The use of death as an endpoint in animal experiments at Duke is strongly discouraged. Legal, regulatory, and moral guidelines require that animal pain and distress be minimized in any experiment. For these reasons, investigators are encouraged to administer euthanasia in death as an end-point experiments prior to the actual death of the animal - if experimental validity will not be compromised.

These objectives assume that investigators can differentiate between animals which are found morbid (i.e. affected with disease and illness), and those which are found moribund (i.e. in the state of dying).  See Guidelines for Judging Morbidity in Rodents

The IACUC believes that an investigator can judge and should perform euthanasia on moribund animals based on objective signs of dying depending on experience with the animal model, professional judgment, and the experimental protocol. Some of the known signs of illness or dying which may be applied are shown below as an educational service to investigators. The use of such information is encouraged with the understanding that the combination of signs indicating euthanasia may vary with experimental endpoint.

Investigators are expected to justify their endpoints, or agree that they can judge and will perform euthanasia on animals found moribund in a particular protocol. Moreover, all investigators are expected to continue to monitor experimental animals at least daily (including weekends and holidays) and to euthanize any animals which they judge should receive euthanasia.

The IACUC guidelines indicate that animals found moribund should receive euthanasia. If experimental death itself is the required endpoint, the investigator may receive approval to conduct such studies by providing strong scientific justification to the IACUC. Inconvenience or increased costs alone are not justifiable reasons.