Animal welfare and veterinary medicine go hand in hand. That’s why Ross Vet’s newest accreditation is so important.
On July 16, Ross Vet received full accreditation from AAALAC International, an organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through voluntary accreditation and assessment programs.
More than 1,000 companies, universities, hospitals, government agencies and other research institutions in 47 countries have earned AAALAC accreditation, demonstrating their commitment to responsible animal care and use. And now, Ross Vet joins this elite group.
“We’re extremely proud of this accreditation,” says Dr. Harutyun Avsaroglu, Director of Animal Resources and Attending Veterinarian at Ross Vet. “I’ve worked as a consultant for AAALAC. So I know exactly what it’s worth to have that seal of accreditation.”
The accreditation focuses on animals used in teaching and research environments. Obviously, the majority of Ross Vet’s animals are used for teaching purposes, but this accreditation should also further bolster its growing research, as it often helps in securing NIH grants, says Dr. Avsarolglu.
“Grant-awarding bodies usually want to see the seal when applying for research funding,” Dr. Avsarolglu said. “So now that we have that seal, we can get more grants and do even more research.
“We’ve always prided ourselves on how we treat the animals here in our care, but we had certain gaps we had to fill in order to apply for accreditation. Once we had all the right people on board and in place, we were able to finally get this seal to show how much we care about animal welfare.”