European surgical services

You are sensitive to the welfare of your research subjects, and that means your approach to surgery takes into consideration many factors related to their comfort and humane handling.

As your partner in animal research, Envigo is aware that replacement, reduction and refinement (the three R's) play an important role in modern biomedical research. Surgery on small laboratory animals is an area in which we are continuing to improve the quality of procedures and techniques to achieve those objectives. Therefore, Envigo has expanded our European capacity for responsibly producing surgically prepared animals.

Our surgical experts can offer advice on refining surgical models and peri-operative care in different research areas, discuss alternatives or replacements for techniques and surgical equipment or implants and through our ethical review we are dedicated to using the least number of animals necessary to achieve the objectives of your study.

Hire-a-surgeon

Alternatively our surgical team can come to work at your surgical suite. This option may suit customers with short timelines, or specific surgical models that cannot easily be transported, or where the customer holds their own breeding colony. Please contact use for details.

Envigo surgical modified animals contribute to the three R’s principle: “good welfare is good science”.

Our surgical team can create the surgical model you require prior to transportation to your facility. All enquiries are discussed closely with the customer to ensure your scientific objectives are achieved, including detailed coverage of the surgical method and peri-operative care regimes. Envigo surgical facilities are divided into prep, surgery and recovery areas allowing us to operate efficiently whilst upholding excellent aseptic technique. Our animal holding rooms allow for the best pre and post-operative care, and the dedicated surgical team oversee the animal’s recovery. Once recovered, your animals will be sent to you in our dedicated transport vans with environmental controls. Our team will follow up on the animal’s progress with you and ensure feedback is actively sought as part of our commitment to the 3R’s principle of refinements; all under A(SP)A.

Our surgical principles:

Whatever the location our team use

Excellent aseptic technique (as defined by LASA Guidelines 2010)
Gentle tissue handling to minimise surgical trauma
Detailed peri-operative care, including multimodal analgesia
Close anaesthetic monitoring
手术和供应peri-operative记录
Detailed instructions supplied for post-operative care
All under guidance of our Envigo veterinary surgeons and our facility NACWOs

Species available:

We can offer surgical supply of all our UK Envigo rodent species and strains, including guinea pigs. Our team can also offer surgical supply of rabbit models. For larger species please contact us for details atrms.uk@envigo.com

Common surgical techniques:

Implantation of vascular catheters with or without vascular access ports (VAPs)
Telemetry device implantation
Soft-tissue procedures e.g. ovariectomy or castration
Neurological procedures

Whatever your model please contact us. Our team can perform bespoke surgical models to our customer’s specification (either as a method transfer or with our team performing method development).

The surgery area in the Netherlands is located next to the animal breeding barriers which enables us to have an efficient supply of high quality animal models while maintaining a minimum risk of contamination. Sentinel animals are used to monitor the microbiological status of the surgically prepared animals in order to keep SPF status during and after surgery.

The surgery area is divided into preparation, surgery and recovery rooms in order to comply with strict aseptic working methods. All pre and post-operative care is undertaken in filtertop cages and or scantainers.

Animals will be operated on according to the principles of good Ssrgical practice, which include: