What is a Named Veterinary Surgeon (NVS)?

A Named Veterinary Surgeon (NVS) is a specially qualified vet who works in Establishments where animal research is undertaken. The main job of an NVS is to advise on the health and welfare of animals being used in research. They provide veterinary care, offer guidance on animal welfare, ensure regulatory compliance, and train staff on animal health issues.

Health and Welfare

An NVS regularly checks on the animals to ensure they are healthy and not in pain, providing treatments and medications if needed, just like you vet would for a pet. They conduct routine health examinations, monitoring behaviour and physical conditions to identify any signs of illness, injury, or distress early on.

Advice

An NVS advises scientists on proper animal handling and care, suggesting ways to keep research comfortable and stress-free for the animals. They’ll also advise on how to create a comfortable and enriching environment for the animals, including appropriate cage sizes, bedding, and enrichment activities to keep the animals engaged.

Harm

An NVS will assess what kind of harm might come to the animals during the research. They look at things like pain, stress, and any possible injuries. Their goal is to minimise these harms. For example, if an experiment might cause pain, the NVS will suggest using pain relief for the animals.

Benefit

An NVS evaluates the potential benefits of the research and weighs these benefits against the harms to decide if the research should go ahead. They make sure the research has a good chance of leading to important discoveries, like new medicines or treatments that can help humans and animals.

Ensure Compliance:

Under ASPA, Animals (Science Procedures) Act, all Scientific research establishments require a Named Veterinary Surgeon (NVS) to advise on the health and welfare of animals being used in research.