Rodent

Prewarming followed by active warming is superior to passive warming in preventing hypothermia for short procedures in adult rats (Rattus norvegicus) under isoflurane anesthesia

General anesthesia is a common procedure in laboratory rats; however, it impairs thermoregulation, rapidly leading to hypothermia as warm core blood is distributed to the cooler periphery. The protective strategy of prewarming before the onset of anesthesia delays hypothermia, but...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Rufiange, M., Leung, V. S.Y., Simpson, K. et al. 2020. Prewarming followed by active warming is superior to passive warming in preventing hypothermia for short procedures in adult rats (Rattus norvegicus) under isoflurane anesthesia. JAALAS 59(4), 377-383.

Improving animal welfare at Newcastle University by introducing the low stress handling of mice

The primary focus of this project was to introduce the low stress handling of mice to Newcastle University and resulting in all researchers and technicians using this method. It aimed to bring a team together, working to promote and communicate...

Year Published: 2020Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Hamilton, E. 2020. Improving animal welfare at Newcastle University by introducing the low stress handling of mice. Animal Technology and Welfare 19(3), 185-194.

Alternative training method using a mouse simulator in intravenous lateral tail vein procedures

The purpose of this study was to reduce or replace mouse cadavers for use in procedural training. All participants had mixed experience in various technical procedures such as oral gavage, intraperitoneal injections, etc., but none had ever carried out intravenous...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Abela, C. 2020. Alternative training method using a mouse simulator in intravenous lateral tail vein procedures. Animal Technology and Welfare 19(3), 249-250.

Surgery refinements improve success rates in rat bile collection

This poster compares the model success rates using 2 different housing regimes during recovery from surgery. Catheters were placed in the bile duct to collect bile; a second catheter was secured into the duodenum where artificial bile salts were infused....

Year Published: 2020Topics: Cannulation, Catheterization, & IntubationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Van Wijk, H., Haida, D., Duncan, C. et al. 2020. Surgery refinements improve success rates in rat bile collection. Animal Technology and Welfare 19(3), 251-254.

Quantification of hair corticosterone, DHEA and testosterone as a potential tool for welfare assessment in male laboratory mice

Steroids, providing information regarding several biological patterns including stress and sexual behavior, have been investigated in different matrices in laboratory mice. Data regarding hair quantification, indicative of longer timespans when compared to blood and saliva, are lacking. The aim of...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Elmi, A., Galligioni, V., Govoni, N. et al. 2020. Quantification of hair corticosterone, DHEA and testosterone as a potential tool for welfare assessment in male laboratory mice. Animals 10(12), 2408.

Fasting of male mice – Effects of time point of initiation and duration on clinical chemistry parameters and animal welfare

Fasting of mice is a common procedure, which can affect the outcome of the study as well as animal welfare. In this study, we assess the effects of fasting, fasting duration and fasting initiation time in relation to light schedule...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Jensen, T. L., Kiersgaard, M. K., Mikkelsen, L. F. et al. 2019. Fasting of male mice – Effects of time point of initiation and duration on clinical chemistry parameters and animal welfare. Laboratory Animals 53(6), 587–597.

Attempting enrichment harmonization across multiple sites and embracing our differences

A glabal enrichment committee incorporates active members from each of the company's 6 sites and works towards harmonization of enrichment practices. One of the hot topics is attempting to standardize mouse enrichment and social housing practices. This has proven to...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Allen, C., Duggan, L., Fox, M. et al. 2018. Attempting enrichment harmonization across multiple sites and embracing our differences. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 5(4) (December), 48-51.

An inexpensive approach to social housing enrichment for laboratory rabbits and guinea pigs

We analyzed our current enrichment protocols in order to develop and implement social experiences for our rabbit and guinea pig colonies. This article describes the development of an exercise pen for rabbits and a custom-made social housing enclosure for guinea...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: Rose, A. M. 2013. An inexpensive approach to social housing enrichment for laboratory rabbits and guinea pigs. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 1(4) (December), 46-48.

Playtime! Exploring habituation techniques in laboratory rats

Our rat training program teaches the standard method of handling and restraining that involves picking the rat up by the base of the tail and placing it on the wire mesh to be restrained. We observed that there was excessive...

Year Published: 2019Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Low, D. D., Leong Peng, J. Z., Tay, Y. Q. et al. 2019. Playtime! Exploring habituation techniques in laboratory rats. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 7(4) (December), 42-45.

Fight Club: Using housing conditions to curb male cage aggression

Those who have worked with C57BL/6 males know how aggressive they can be towards their cage mates. We poured over academic journals, reading every article we could find regarding male home cage aggression. Three articles piqued our interest and suggested...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherrill, C., Kavanagh, K. 2019. Fight Club: Using housing conditions to curb male cage aggression. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 7(1) (March), 38-40.