title: Administration of substances to laboratory animals: routes of administration and factors to consider.
abstract: Administration of substances to laboratory animals requires careful consideration and planning to optimize delivery of the agent to the animal while minimizing potential adverse experiences from the procedure. For all species, many different routes are available for administration of  substances. The research team and IACUC members should be aware of reasons for selecting specific routes and of training and competency necessary for personnel to use these routes effectively. Once a route is selected, issues such as volume of administration, site of delivery, pH of the substance,  and other factors must be considered to refine the technique. Inadequate training or inattention to detail during this aspect of a study may result in unintentional adverse effects on experimental animals and confounded results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada. pvturner@uoguelph.ca
authors.forename: Patricia V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Thea
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brabb
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pekow
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Vasbinder
mesh_terms: D035661:Animal Care Committees; D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory; D004333:Drug Administration Routes; D007756:Laboratory Animal Science / Q000379:methods*; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards*