Novel Techniques for Testing of Esophageal Irritancy of Liquids and Tablets in Dogs.

Esophageal irritation is a potential side effect of oral medications in humans. However, this complication is rarely evaluated in animal studies, in which test compounds are usually delivered directly into the stomach via gavage. The toxicology unit at our institution required development of a model to test compounds in liquid and tablet form for esophageal irritancy.