2018 Facts and Figures
In 2018, the RVC used 16,691 animals in research. The vast majority of these were rodents, (predominantly rats (37%), mice (25%); and zebrafish (18%)).
These figures include those submitted to the Home Office as part of the annual returns.
| Species | Number used | Rehomed/Returned to owners |
| Amphibians | 24 | |
| Cats | 4 | 4 |
| Cattle | 17 | |
| Dogs | 33 | 29 |
| Domestic Fowl | 2,814 | |
| Horses | 270 | 265 |
| Mice | 4,162 | |
| Pigs | 179 | |
| Rats | 6,108 | |
| Sheep | 53 | |
| Tinamous | 4 | |
| Turkeys | 28 | |
| Zebrafish | 2,995 | |
| Totals | 16,691 | 298 |
Eighteen client-owned pet dogs and four pet cats were involved in studies conducted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act (ASPA) at the RVC where veterinary patients are studied in depth. These were all used with informed client consent and involved procedures of recognised veterinary practice but for reasons explained below could not be undertaken under the Veterinary Surgeons Act.
The majority of the horses used were client owned animals who were part of our clinical research programmes. Seventeen cows were blood sampled for experimental purposes but remained as part of a dairy herd at the College’s farm. The majority of the procedures (67.7%) we undertake are classified as sub-threshold (e.g. breeding of genetically altered mice), mild (e.g. taking a series of blood samples) or non-recovery (conducted under terminal anaesthesia) – see table below.
We undertake a large number of clinical studies involving veterinary patients who return to the care of their owners at the end of each procedure, which may have been something as simple as a blood test. Some of these studies need to be undertaken under ASPA - because, for example, additional blood samples or other clinical tests were undertaken for research purposes, rather than for the direct benefit of the animal involved in the study - and are included in the above table and the numbers of animals involved detailed above.
Severity of procedures
| Sub-threshold | Mild | Moderate | Non-Recovery | Severe |
| 10.7% | 49.3% | 31.1% | 7.7% | 1.1% |
The proportion of our funded research that relates to animal work As a measure of the proportion of our research that involves experimental animals, the amount external grant funding used to cover the costs of purchasing and keeping the animals has been calculated as a percentage of the total non-pay spend from external grants and is 12.5%.
2017/18
| BSU charges to RES grants - total | 559,511 |
| Total non-pay cost to RES grants | 4,490,000 |
| % | 12.5% |