Refinement of intraperitoneal injection of sodium pentobarbital for euthanasia in laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus)

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dc.contributor.authorZatroch, Katie K
dc.contributor.authorKnight, Cameron G
dc.contributor.authorReimer, Julie N
dc.contributor.authorPang, Daniel S J
dc.date.accessioned2017-03-01T19:13:15Z
dc.date.available2017-03-01T19:13:15Z
dc.date.issued2017-02-21
dc.description.abstractBACKGROUND: The Canadian Council on Animal Care and American Veterinary Medical Association classify intraperitoneal (IP) pentobarbital as an acceptable euthanasia method in rats. However, national guidelines do not exist for a recommended dose or volume and IP euthanasia has been described as unreliable, with misinjections leading to variable success in ensuring a timely death. The aims of this study were to assess and improve efficacy and consistency of IP euthanasia. In a randomized, blinded study, 51 adult female Sprague-Dawley rats (170-495 g) received one of four treatments: low-dose low-volume (LL) IP pentobarbital (n = 13, 200 mg/kg pentobarbital), low-dose high-volume (LH) IP pentobarbital (n = 14, 200 mg/kg diluted 1:3 with phosphate buffered saline), high-dose high-volume (HH, n = 14, 800 mg/kg pentobarbital), or saline. Times to loss of righting reflex (LORR) and cessation of heartbeat (CHB) were recorded. To identify misinjections, necropsy examinations were performed on all rats. Video recordings of LL and HH groups were analyzed for pain-associated behaviors. Between-group comparisons were performed with 1-way ANOVA and Games-Howell post hoc tests. Variability in CHB was assessed by calculating the coefficient of variation (CV). RESULTS: The fastest euthanasia method (CHB) was HH (283.7 ± 38.0 s), compared with LL (485.8 ± 140.7 s, p = 0.002) and LH (347.7 ± 72.0 s, p = 0.039). Values for CV were: HH, 13.4%; LH, 20.7%; LL, 29.0%. LORR time was longest in LL (139.5 ± 29.6 s), compared with HH (111.6 ± 19.7 s, p = 0.046) and LH (104.2 ± 19.3 s, p = 0.01). Misinjections occurred in 17.0% (7/41) of euthanasia attempts. Pain-associated behavior incidence ranged from 36% (4/11, LL) to 46% (5/11, HH). CONCLUSIONS: These data illustrate refinement of the IP pentobarbital euthanasia technique. Both dose and volume contribute to speed of death, with a dose of 800 mg/kg (HH) being the most effective method. An increase in volume alone does not significantly reduce variability. The proportion of misinjections was similar to that of previous studies.en_US
dc.description.refereedYesen_US
dc.description.sponsorshipSponsored by the Open Access Author’s Funden_US
dc.identifier.citationZatroch, K., Knight, C. G., Reimer, J., & Pang, D. S. (2016). Refinement of intraperitoneal injection of sodium pentobarbital for euthanasia in laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus).en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1186/s12917-017-0982-y
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/35611
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/51829
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherBioMed Centralen_US
dc.publisher.corporateUniversity of Calgary
dc.publisher.facultyVeterinary Medicineen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen_US
dc.publisher.urlhttp://bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12917-017-0982-yen_US
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/*
dc.subjectCCACen_US
dc.subjectKillingen_US
dc.subjectPentobarbitalen_US
dc.subjectRefinementen_US
dc.subjectWelfareen_US
dc.titleRefinement of intraperitoneal injection of sodium pentobarbital for euthanasia in laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus)en_US
dc.typejournal article
thesis.degree.disciplineVeterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences
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