Lon Kendall was surprised when Popular Science recently rated lab animal veterinarians as the third worst science job in the world.

He thinks just the opposite.

"We have a responsibility to care for the animals in the most humane way possible," said Kendall, the attending veterinarian at UC Davis and since 2003 the overseer of veterinary care for all campus research animals. "Lab animal veterinarians have tremendous opportunities. Job satisfaction is in the eye of the beholder."

Above all, Kendall noted, lab animal research has played a role in many medical breakthroughs, from the development of vaccines to the everyday aspirin.

In the magazine's rankings, which were published in December, lab animal vets were behind wart researchers and worm parasitologists but ahead of tick draggers, landfill monitors, demolition workers, Iraqi archaeologists, TV meteorologists, nurses, root sorters and computer help-desk technicians.

So just who becomes a lab animal vet? Kendall always was fascinated with animals. He grew up in Lakewood, a suburb outside of Denver, with a father who worked in sales and a mother who worked as an administrative assistant.

When he was a freshman in high school, he had to write a paper on a career. As he always loved animals, he chose to write on the field of veterinary medicine. "From that point on, I prepared to be a veterinarian."

Kendall earned his doctor of veterinary medicine from Colorado State University in 1994 and his doctorate in veterinary pathobiology from the University of Missouri in 2000, where he studied host-immune responses to bacterial pathogens. He is a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine.

He came to UC Davis five years ago to work as a veterinarian in the Comparative Pathology Laboratory, which provides diagnostic support for researchers and consultation on laboratory animal diseases. In addition to being the attending veterinarian for campus, he is also the director of the Center for Laboratory Animal Science, and works with more than 60 employees.

Kendall's unit manages all facilities in which animals are maintained for most of the teaching and research programs in the School of Veterinary Medicine and School of Medicine.

A complex program with exotic animals

As a major research university, UC Davis has one of the nation's largest and most diverse animal care programs, with more than 400,000 animals authorized for use in approved studies, 450 principal investigators and 2,540 personnel. Based on these yardsticks, the campus is second only to the National Institutes of Health in what is called "program complexity" for animal care.

Kendall says one can find 64 species at Davis in the animal care and use program, including fish, mice, rats, wild birds, cattle, chickens, nonhuman primates, frogs, pigs, sheep, foxes, pigeons, snakes, iguanas, donkeys and wild rabbits. Some of the more exotic creatures studied at UC Davis include llamas, otters and mountain lions. Other critters include a colony of rattlesnakes, a 20-year-old, 300-pound sturgeon, and a "pouchless" marsupial.

Kendall is a member of the campus's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, IACUC, which reviews research proposals to ensure that alternatives to animal use are considered and that all animals involved in the study receive humane care.

He says university animal care workers are a dedicated group of workers that ensure animal welfare is maintained. If an animal develops a discharge from the eyes, itching, lesions or some other abnormality, they are reported to the veterinary staff. The campus has 13 veterinarians to care for the research animals on campus. In addition, the IACUC inspects animal rooms, labs and offsite locations (there are seven) every six months.

"These are regular and routine inspections to ensure the animals are receiving proper and humane treatment, that the equipment is satisfactory, and that the investigators are following protocols and guidelines," said Kendall.

The university also conducts health screening and mandatory training programs for all investigators, and coordinates health information and care for the animals.

Some animals require specific attention.

"We all know how much dogs love human contact," said Kendall. "Well, we have dogs in animal research, so there's been a concerted effort to meet their behavioral needs by having, for example, students interact with and walk them on a regular basis."

Rodents - which account for about 85 percent of all mammals used in campus research -- also have special needs. As a result, the campus has developed measures to include devices to simulate burrowing such as paper bedding and tubing.

Sometimes, Kendall said, research animals end up as pets, "adopted" by employees or others once their research days are finished. The idea, he said, is to take care of the animals and not lose sight of the goals behind animal-based research.

The valuable role lab animals play

Virtually all medical advances and discoveries of the past century were based in animal research. Some examples include vaccines for diseases like smallpox and polio, as well as anesthesia, aspirin and insulin, chemotherapy, antihistamines, acid blockers, anti-depressants and pain relievers. None of these could have occurred without laboratory tests on animals.

"We all benefit from the necessary and responsible use of animals in biomedical research," said Kendall. "While polls confirm that the public continues to support the use of animals in health and medical research, the same polls also reveal that continued public support is dependent on high standards of animal care."

Lab animal research has its critics who question the need for it.

"I believe it is important that the university communicate with the public on the benefits of animal-based research," Kendall said.

Reviewing the campus's practices

In addition to Kendall assuming oversight of the veterinary care program, the campus in recent years has restructured its animal care and use program, and allocated both technical and administrative resources to the program.

The changes have come at a time when the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International is reviewing UC Davis' animal care and use practices. The association conducted a site visit in October 2004 and is expected to issue its report and recommendations next month.

Kendall says the U.S. Animal Welfare Act sets strict standards for all aspects of care and research for laboratory animals. All research facilities are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Stringent regulations on animal care are also in place for institutions receiving federal funds.

Beyond all the science and regulations, it is the humanity of the issue that speaks to Kendall, who still finds time for hobbies like soccer and scuba diving when he is not checking up on lab animals.

"The animal care and use program involves a number of individuals, including animal care staff, investigators, research technicians, and veterinarians that are truly dedicated and passionate about their work," said Kendall. "It's the team concept that makes it effective."