odors can
result in illness and discomfort thus having the potential to negatively
impact the well-being of the rabbits. Primary enclosures must be kept
reasonably free of excreta, hair, and other debris by periodic cleaning,"
stated the USDA.
For each of these violations, a time of correction was added.
The USDA will do another routine inspection and if any of these violations
are still present, the university can face civil penalties, criminal
prosecution, or other sanctions for the alleged violations.
WGXA has reached out to Fort Valley State University to learn more about
these violations and if steps have been taken to address them.