ABSTRACT
The dog (Canis familiaris) has been used as the non-rodent model of choice in experimental research to predict the potential toxicology of new drug entities meant to be administered to humans (FDA 2006). Because of its extensive use in physiological and surgical research over the past century, the canine has amassed a large historical database of anatomic and physiologic endpoints. This vast scientific knowledge has revealed similarities to humans, and enhanced our understanding of anatomy and physiology, making the canine almost exclusively the large animal species for general toxicology testing. Coupled with its extensive use in experimental surgical research, the dog is quite advantageous as a model for long-term infusion (Haggerty et al. 1992). In most toxicology studies involving canines, the breed of choice is the beagle, mainly because of its availability, size, and temperament (Gleason and Chengelis 2000).
