Table 4 General animal monitoring sheet

From: OBSERVE: guidelines for the refinement of rodent cancer models

Parameter	Outcome	Actions to be taken
Anorexia and BW loss^a
BW loss^b	<5%	None
	5–15%	Increase general monitoring frequency to 3 times per week. As soon as animals start to lose weight, providing extra nutrition may avoid extra weight loss and premature killing (Fig. 2)
	16–20%	Increase general monitoring frequency to 1 time per day to avoid exceeding 20% BW loss Increase skin turgor test frequency to daily (Table 2). If dehydrated, see Fig. 2. If dehydration persists despite treatment: humane killing
	≥20%	Humane killing
OR^a
BCS^182,183	3 or 4	None
	2	Increase general monitoring frequency to 1 time per day to avoid progress to BCS 1 Increase skin turgor test frequency to daily (Table 2). If dehydrated, see Fig. 2. If dehydration persists despite treatment: humane killing
	1	Humane killing
Hydration^a
Skin turgor test (Table 2)	Negative	None
Skin turgor test (Table 2)	Positive	If dehydrated, see Fig. 2. If dehydration persists despite treatment: humane killing
Appearance and behavior^c
Posture	Hunched—on one occasion	Increase general monitoring frequency to 3 times per week
	Hunched—on two consecutive occasions	Increase general monitoring frequency to 1 time per day
	Hunched—more than 7 d	Humane killing
Fur	Ruffled	Increase general monitoring frequency to 3 times per week Ruffled without other signs is usually not a direct criterium for killing
Activity	Mildly decreased; less interactive	Increase general monitoring frequency to 3 times per week
	Stationary until stimulated; isolated or hyperactive	Increase general monitoring frequency to 1 time per day
	Unresponsive/lethargic	Humane killing
Pain^c
Pain	Present or likely	Provide appropriate (multimodal) analgesia^d Increase general monitoring frequency to at least daily or more often when analgesics are provided more often
Pain	Present despite analgesia	Humane killing

^aAssess 1 time per week; increase if necessary (see actions to be taken). ^bSee Box 4 for the relation between body and tumor weight. ^cAssess 2 times per week; increase if necessary (see actions to be taken). ^dAnalgesic treatment usually does not alter tumor growth patterns^235,236,237 and should be provided when animals experience pain. Only if there is direct evidence of interference with the model an alternative plan to alleviate pain/distress must be identified in consultation with veterinary staff.

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Table 4 General animal monitoring sheet

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