Abstract
In order to maintain body weight in hypophysectomized rats it was found necessary to develop diets which could be fed by stomach tube in amounts sufficient for adequate nutrition. Two examples of satisfactory diets follow:
The salt mixture, Cellu-Flour, and casein should pass through a 100 mesh screen. The dry ingredients are mixed together and the melted butter or cream stirred in. Finally, small amounts of water are added until the required volume is reached and the whole then thoroughly mixed. The mixture is passed through an homogenizer until uniformly creamy.
For administration the distal 5” of a No. 8 French rubber catheter is fitted to a hypodermic syringe and used as a stomach tube. The piece of catheter is best attached by sliding its proximal end over a large sized needle filed off square about 1/2” from its hub or by the fitting shown in Fig. 2. The syringe is next filled with the proper amount of food. The tube is then wetted and passed down the rat's esophagus with a to and fro rotary movement while an assistant holds the rat's mouth open by a forceps placed back of its incisors and spread quite widely. The tube starts more easily if the rat's head is kept well flexed on its neck. The tube seldom enters the trachea but if such an accident occurs it can be recognized at once since not nearly all of the tube can be passed. Under such circumstances it should be gently withdrawn without delay.
With practice one person can learn to hold the rat with the left hand and pass the tube with the right. The thumb of the left hand is pressed against the rat's mandible to prevent his incisors from occluding and puncturing the catheter.
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