On this page: 📄 Animal Incident Report Form 🐭 Analgesia 🐭 Anesthesia 🐭 Animal Care 🐭 Crisis Management and Communication Plan SOP 🐭 Experimental Guidelines 🐭 Euthanasia 🐮 MacDonald Campus - Dairy Facility SOPs 🐔 MacDonald Campus - Poultry Facility SOPs 🐷 MacDonald Campus - Swine Facility SOPs 🐭 Occupational Health and Safety 🐭 PHAC Biohazard Information 🐭 Record Keeping, Storage and Disposal of Controlled Substances 🐭 Surgery 🐭 Veterinary Care
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) provide a detailed description of commonly used procedures. SOPs offer investigators an alternative to writing detailed procedures in their protocol.
Note that the use of the words ‘should’ and ‘must’ in these SOPs is consistent with their defined use in Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) guidelines. The term 'should' indicates an obligation, for which any exceptions must be justified to, and approved by, an Animal Care Committee. The term 'must' indicates a mandatory requirement.
Any deviation from the approved procedures must be clearly described and justified in the Animal Use Protocol application in AMS. Approval of the protocol indicates approval of the deviation from the SOP for that project only.
The following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were created and/or revised by the Veterinary Committee and approved by the Animal Policy and Welfare Oversight Committee (APWOC), 3 McGill FACCs or a specific FACC where applicable. They are reviewed every 3 years at most.
The SOPs here are mainly for McGill University sites. If you are in an affiliated Research Institute, please contact your FACC Coordinator to find out if these (or which) apply to your site and where to find your local SOPs.
The Coordinator at:
- The RI-MUHC (MGH and Glen site) as well as the Shriners Hospitals for Children can be reached via this facc.admin [at] muhc.mcgill.ca (email).
- The Douglas Mental Health University Institute can be reached via this tara.thomson.comtl [at] ssss.gouv.qc.ca (email).
- The Lady Davis Institute of the JGH can be reached via this darleen.element [at] ladydavis.ca (email).
If you have questions or have a recommendation to make, please send an animalcare [at] mcgill.ca (email) or talk to the Veterinarian in your area.
Approved SOPs Below
Analgesia |
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Anesthesia |
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Surgery |
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Euthanasia |
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 SOP 301 - Rodent Euthanasia REVISED |
SOP 304 - Avian Euthanasia |
| SOP 302 - Large Animal Euthanasia REVISED |
SOP 305 - Transcardiac Perfusion |
| SOP 303 - Fish and Aquatic Amphibian Euthanasia REVISED |
Experimental Guidelines |
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Animal Care |
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Veterinary Care |
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Occupational Health and Safety |
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MacDonald Campus - Dairy Facility SOPs |
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MacDonald Campus - Poultry Facility SOPs |
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MacDonald Campus - Swine Facility SOPs |
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| SW-2010 Environmental Enrichment Program for Swine |
Requirements on Record Keeping, Storage and Disposal of Controlled Substances
Refer to the McGill Environmental Health and Safety Office's SOP 401 on Cannabis and Controlled Substances.
Research Institutes of affiliated hospitals should contact their local Safety Office or EHS Officer.
For McGill researchers and instructors:
- All Principal Investigators (PIs) intending to use controlled substances (and cannabis) need to contact the domenic.dulisse [at] mcgill.ca (EHS Cannabis & Controlled Substances Officer) for notification and exemption processing. The PI's information is added to EHS' records and follow ups are performed. All research and teaching involving animals MUST have an approved Animal Use Protocol before being considered for an exemption.
- The EHS' MyLab software migration will allow for this information to be kept and tracked within MyLab. Permits will be issued to PIs using cannabis and controlled substances.
- Training for cannabis and controlled substance will be mandatory for all users. They will be granted a permit contingent on successful completion of the training which is every 2 years.
- An inspection checklist has been created specifically for cannabis and controlled substances in labs. PIs must follow Health Canada’s directive on physical security, while McGill veterinarians do not (they are responsible for the safe keeping of their drugs and reporting to Health Canada).
- A Cannabis compliance committee is being set up with the Director of EHS and will allow for better decision making and department awareness. This will be done for controlled substances in the near future.
- Controlled drug suppliers have been added to the McGill Market Place (MMP) and follow the same rules as radiation materials. Note that all orders must be approved by the cannabis and controlled substance officer.
- A revised SOP #401 for controlled substances is now posted on the EHS site. There is more information on EHS' website for the Cannabis and Controlled Substance Compliance Program (CCSCP) , Environmental Health and Safety, McGill University.
PHAC Biohazard Information
The Public Health Agency of Canada has implemented since December 2015, new regulations pertaining to the use of Human Pathogens and Toxins. Background information can be found on their website and details on the regulation here.
In order to work with Biohazardous Materials in a laboratory setting, researchers must complete an “Application to Use Biohazardous Materials”. These applications are reviewed and approved by McGill's Environmental Health and Safety Office (not the Animal Care Committee). Approval of the Application means that the researcher is compliant with the Biosafety Program which includes lab inspections and training.
Useful links (these two are also available as free Apps for a smartphone or tablet as well):
- Canadian Biosafety Standard (CBS), 2nd edition.
- Public Health Agency of Canada Pathogen Safety Data Sheets (PSDS).
McGill University Animal Incident Report Form:
McGill Animal Care Incident Report Form