HCCM has recently updated its analgesia formulary for mice. Changes include:

• Buprenoprhine HCl:
  • Increased frequency of administration from q8-12 hours to q4-6h
• Bup-SR:
  • Added to the formulary – everyone is encouraged to use this over the non-SR formulation
• Meloxicam:
  • Increased dose and frequency – previously 5 mg/kg q24h, now 5-10 mg/kg q12-24h
• Ketoprofen:
  • Increased dose and now includes 24h dose option – previously 5 mg/kg q12h, now recommended as either 5-10 mg/kg q12h or 20 mg/kg q24h
• Removed ibuprofen and acetaminophen as recommended analgesic options

Please see the HCCM website for all recommended analgesia and anesthesia regimens. If you have any questions or concerns about the new regimens, please reach out to hccm@hms.harvard.edu. If your IACUC protocol is affected by these updates, your Protocol Liaison will help you update your protocol upon your next amendment or three-year renewal submission.

The Science article discusses how nutrition scientists agree that reformulating rodent feed, such as AIN-93, to be more nutritious and consistent would improve an animal’s health and limit possible confound variable in experiments.

Related:

Michael A Pellizzon and Matthew R Ricci. Choice of Laboratory Rodent Diet May Confound Data Interpretation and Reproducibility. Curr Dev Nutr. 2020; 4(4).