Robertson, A. 2016. Refinement in post-surgical recovery. Animal Technology and Welfare 15(1), 62-63.

Pre- and post-surgical care includes providing the animals with a soft version of their standard Irradiated diet. Food pellets are soaked in sterile water and this turns into a mash. This ensures that the animals are well hydrated prior to and after surgery. Acclimatisation before surgery to modified diets is important to overcome the natural avoidance of animals to new diets. The positioning of the diet in the cage is also random. A potential solution is to design cage flooring with standardised inserts capable of containing the food more securely but without preventing easy access. Another benefit is that positioning of the food would be standardised which might aid in acclimatisation. As mash plates normally get knocked over I suggested some way of keeping them in one place and to acclimatise the mice before the study starts to eat out of that part of the cage. 4 mice (no surgery) were placed into a cage with the prototype for a period of one week, the mash trays were being changed daily. The trays remained in place, food was eaten and the cage clean and dry.