Example Project A

A large multi-veterinarian, academic institution was in the process of developing an animal biosafety level 3 facility. The organization had all the knowledge and expertise required to complete the project but ran up against a time deadline and was unable to apply the necessary resources to get the ABSL3 facility policies and procedures organized to meet the deadline (i.e. short-term, time-intense project on top of the usual hectic schedules). The institution contracted for a Lab Animal Veterinary Consultants veterinarian with 10 years of ABSL3 facility management experience to work in concert with their containment veterinarian to draft the policies and procedures. The contract called for on-site work and associated travel and home-office work.

Example Project B

A medium-sized academic institution had a single veterinarian on staff. This individual left for another position before a replacement was available. The need was for on-site clinical veterinary care, USDA regulatory oversight, IACUC membership and participation and facility program management. Due to budgetary constraints, the facility limited the contractual proposal to clinical veterinary care with weekly visits and IACUC functions for several weeks until a new, replacement veterinarian was on-site.

Example Project C

A contract service provider had a research site with a single veterinarian that left for another position. The organization was able to arrange for a local private veterinary practitioner to fill the role of Attending Veterinarian and to be on-call for veterinary emergencies but needed an experienced laboratory animal veterinarian to provide expertise with lab animal issues to that practitioner and to provide support to the animal facility staff and IACUC in the interim period until a replacement veterinarian was available. Although much of this support could have been provided remotely, the particular "political" issues at the site dictated that the Lab Animal Veterinary Consultants veterinarian be on-site 3 days per week.

Example Project D

A research administrator (PhD scientist) that had prior experience with the responsibilities of Institutional Official was appointed to a new position with institutional animal care program responsibility. While this new animal care program did not have overt regulatory problems, it was not AAALAC accredited and thus had had little independent evaluation of its policies and practices. The administrator needed a 3rd party assessment of the institution's program compliance. An in-depth review of IACUC records and functions by a Lab Animal Veterinary Consultants veterinarian determined that the institution was routinely violating both Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) and USDA Animal Welfare Act policies and standards in terms of the IACUC operations. These errors originated from subtle complexities of the law but also from desire for expediency and from complacency in an isolated environment. The problems were quickly corrected and system checks and balances were instituted on the advice of the reviewer thus preventing a potential regulatory crisis.

Example Project E

A small independent research laboratory desired the 3rd party evaluation of their animal research typically provided by the IACUC. However, the organization was quite small and all institutional personnel were directly involved in the research. Lab Animal Veterinary Consultants was contracted to provide protocol evaluation and advice by an ACLAM Board-certified veterinarian and by an independent IACUC. The IACUC's role, in this case, could be limited to protocol review since USDA Standards, PHS Policy, nor state laws applied to the research. The provided IACUC services were targeted to typical interpretation of "The Guide" and common research practices. All services were provided remotely.