In response to a request from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will appoint an ad hoc committee to review the care and use of dogs in biomedical research funded by the VA or carried out in VA facilities regardless of funding source, for the purpose of advancing science and the understanding of how diseases affect the health of veterans. Specifically, the committee will write a report to address the following:

1. Explore recent past, current, and anticipated research questions directly related to the VA’s mission to determine if dogs [rather than non-rodent (excluding nonhuman primates) or rodent species or non-animal alternatives] are or will continue to be necessary for relevant basic and translational research. The committee will:

a. Make a determination as to whether dogs are or will continue to be necessary for any type of biomedical research directly related to the VA’s mission. If it is determined that they are necessary, describe the unique physiological and other characteristics of dogs that currently make it the necessary animal model for use in these types of research;

b. Provide recommendations for any new or revised scientific parameters to guide how and when to use dogs for biomedical research rather than non-rodent (excluding nonhuman primates) or rodent species or non-animal alternatives;

c. Explore contemporary and anticipated future alternatives to the use of dogs in this research and determine how these could be part of a strategy to develop and/or use alternatives in support of the agency’s mission.

2. Identify ethical considerations, regulatory requirements, and currently accepted standards for the care, use and welfare of dogs in biomedical research, and make recommendations to enhance their well-being while achieving the research objectives.

3. Determine whether VA’s current review and oversight practices meet the standards, requirements and recommendations identified above, and make a separate determination as to whether changes in VA practices are recommended.