3 T Training Tool: Spongy Bunear™

Spongy Bunear™ is part of the 3 Ts Training Tools for demonstration, teaching and practice of venipuncture of the rabbit marginal ear vein. The 3 Ts is a method used to provide training to individuals working with animals in research, testing and teaching settings. The 3 Ts incorporates simple, inexpensive, and effective hand-crafted tools to teach and encourage practice of non-surgical and surgical procedures, prior to conducting similar training and practice on live animals.

More information about Translational Training Tools™ here.

The vessels of the Spongy Bunear are external, easy to access and very visible. The placement of the tube veins is helpful to facilitate mastering the key learning issues addressed for venipuncture of the marginal ear vein. It can be modified for central auricular artery blood collection training and practice. May be mounted on an object such as "sponge football", to better simulate practice of handling of the ear on the rabbits head. Further training is performed with a modified version were the tube vein is covered with a commercially-available, plastic cling-wrap to make the vessels less apparent yet still visible. Proceed with training on live animals. 

Ingredients:

• 2 - Sheets of thin craft-foam (our preference is Foamies with Sticky Back, 6” x 9” x 2
  mm) If sticky back is not available; a glue gun is recommended
• 1 – Piece of hollow, tubing; approximately 2 mm diameter; transparent or frosted (our
  preference is Pony Bead Lacing – frosted)
• 1 - Piece of polyester sewing thread; approximately 30 cm long
• 1 – Pipe cleaner (6 mm x 12 “)
• 1 ml of fake-blood (our preference is Vampire Blood®)

Supplies: Crafting scissors, Sewing needle, Syringe, Soft-tip catheter & Glue gun (if sticky back foam is not available)

Instructions:

1. Place 2 pieces of foam together (if using sticky back, place non-sticky side together)
2. Draw the shape of a rabbit ear onto the side of the foam that is facing up
3. With both pieces of foam held with non-sticky side together, cut the ear shape from the 2 pieces of foam
4. Lay both pieces of foam on the work surface, sticky-back side up
5. Peel the sticky back away from both pieces of cut foam
6. Mold the pipe-cleaner into the shape of the foam ear, such that the pipe-cleaner will sits
   approximately ½ cm short of the border of the foam ear
7. Either cut and remove any excess pipe-cleaner, or simply tuck the excess pipe-cleaner
   around the part of the pipe-cleaner structure
8. Sandwich the molded pipe-cleaner between the sticky sides of both pieces of the foam
   ear and press the opposing pieces of foam together
9. Cut the hollow tubing to a length that is slightly longer than the length of the ear
10. Sew the tubing onto the external border of the foam ear; placement should be about
    2mm from the edge of the ear and on the side of the ear that represents the lateral
    orientation of the marginal ear vein in a rabbit.
    
    For creating the advanced version of the Spongy Bunear™: Cover the ear and the tubing with transparent cling wrap to make the simulated blood vessel less apparent.
    
    Shortly before using any version of the Spongy Bunear™:
    
    
11. Prepare a syringe filled with fake-blood and place the catheter tip on the syringe
12. Insert the catheter tip into the tubing and inject the fake-blood down the length of the tubing
13. Bend the base of the ear and tape or pin the base of the ear to a surface or to an object such as a sponge football (see photos)

The Spongy Bunear™ is now ready for use. Depending on the venipuncture procedure for which it is being used, it may be helpful to clamp or tie off one or both ends of the blood filled tubes. 

Images to help guide the process of making a Spongy Bunear™, please see The Joy of Training Cookbook, Volume 1, pages 70-74.

For more information, please contact Dr. Wendy Williams.

3 Ts Training Tools consists of the following products: 

• FP Balloon™
  • IM Foosbun™ 
• Venipuncture Tools:
  • Tube Tail™ (venipuncture of the lateral tail vein)
  • Spongy Bunear™ (venipuncture of the rabbit marginal ear vein)
  • Ear Piggy Piggy™ (venipuncture of the marginal ear vein of pigs)
  • Cephalic Tube™ (venipuncture of the canine or feline cephalic vein)
• Cardiac Balloon™ (cardiac-puncture blood collection in rodents)
• CD Mouse™ (validation of competency of cervical dislocation euthanasia in rodents)
• Pink E. D. Cap™ (validation of competency of decapitation euthanasia of neonatal mice)

Please see The Joy of Training Cookbook, Volume 2: (Recipies for crafting your own purpose-specific training tools for surgery practice).

Please see Dexterity Tools™ and Exercises from Volume 2:

1. Macro Dexterity Tools™:

1. 1. Bead Board™
   2. Neuter Board™
   3. Tissue Board™
   4. Nail Board™
   5. Cutting Ring™