I have been working at my current lab (academia, first job outside of industry jobs) for about a year now and I have been having issues with the husbandry department here from the jump.
I'm not sure if anyone else has experienced this or if I just don't understand how the IACUC and husbandry department interact in academic vivariums, but I have gotten to the point where it just feels like my animal experiments are being deliberately sabotaged.
Having an IACUC protocol approved means literally NOTHING to the vivarium staff/department and it is starting to get ridiculous. In order to be allowed to actually perform any animal manipulation here, it must be an approved protocol by the IACUC (obviously) AND you must receive approval from the husbandry department.
For example: I have a surgery protocol that has been submitted and approved by the IACUC. This protocol has been approved for over a year. If I perform this surgery on the animals, in total compliance with the approved protocol, they will be euthanized by the husbandry staff. Why? Because in order to execute any of my approved protocols, I must go through an entire approval process with the husbandry department for each individual study. If the husbandry department does not approve a study in which I already have approval from the IACUC, they will euthanize the animals and give us a monetary slap on the wrist.
All requests to start a study procedure that I already have on protocol must be submitted 4 weeks in advanced. They do not give us notification if the request is approved or denied a majority of the time, and if they do deny a request they do not give any reason. Note that they are not being asked to help perform any of these procedures nor help with monitoring.
I've had my request to overnight fast animals for a literal 2 hour refeeding experiment the following day (APPROVED PROTOCOL BY THE IACUC) denied for no given reason at all. I have done 6 hour fasts on animals (APPROVED PROTOCOL BY THE IACUC) that the husbandry staff gives food halfway through the fast because "we did not get approval from them". As well as many other animal experiments that we are allowed to perform per the IACUC made a complete waste because the husbandry department operates as if they are above the IACUC.
Cervical dislocation post-CO2 euthanasia is banned by the husbandry department. Cheek bleeds are banned by the husbandry department. Retroorbital anything is banned by the husbandry department. All of this, regardless of if these procedures are approved by the IACUC.
Am I going crazy?? Has anyone else experienced this and is there even anything I can do about it??