Rabbit care unit for intravenous feeding and metabolic studies.

A simple rabbit care unit for peripheral intravenous feeding and metabolic studies was developed. The unit consists of six aluminum boxes with a common cover. Inverted T-shaped mobile supports hanging from the upper horizontal part of a frame hold the infusion lines. The side walls of the box prevent the rabbit from turning around, but other movements are possible. After initial training with 21 surgically treated animals, there was only one early anesthetic death among the subsequent 21 rabbits (4.8%). There was one late death (4.8%), and one animal was slightly, and two animals clearly, deteriorated. The ear vein cannula had to be changed in one-third of the animals not more than 3 days from the outset. Problems associated with the infusion systems or urinary bladder catheterization were minor. The results showed that it is practical to infuse rabbits via a peripheral intravenous route in a semi-restraining metabolic unit. The cases of late death and deterioration can be explained in part by the stress of experimental conditions with starvation and surgery, rather than by the effect of the metabolic unit alone. With previous experience in treating rabbits, we find the period required to learn this technique is short.