AVMA ABVS-recognised specialty boards · USA · AVMA American Board of Veterinary Specialties; each college runs its own exams
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersAVMA ABVS-recognised specialty boards is a specialist certification exam run by AVMA American Board of Veterinary Specialties; each college runs its own exams, for candidates in USA. Varies by college: residency, credentials and written and practical exams.
Official site: vetspecialists.com.
We have not been able to confirm these details against the exam body's own specification, so fees, dates and pass marks are left out on purpose. Check the current format, eligibility, fees and dates on the official site.
Management of pigs, horses, rabbits, laboratory rodents and companion animals: breeds, housing, farrowing and young-stock care.
Our 17 AVMA ABVS-recognised specialty boards questions in this subject: 3 easy, 8 medium, 6 hard, across 2 units.
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
These 10 were written to AVMA ABVS-recognised specialty boards and are not shown on any other exam's page.
Which laboratory animal requires vitamin C in its diet because it cannot synthesise it?
A. Guinea pig
The guinea pig lacks L-gulonolactone oxidase, the last enzyme of ascorbic acid synthesis, as do primates. Rats, mice and hamsters make their own vitamin C.
Which laboratory rodent has the shortest gestation of the common species, at about 16 days?
C. Syrian hamster
The Syrian hamster's gestation is about 15 to 16 days. Rats take about 21 to 23 days, guinea pigs about 59 to 72 days and gerbils around 24 to 26 days.
How is an inbred mouse strain defined?
B. Produced by at least 20 consecutive generations of brother x sister mating
An inbred strain requires at least 20 consecutive generations of sibling (or parent x offspring) mating, making individuals nearly genetically identical. Random mating in a closed colony gives an outbred stock; crossing two inbred strains gives an F1 hybrid; gene insertion makes a transgenic line.
In a barrier rodent facility, why are sentinel mice housed on dirty bedding taken from colony cages?
B. To detect infections in the colony without sacrificing the research animals
Sentinels are exposed to soiled bedding so that any agents in the colony reach them; they are then tested by serology, PCR or necropsy, following schemes such as the FELASA recommendations. They do not warm, vaccinate or save bedding.
Which change is an example of Refinement rather than Reduction or Replacement?
D. Giving post-operative analgesia and nesting material to mice after surgery
Refinement reduces pain and distress or improves welfare, as with analgesia and enrichment. A cell culture in place of animals is Replacement; power calculations and shared controls are Reduction.
Under US Public Health Service Policy, what is the minimum size of an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)?
A. Five members
PHS Policy requires at least five members, including a veterinarian, a practising scientist, a member whose main concerns are non-scientific and a member unaffiliated with the institution. The Animal Welfare Act alone requires at least three, which is why three is a common wrong answer.
Why is cage-level light intensity kept low in rooms housing albino rats and mice?
B. Albino rodents are prone to phototoxic retinal damage under bright light
Albino rodents lack ocular pigment and develop retinal degeneration under bright light, so cage-level intensity is kept low and light-dark cycles controlled. Rodents are already nocturnal; vitamin D synthesis needs UV light, not darkness; lighting is not the main temperature control.
A protocol for a tumour study says mice will be left until they die of their tumours. What should an ethics committee require?
D. Humane endpoints such as defined tumour size, weight loss or clinical signs
Death as an endpoint causes avoidable severe suffering; committees require humane endpoints (maximum tumour size, percentage weight loss, body condition, specific signs) at which animals are euthanised. More mice and longer studies increase harm; single housing adds social stress without addressing suffering.
Which occupational health problem is most common among people working with laboratory rodents?
D. Laboratory animal allergy, mainly to rodent urinary proteins
Laboratory animal allergy, from rodent urinary and dander proteins, affects a large share of exposed staff and can progress to asthma. Laboratory rodents are not a rabies or bovine TB source; herpes B virus comes from macaques, not rodents.
Room temperatures of about 20 to 26 degrees C are recommended by the US Guide for which animals?
A. Mice, rats, hamsters and guinea pigs
The Guide (2011) recommends dry-bulb temperatures of about 20 to 26 degrees C for mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils and guinea pigs; rabbits are given a lower range (about 16 to 22 degrees C). Newborn piglets need about 30 to 34 degrees C.
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