To this end, the animal care and use program at USC is accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC), is registered as a research facility with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and holds an approved Assurance of Compliance from the Public Health Service’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW).

The Department of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) is the service department that provides veterinary care and husbandry for all animals used in research at USC. The DLAR is managed by the Attending Veterinarian and reports to the Vice President for Research. Services provided by the DLAR include the following.

• animal procurement
• daily care and husbandry
• quarantine, testing, health surveillance, and veterinary medical care
• provision of facilities and personnel for procedures such as surgery, postoperative care, necropsy
• training researchers on the proper care and use of animals
• assuring compliance with animal use laws and policies
• assisting with research programs that use animals

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