Overcoming Traditional Medication Delivery Challenges for Laboratory Animals at AALAS 2019
Managing analgesic and other therapeutic delivery in research animals is a fundamental husbandry practice for laboratory animal care professionals. However, traditional methods of medicating research animals such as injections can be counterintuitive to animal health and welfare objectives, sometimes impeding recovery and contributing to unnecessary handling and stress.
In addition, many traditional methods of medication delivery are labor-inefficient. In this article, we examine how medication delivery gels offer an effective alternative to traditional methods.
Common Medication Delivery Challenges
Although delivering medication to laboratory animals is often critical to completing research objectives and facilitating recovery, animal care professionals encounter common challenges when employing traditional methods such as injections, oral suspensions, and medicated feed. Some of these challenges include:
- Low palatability of medicated feed
- Dosage inaccuracy of non-water soluble suspensions
- Distress from added handling for injections
- Labor-inefficiency from requiring qualified staff to administer injections
- Added time required to shake water bottles for resuspension of therapeutics
How can research professionals successfully administer medication to animals in their care while minimizing these common challenges and improving IACUC compliance?
Achieve Effective Dosage Via Medication Delivery Gels
When veterinarians use nutritionally fortified gels in combination with the medication of their choice, effective dosage can be achieved by oral consumption. Research has demonstrated that animals treated this way have successfully sustained blood levels of analgesics, antibiotics, and antiparasitics.
ClearH2O’s MediGel® and MediDrop® medication delivery gels offer a convenient, more efficient way to treat animals, reducing animal stress and improving IACUC compliance.
The gels are flavor-enhanced and ready-to-use for mixing in the target medication. Animal care professionals can then place the gel into the animal’s cage in place of the water supply or as a supplement to its normal food source for easy medication administration without animal handling.
Learn More at the AALAS 2019 National Meeting
If you plan on attending this year’s AALAS National Meeting in Denver, Colorado from October 13-17, be sure to connect with us. We will be discussing improved techniques for medication delivery at our booth (#1015) and at our Technical Trade Presentation, “Improving Pain Management and Medication Delivery Techniques for Better Laboratory Animal Welfare and Research Outcomes”, in Room 203 at 1:40 pm on October 13.
Hope to see you there!
In the meantime, try our medication delivery products first hand by requesting a sample.
