Animal Ordering

The Laboratory Animal Care Unit is the only unit authorized to place animal orders with vendors. Investigators submit animal purchase requisitions to the LACU electronically via an on-line application and, following verification, LACU personnel communicate the orders directly with the vendors. All animal orders are subject to protocol and account verification; receipt of animals is subject to vendor availability.

The following vendors/species are on a weekly delivery schedule to UTHSC:

• The Jackson Lab (mice)
• Charles River Lab (mice, rats, hamsters)
• Envigo (mice, rats, hamsters)
• Nichols (swine)

Deadlines and Fees

Animal orders are due on Wednesday by 2:00 pm for delivery the following week. Animals will not be delivered on weekends or major holidays.

The following vendors/species do not have regular weekly delivery and orders must be placed at least 2 weeks in advance of the desired delivery date. These deliveries are subject to vendor delivery routes and shipping policies, air shipping regulations, weather conditions, etc. In general, LACU will negotiate the most cost effective delivery schedule based on your animal order needs.

• Charles River (rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils)
• Envigo (rabbits, guinea pigs, canines)
• Covance (rabbits, canine, nonhuman primates)

The animal order application is available via ACAP. To access this system, users need a UT NetID and password.

After logging in to ACAP, select Animal Orders and other LACU Requests from the menu. Persons not having a net ID and password or having difficulty logging on to the system should contact the LACU office at 448-5656. Animals will not be delivered on weekends or major holidays. However, special delivery accommodations can be accepted at the discretion of LACU.

Rate Charges FY25 includes charges for services and products and animal per diem costs.

Weaning and Transfers Wean and transfer requests are also handled on ACAP. For transfers, the investigator who is providing the animals initiates the process and the investigator receiving the animals then accepts them. Weans are accomplished in similar manner by making the request on ACAP. Please see the LACU FAQs for more information.

Investigators do their own weanings. After both transfers and weans are finalized on ACAP, the cage cards can be printed.

Animal Procurement Information

Before any animals can be ordered, an investigator needs to obtain an approved IACUC protocol. Once the protocol is established and a valid account is provided, an investigator can order animals and make other special requests through ACAP. Please see our "How Do I Submit an Order for New Animals?" document for specific instructions on how to submit an order for new animals through ACAP.

To meet reporting and record requirements placed upon UT by federal legislation (e.g., Animal Welfare Act) and granting agencies (e.g., NIH), as well as to ensure appropriate transportation, delivery, and receipt, all animal orders and/or acquisitions must be placed through the LACU. Animals may not be purchased or otherwise acquired without a fully approved animal use protocol. Also, any requests to import animals from another institution or to send animals off campus must go through to the LACU. See the Import/Export Program document for additional information.

The LACU uses the following criteria to determine which vendor will be selected to fulfill an order and to ensure the procurement of healthy animals from licensed vendors:

• The ability of the vendor to supply healthy animals. LACU requires the use of pathogen-free rodents for research purposes. Rodents with an unknown health status or those suspected of harboring certain murine diseases must go through quarantine and testing or be rederived. The University requires all vendors to provide regular health status reports of their animal colonies. LACU continuously monitors the health status of rodents by conducting regular serology and other health screening tests on sentinel animals.
• The ability of the vendor to transport animals by means of an acceptable carrier. LACU inspects all arriving animals and will reject any filter container that has been compromised. The vendor will be required to replace animals that arrive in damaged filtered containers, animals that do not meet purchase order specifications, or are sick or injured. LACU prefers to use vendors who can transport animals using their own environmentally controlled vehicles and using specially trained personnel.
• The vendor must satisfy LACU requirements for quality and consistency and work with the LACU to meet the needs of the research community. This includes willingness of the vendor to meet delivery schedules, to provide animals that meet procurement specifications, and to notify LACU whenever there is possible contamination or other concerns that may affect their production facility.