Table 1.

Main advantages and disadvantages of different animals used in animal models.

Animals		Advantages	Disadvantages
Small	Rats	Easy and affordable breeding Fast generation and maturation	Short life expectancy Small size—increased risk of complications Higher ratio of peritoneal surface area compared to humans Large size of parietal peritoneum High intraperitoneal amylase levels
	Rabbits	Adequate life expectancy Adequate survival on PD Easy peritoneal catheter insertion Similar size of parietal peritoneum to humans Similar ratio of peritoneal surface area to humans	Delicate animals—difficult to breed
	Genetically modified mice	Easy and affordable breeding Fast generation and maturation Ability to explore the role of single proteins	Extremely small size
Large	Dogs Sheep Kangaroos etc	Long life expectancy Easy peritoneal catheter insertion	Difficult and expensive breeding Large time frame for obtaining results