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The Animal Welfare Act
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The Animal Welfare Act was enacted in 1966, and a small handful of amendments have been added over the years. Basically what you will find is that the act excludes mice, rats and birds. That explains why 80 to 90 percent of animal test subjects are mice and rats. Even for animals whom the act applies, the regulations are incredibly insufficient. Scientists are allowed to burn, maim, or kill. The Animal Welfare Act does encourage the use of painkillers, although this is left to the discretion of the scientist if it is 'necessary' to the experiment. If you have the patience to read the entire act, you will discover that it mostly deals with the caging and transportation of animals.
The Animal Welfare Act