We are using a tet-on system to induce gene expression in postnatal mouse pups since birth, and would like to know the ways to treat the pups with Doxycycline. Can we administer through mom's milk?
Yes, as Nicole mentioned you can try any of the strategies. Apart from that mother can be given doxycycline in food pellets.
Procedure
Doxycycline Administration in Water: Make 100x doxycycline stock solution of 20 mg/ml of Doxycycline (Sigma) with water. (It takes about 2 minutes of shaking to get this into solution). This solution can be frozen in 5 ml aliquots, wrapped in tin foil.
In mouse facility, add the 100X stock to water bottles for final concentration 200 mcg/ml. It is preferable to use amber water bottles since doxycycline is light sensitive (use Wheaton "900" RediPak Amber GlassPackers with Caps, 250 ml, Fisher cat # 02-911-4)
For IP injection of Doxycycline: 10 mcg of Doxycycline in 0.5 ml of water can be given as a single IP injection to a 30 gram mouse. This is only necessary for very sick mice.
For administration of Doxycycline in food pellets: Doxycycline in food pellets are custom made by Bio-Serv (908-996-2155) One 8th Street, Frenchtown, NJ 08825. These pellets are made with 200 mg of doxycycline per kg of regular mouse chow and the addition of green food coloring. You need to FedEx the doxycycline to Bio-Serv, and radiation sterilization of food pellets is needed if you have a "barrier" animal facility. When placing order, refer to catalog # "S3431, Gladstone", for the exact specification of the chow.
http://openwetware.org/wiki/Doxycycline_Administration_to_Mice
Some of us use neonatal PICC line which is used in birthweight less than 750 grams. You cut it short and it can be safely threaded into mouse pups stomach without perforating hollow organs.
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