Laboratory Animal: A Practical Introduction for Research Workers and Technicians

The use of safe and effective anaesthetic techniques can have a major influence both on the welfare of laboratory animals and the quality of the research results obtained in using them. In times of justified public and scientific concerns over such issues, the need for clear and concise advise on good technique is of paramount importance.However, much anaesthetic work in the laboratory is carried out by research workers and support staff who have not benefited from specialist veterinary training. This second edition of Paul Flecknell's invaluable guide gives just the sort of clear concise practical information such people need. It follows all the key stages from preoperative care thorough anesthesia itself to the post - anaesthetic recovery period.Following these general sections, there are specific instructions on regimes for particular laboratory animals, with advice on recommended agents, dosages and special procedures of importance. Particular emphasis is placed on welfare, pain reduction and proper post - procedural care.The Second Edition of this now standard guide adds the results of the latest research, most effective anesthetics and useful illustrations of procedures and equipment and broadens the original book's coverage to include notes on fish, amphibia, reptiles and birds.It will prove an essential addition to the library of any laboratory where animals are used for research.

Paul Flecknell is a veterinarian with over 35 years of experience working with laboratory animals. He is a Diplomate of the European Colleges of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia and Laboratory Animal Medicine and an honorary Diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. He has PhD in physiology, and is currently Professor of Laboratory Animal Science in the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University. His main research interests are anaesthesia and analgesia of all species of animals and in particular the development of methods of pain assessment. He is the head of the Pain and Animal Welfare Science (PAWS) group at Newcastle. The group’s current research work is focussed on novel methods of “cage-side” assessment of pain, particularly using “pain faces” and developing methods of measurement of affective state in rodents.