title: Silicone rumen cannula with a soft cylindrical part and a hard flange.
abstract: A soft rumen cannula for sheep was made with two kinds of silicone rubber and a polyethylene plug. The design of molds is simple and the materials can easily be obtained. The elasticity of the cylindrical part of the cannula controlled leakage of rumen contents to a minimum, and the moderate hardness of the flange prevented loss of contents from the rumen. The cannula could be used repeatedly and functioned well for over 4 yr. The cannula was easily pushed into the rumen, and the collection of whole digesta was accomplished easily by hand. A small amount of sampling with pipette could be achieved through the punched opening without removing the inner polyethylene plug.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Horigane
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gochou
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kishi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohtomo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horiguchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002404:Catheterization / Q000662:veterinary*; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling / Q000662:veterinary; D012417:Rumen; D012756:Sheep / Q000601:surgery*; D012828:Silicones
chemical_list: D012828:Silicones