Rat

Corticosterone assimilation by a voluntary oral administration in palatable food to rats

Drug delivery in research on nonhuman animals in the laboratory is still challenging because it is usually invasive and stressful. Stress-free voluntary oral drug administration in water lacks precise control of dose and timing of substance ingestion. Voluntary oral consumption...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Raya, J., Neves Girardi , C. E., Hipólide, D. C. 2019. Corticosterone assimilation by a voluntary oral administration in palatable food to rats. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 22(1), 37-41.

Practical rat tickling: Determining an efficient and effective dosage of heterospecific play

Laboratory rats may experience stress during handling which can reduce their welfare. Rat tickling, a handling technique that mimics aspects of rat rough-and-tumble play, has been found to induce positive affect based on production of 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). However,...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: LaFollette, M. R., O'Haire, M. E., Cloutier, S. et al. 2018. Practical rat tickling: Determining an efficient and effective dosage of heterospecific play. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 208, 82-91.

Intergenerational sex-specific transmission of maternal social experience

The social environment is a major determinant of individual stress response and lifetime health. The present study shows that (1) social enrichment has a significant impact on neuroplasticity and behaviour particularly in females; and (2) social enrichment in females can...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Reproduction, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Faraji, J., Karimi, M., Soltanpour, N. et al. 2018. Intergenerational sex-specific transmission of maternal social experience. Scientific Reports 8, 10529.

Evaluation of analgesic efficacy of meloxicam and 2 formulations of buprenorphine after laparotomy in female Sprague-Dawley rats

Managing postoperative pain in rodents is an important part of any animal care and use program, and identifying an optimal analgesic plan for a surgical procedure is critical to providing for animal welfare. Opioids and NSAID are commonly used in...

Year Published: 2018Topics: AnalgesiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Nunamaker, E. A., Goldman, J. L., Adams, C. R. et al. 2018. Evaluation of analgesic efficacy of meloxicam and 2 formulations of buprenorphine after laparotomy in female Sprague-Dawley rats. JAALAS 57(5), 498–507.

Administering fixed oral doses of curcumin to rats through voluntary consumption

Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from turmeric, has a wide variety of therapeutic benefits including antiinflammatory, antioxidative, and chemopreventative effects. Oral gavage is widely performed to administer curcumin in laboratory rodents in several experimental models. Although effective, this method can increase...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hocking, A. J., Elliot, D., Hua, J. et al. 2018. Administering fixed oral doses of curcumin to rats through voluntary consumption. JAALAS 57(5), 508–512.

Interpreting neuroendocrine hormones, corticosterone, and blood glucose to assess the wellbeing of anesthetized rats during euthanasia

Current recommendations for assessing animal wellbeing during euthanasia suggest that measuring neuroendocrine hormones—such as ACTH, noradrenaline, and adrenaline—is preferable to measuring corticosterone and blood glucose because of the sensitivity of neuroendocrine hormones to the acute stress associated with rapid methods...

Year Published: 2018Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hickman D. L. 2018. Interpreting neuroendocrine hormones, corticosterone, and blood glucose to assess the wellbeing of anesthetized rats during euthanasia. JAALAS 57(6), 725–728.

Home cage compared with induction chamber for euthanasia of laboratory rats

This study compared behavioral and physiologic changes in Sprague–Dawley and Brown Norway rats that were euthanized by using a 30% volume displacement rate of CO2 in either their home cage or an induction chamber; rats euthanized in the home cage...

Year Published: 2018Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hickman D. L. 2018. Home cage compared with induction chamber for euthanasia of laboratory rats. JAALAS 57(6), 729–733.

Behavioural response to the environmental changes of various types in Lister-Hooded male rats

The animal preference for complexity is most clearly demonstrated when the environmental change takes the form of an increase in complexity. Therefore, one of the potential difficulties in interpretation is that the preference for perceptual novelty may be confounded with...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Pisula, W., Modlinska, K., Chrzanowska, A. 2019. Behavioural response to the environmental changes of various types in Lister-Hooded male rats. Scientific Reports 9, 7111.

Opportunities for improving animal welfare in rodent models of epilepsy and seizures

Animal models of epilepsy and seizures, mostly involving mice and rats, are used to understand the pathophysiology of the different forms of epilepsy and their comorbidities, to identify biomarkers, and to discover new antiepileptic drugs and treatments for comorbidities. Such...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Lidster, K., Jefferys, J. G., Blümcke, I. et al. 2016. Opportunities for improving animal welfare in rodent models of epilepsy and seizures. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 260, 2-25.

Carbon dioxide, but not isoflurane, elicits ultrasonic vocalizations in female rats

Gradual filling of a chamber with carbon dioxide is currently listed by the Canadian Council on Animal Care guidelines as a conditionally acceptable method of euthanasia for rats. Behavioural evidence suggests, however, that exposure to carbon dioxide gas is aversive....

Year Published: 2013Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Chisholm, J., De Rantere D., Fernandez, N. J. et al. 2013. Carbon dioxide, but not isoflurane, elicits ultrasonic vocalizations in female rats. Laboratory Animals 47(4), 324-7.