Route | Anesthesia | Pros | Cons |
Tail vein | X | Inexpensive | · Restraining and heating required, stress to the animal · Difficult to inject viscous substances · Technically challenging (especially for dark skin animals) · Greater chances of failure · More chances of bruising |
Femoral cut down | Ö | Accurate delivery into the veins. | · Difficult to access the site of injection · Limited number of injections · Not useful for long-term studies · Technically challenging |
Jugular catheter | Ö | Easy access with the catheter for IV injections | · Expensive · Requires invasive surgery to insert the catheter · Animal needs recovery time · Catheter should be maintained carefully by flushing regularly · Not useful for long-term studies · More chances of internal leakage from the catheter · May need to house animals individually |
Retro-orbital | Ö | · Less challenging than tail vein · More chances of successful delivery · Less stressful to the animal · Useful for chronic and long-term studies · Less chances of bruising | · Personnel needs training to inject accurately · Institutional animal welfare committee should approve the process |