ULAM Operations Update: Contacting Your Animal Care Team

Like many organizations throughout U-M and around the world, the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM) is struggling with staffing shortages, especially in the husbandry and veterinary technician divisions.

Use the following to determine the best way to contact your animal care team during this unusually busy time:

With Routine Questions That Do Not Require an Immediate Response

To ensure that all animals continue receiving quality animal care, many ULAM supervisors, managers, and faculty are working throughout our facilities to cover the hands-on duties of daily animal care, cage wash, and veterinary technical (nursing) support. As such, personnel may be found within the vivarium space instead of near their phone or office(s) during regular operating hours.

Should you have a question or concern that does NOT require immediate attention, we ask that you send an email or leave a voicemail for our staff. ULAM personnel are checking phone and email messages on a regular basis and are committed to responding to all questions in a timely manner.

To Report Sick Animals in Need of Immediate Attention

Recently, several inquiries were submitted via the Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee’s Animal Concern Hotline, including questions about how to obtain veterinary care, report sick animals, and standards for changing cage components.

Please do not use the Animal Concern Hotline to request veterinary care. While ULAM personnel are always happy to provide information on best practices in laboratory animal medicine, the Animal Concern Hotline should only be used to report non-urgent concerns about animal welfare and/or non-compliance in animal care facilities. 

When animal health issues require immediate clinical care/intervention, refer to the blue Obtaining Veterinary Care sign (pictured at right) posted on the animal housing room door for emergency contact information.

Veterinary personnel are available 24 hours a day to respond to all animal health emergencies.

• After hours and on weekends and holidays, call the on-site Veterinary Technician at (734) 936-1037
• If the Veterinary Technician cannot be reached, contact DPSS at (734) 763-1131

We are committed to ensuring that your research is well-supported and that all animals housed in U-M facilities continue to receive the same high standards of care that you have come to expect from our dedicated ULAM animal care team.

Although you may not find our staff in the places you are most accustomed to, please continue to reach out to us with any questions or concerns you may have.

We will respond as soon as possible to all email and phone messages to provide the assistance necessary for safeguarding your research and maintaining animal welfare.