Issuing Health Certificates for Animals Leaving Laboratory Animal Facilities, Guidelines on

Details

Health certificates are required for many animal species when transporting them across state borders. Commercial carriers such as airlines often require that health certificates accompany shipped animals even when not required by state or federal regulations. Many institutions request/require a prior report on the health of animals being shipped to their animal facilities and will euthanize the animals upon arrival if the shipment is not accompanied by a health report.

Prior to shipping, the Animal Care Program for Laboratory Animals (ACP-LAB) veterinarians can issue health certificates after examining the animals and send a health report detailing the current health status of the colony and the facility to the receiving institution’s veterinarian. The procedure for requesting the report is as follows:

• The Animal Care Supervisor (ACS) or PI should send an Animal Export Request Form to the ACP-LAB veterinary staff at least five business days prior to the desired ship date.
• The following information should accompany the request:
  • University of Illinois information:
    • PI's name
    • Facility and animal room number(s) of animals to be shipped
    • The number of animals (male and female) to be shipped (must be identified in the room)
  • Receiving institution information:
    • PI's name and address
    • Veterinarian's name and fax number
• Animals to be shipped must be individually identified. In the case of rodents, cages of animals to be shipped must be individually identified prior to veterinary examination.
• The ACP-LAB veterinary staff will:
  • Send a health report to the institution's veterinarian detailing the current health status of the colony and the facility
  • Examine the animals to be shipped and provide the ACS with copies of the health certificates

Approved Date

03/06/2021

Revised Date

03/06/2021