Effect of Feeding Hay on Nonesterified Fatty Acids in Appetite-suppressed Pregnant New Zealand White Rabbits.

Effect of Feeding Hay on Nonesterified Fatty Acids in Appetite-suppressed Pregnant New Zealand White Rabbits. Comp Med. 2019 Nov 19;: Authors: Veenstra JW, Filgo AJ, Denham SC Abstract Pregnant rabbits are a common nonrodent model for reproductive safety evaluation in preclinical drug development. During reproductive toxicology studies, rabbits are prone to decreased food consumption and anorexia. When persistent or severe, this condition can lead to hepatic lipidosis and pregnancy toxemia, which may confound the interpretation of study results. Non-Esterified Fatty Acids (NEFAs) have been used in veterinary production medicine to evaluate the impact of diet on the energy balance of pregnant animals. In the current study, sustained-release buprenorphine was used to suppress the appetite of pregnant New Zealand White rabbits, mimicking the clinical presentation of animals in reproductive toxicologystudies. Sequential NEFA evaluations during gestation, along with other clinical endpoints, such as the necessity and duration of veterinary intervention, were used to evaluate the effects of feeding hay and a pelleted diet as compared with a pelleted diet alone. Elevated NEFA levels were directly correlated to litter size, the number of viable fetuses and the number of days on veterinary consult due to severely decreased consumption of pelleted diet. Animals with hay as part of their diet did not require additional diet supplementation as d...
Source: Comparative Medicine - Category: Zoology Authors: Tags: Comp Med Source Type: research