The Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR) of the National Academy of Sciences has released a prepublication copy of the 8th Edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Guide), the first update since 1996.

ILAR also published a free Report in Brief, which includes an overview of the key changes in the new edition. According to the Report, the new edition “integrates recently published data, scientific principles, and expert opinion to recommend practices for the humane care and use of animals in research, testing, and teaching…Additions to this eighth edition of the Guide include expanded coverage of the ethics of laboratory animal use; components of effective Animal Care and Use Programs; and new guidelines for the housing, environment, and enrichment of terrestrial and aquatic animals, and for veterinary and clinical care.”

We’d like to hear your initial reactions to this newly revised and long awaited Guide. What updates do you see as most significant? And, for those of you working with animals on a daily basis, how do you think the updates will affect your day-to-day activities?