The effect of brief halothane anesthesia during daily gavage on complications and body weight in rats.

We examined retrospectively the effects of brief halothane anesthesia during daily gavage administration of vehicle on gavage-related complications and body weight in ovariectomized female Wistar rats. The number of gavage-related deaths or animals requiring euthanasia due to gavage problems was dramatically reduced, but the occurrence of incomplete vehicle retention during gavage was increased appreciably in halothane-anesthetized animals. Halothane-anesthetized rats maintained daily body weight for a longer period than did awake animals. Our observations suggest that the use of brief inhalational anesthesia reduces gavage-associated death and euthanasia due to esophageal trauma and minimizes stress-related weight loss.