ABSTRACT
Collection of cervical lymph node, submaxillary salivary gland, and mammary gland. Lay the rabbit on its back and wet the ventral surface of the surface of the body with alcohol. This helps to prevent loose hair from falling into the incisions. Stretch the skin in opposite directions with the thumb and forefinger and make a midline skin incision extending from the lower jaw to the vulva, or testes, respectively. Stretching the skin helps to prevent accidentally cutting into deeper structures. While exerting gentle outward traction on the skin with forceps, carefully incise the subcutaneous tissue (Figure 318) and retract the skin on either side of the incision (Figure 319). Incising the pectoral muscles (Figure 320) at this point will facilitate opening the thoracic cavity later. Dissect away the loose connective tissue at the angle of the lower jaw. Excise and fix a cervical lymph node and the red-colored submaxillary salivary gland (Figure 321). Note: the sublingual salivary gland in the rabbit lies deep to the submaxillary gland and rests against the medial surface of the mandible. Because of its deep location and its relatively small size, the sublingual gland is not routinely collected. In female animals locate a nipple on the reflected abdominal skin and identify the whitish-yellow mammary tissue beneath the skin (Figure 322). These glands are most obvious in lactating rabbits (Figure 323). Scrape the hair away from the nipple and cut a dime-sized circular area out of the skin including the nipple and underlying tissue. Collection of the male or female reproductive tracts, and urinary bladder.
