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Oral Gavage SOP By George Town University

Please see below the SOP from George Washington University on how to administer oral gavage procedure using animal feeding needles. Whole Article can be found here

Guidelines: The procedure described in this SOP should be followed when liquids will be administered to rodents by oral gavage. Orally administered substances do not need to be sterile. Instruments should be clean and sanitized, but do not need to be sterile. Maximum volume limits must be followed. If necessary, additional doses can be given at 8 hour intervals.

Maximum gavage volumes

Mice		Rats		Hamsters
Volume (mL)	Needle size	Volume (mL)	Needle size	Volume (mL)	Needle size
10mL/kg	18-20G	20ml/kg	16-18G	20ml/kg	18G

 

Below are guidelines for maximum volumes based on average adult weights.

Mice		Rats		Hamsters
Weight	Volume	Weight	Volume	Weight	Volume
25g	0.25mL	250g	5mL	120g	2.4mL

  

The recommended needle sizes are for average adult animals. Smaller needles should be used for juvenile animals. Curved needles are recommended to reduce the risk of trauma, but straight needles can be used if placed carefully.   

Materials:

Scale

Oral gavage needles (steel ball feeding needles)

1CC, 3CC, and 5CC syringes

Methods: 

1. Weigh the animal and calculate the maximum volume of inoculum to be used.
2. Prepare the syringe and needle with the inoculum expelling any air bubbles.
3. Manually restrain the animal by grasping the loose skin at the scruff of the neck with the thumb and forefinger to immobilize the head and torso. For rats and hamsters, the loose skin over the back should be grasped as well to minimize kicking with the hind feet. The head must be totally immobilized for proper positioning of the gavage needle.
4. Using the needle held next to the animal, measure the distance from the tip of the nose to the last rib on the left side. This is the approximate distance to the stomach and the needle should not be advanced further than that distance to avoid rupturing the stomach.
5. Hold the animal with the nose pointing up, and insert the gavage needle into the mouth over the tongue.
6. Directing the feeding needle toward the esophagus on the left side of the throat, gently press the needle on the back of the mouth and allow the animal to swallow the needle. It is important to use very gentle pressure, as too much force will rupture the esophagus. When the animal swallows, gravity will pull the needle down into the esophagus several millimeters.
7. Slowly advance the needle the measured distance into the stomach. If any resistance is met or if the animal struggles vigorously, immediately withdraw the needle and reposition it.
8. Once the needle is properly positioned, gently depress the plunger to dispense about 0.05mL of the inoculum for mice, 0.1-0.2mL of inoculum for hamsters and rats. If the inoculum flows smoothly and not fluid is seen in the mouth or nose, slowly inject the rest of the inoculum. If fluid is seen coming from the mouth or nose, remove the feeding needle immediately and release the animal into the cage. Observe for any difficulty breathing or bleeding from the mouth or nose before attempting the gavage again.
9. Once the entire inoculum has been dispensed, slowly remove the feeding needle and return the animal to its cage.
10. Observe the animal for any difficulty breathing or bleeding from the mouth or nose for at least 5 minutes before returning it to the animal holding room. 

Post-procedural monitoring: 

1. Animals should be monitored at a minimum 1 hour and 24 hours after the procedure.
2. Observe the animals for the following signs:
   1. Labored breathing
   2. Discharge from the nose or mouth
   3. Ruffled fur
   4. Hunched posture
   5. Lethargy
   6. Minimal responsiveness
3. Lethargy, labored breathing, minimal responsiveness and uncontrolled bleeding or discharge are criteria for immediate euthanasia.
4. Document all observations on the experimental health monitoring sheet. Alert the Attending Veterinarian of any ill or injured mice.

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Please visit us at booth #956 at AALAS National Meeting. We will be giving away free samples of our new Disposable Oral Gavage Needles. We would also love your feedback on how we make better products for you. See you all in Phoenix https://www.aalas.org/national-meeting#.VguHpLREkeQ

Oral gavage for birds

Here is a short excerpt from the article 

Preparation:

• All the equipment and consumables required should be prepared and placed ready for use before the bird is removed from its accommodation.
• A clean, sterilised tube should be used for each individual bird.
• Check that the tube is patent (not blocked) before use; with transparent tubes a visual inspection can be used.

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Visit us at AALAS National Meeting 2015 in Phoenix

We are very proud to announce that our parent company PetSurgical will be displaying all our Reusable and Disposable Oral Gavage Needles along with other special procedure and biopsy needles at AALAS National Meeting in Phoenix from Nov 1-5, 2015. Please Visit us at Booth # 956

Do you prefer Disposable or Reusable Oral Gavage Needle?

Quick Poll to see which type of oral gavage needle is more popular? 

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Weight Chart For Mice weight and gavage needle size

Lately we have had few questions around the appropriate size of gavageneedle and we recently came across this post and chart on internet that we thought would be appropriate to share. Please do validate the information before using it. Click here for the article and click here for chart. 

Using disposable or reusable gavage needle with stainless steel tubing

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