Intravenous catheter placement in the marginal ear vein of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is achievable by final-year veterinary students, with clinical exposure improving confidence.

Rabbit marginal ear vein catheterization is highly achievable for veterinary students and should be a core clinical skill.

This prospective observational study evaluated the feasibility of intravenous catheter placement (ICP) in the marginal ear vein of rabbits by final-year veterinary students at the University of Edinburgh Hospital for Small Animals. Over a one-year period, 70 students completed anonymized questionnaires before and after performing ICP, with procedure time and number of attempts recorded. Results demonstrated that 78.5% of students achieved successful ICP on their first attempt, with a mean placement time of 4 minutes and 10 seconds. Notably, neither prior ICP experience nor pre-procedure confidence score significantly correlated with speed of placement, suggesting the technique is accessible regardless of background experience. Student confidence showed a statistically significant increase following successful ICP, with a median improvement of 2.5 points on a 10-point scale. These findings support the inclusion of rabbit marginal ear vein catheterization as a core clinical skill in undergraduate veterinary curricula. Given that rabbits are the third most common companion animal in the UK and frequently require IV access for fluid therapy, anesthesia, and emergency treatment, this skill holds considerable clinical relevance. The study highlights that hands-on experience with exotic species not only builds technical competence but also meaningfully improves student confidence, which may positively influence willingness to treat rabbit patients in clinical practice.

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