Tissue Collection
Hilltop Lab Animals, Inc. provides tissue services and fluid collections according to client specifications. Typically (exceptions listed at end of section), animals are euthanized prior to the collection (examples: brain collections, spleen collections, tongue collections, etc), or they remain anesthetized throughout the procedure and are not allowed to recover (examples: blood collection via cardiac puncture without the use of carbon dioxide, perfused liver collections, bile collection).
SOPs relating to euthanasia, animal housing requirements, humane end point policies, anesthesia, and lab safety are followed.
Urine and fecal collections for rats is typically performed using commercially purchased metabolic chambers. During the collection, all SOPs regarding animal housing/space requirements are followed. Collections are performed for as short of a time as possible (typically overnight), and the animals are rested in standard caging between collection points. Feed and water is made available during the collection. If a client requests fasting of animals during collection, policies regarding fasting are followed (animals are fasted for no longer than 24 hours).
Collection of mouse urine is typically performed by grasping the mouse by the scrub and holding a small tube under the urine stream. The collection period is extremely short (a few seconds), and the animal is immediately returned to its cage.
Milk collection is performed under anesthesia, and the females are sampled from multiple times over a period of 2-3 days. Animals are allowed to recover completely between samplings, and samplings are limited to one sampling point per animal per day.
