Health Evaluation of Experimental Laboratory Mice

Abstract Good science and good animal care go hand in hand. A sick or distressed animal does not produce the reliable results that a healthy and unstressed animal produces. This unit describes the essentials of assessing mouse health, colony health surveillance, common conditions, and determination of appropriate endpoints. Understanding the health and well‐being of the mice used in research enables the investigator to optimize research results and animal care. Curr. Protoc. Mouse Biol . 2:145‐165 © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.