Technical Information
Common Blood Collection and Injection Sites in Laboratory Animals |
| Animal |
Blood Collection Site |
Single Sample Volume*** |
ExsanguinationVolume*** |
Blood Injection Site |
| Mouse |
Heart*, tail vein or artery, orbital sinus**, lateral saphenous vein |
0.2-0.3 ml |
1.0-1.5 ml |
Tail vein |
| Rat |
Heart*, saphenous vein, tail vein or artery orbital plexus**, lateral saphenous vein |
2-3 ml |
8-12 ml |
Tail vein, saphenous vein |
| Guinea pig |
Heart*, saphenous vein, ear vein |
4-8 ml |
15-30 ml |
Anterior vena cava, saphenous vein |
| Hamster |
Heart*, orbital sinus** |
0.5-1.2 ml |
3-5 ml |
No practical IV sites |
| Gerbil |
Heart* |
0.5-1.0 ml |
2-4 ml |
No practical IV sites |
| Rabbit |
Heart*, marginal ear vein (small amounts), auricular artery (large amounts) |
20-40 ml |
60-160 ml |
Jugular vein, marginal ear vein, cephalic vein, saphenous vein |
* Heart puncture should be performed only on animals under anesthesia. It is recommended only as a terminal procedure.
** These techniques may require anesthesia under procedures established by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
***The Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents: Harkness and Wagner
FromALAT Training Manual,1998 ed. AALAS.
| OFFICE OF ANIMAL CARE MANAGEMENT |
| BLOOD REMOVAL |
| SPECIES |
WHOLE BLOOD VOLUME ML/KG2 |
% BODY WEIGHT2 |
ANIMAL WEIGHT2 |
APPROX. ABSOLUTE BLOOD VOLUMES PER WT.2 |
AVAILABLE VOLUME WHEN BLED OUT ML/KG3 |
MAXIMUM SAFE VOLUME AT ONE BLEEDING DURING LIFE ML/KG3 |
PRACTICABLE VOLUME FOR DIAGNOSTIC USE IN ML FROM A NORMAL ADULT3 |
| FERRET |
75 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| G. PIG |
75 |
7.5 |
90 G |
68 ML |
35 |
7 |
0.5 |
| GERBIL |
67 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| HAMSTER |
78 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| MOUSE |
79 |
|
|
|
35 |
7 |
0.1 |
| RABBIT |
56 (70) |
5.5 |
3.2 KG |
180 ML |
35 |
7 |
1 |
| RAT |
64 |
6.4 |
300 G |
20 ML |
20 |
5 |
0.25 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1LAB ANIMALS (1993) 27, 1-22 |
|
|
|
|
|
| STRESS SHOULD BE CONTROLLED IN ORDER NOT TO OBTAIN INACCURATE DATA |
RETRO-ORBITAL BLEEDING IS ONLY ACCEPTABLE AS A TERMINAL PROCEDURE UNDER ANEST. |
| |
EXCEPTION: SHOULD BE UNDER ANESTHESIA AND ONLY ONE EYE |
|
| USE OF XYLENE TO DILATE THE VEIN IS NOT RECOMMENDED AS IT CAUSES SKIN RASHES, |
| |
SLOUGHING, ETC. |
|
|
|
|
| 2ILAR NEWS, VOL 31, NO. 4, FALL 1989 |
|
|
|
|
| 10% OF CIRCULATING BLOOD CAN BE TAKEN EVERY 3-4 WEEKS WITHOUT HARM |
7.5% OF BLOOD VOLUME PER WEEK WITHOUT HARM FOR RABBITS |
|
|
| 1% OF CIRCULATING BLOOD CAN BE TAKEN EVERY 24 HOURS WITHOUT HARM |
|
| ANESTHESIA AFFECTS SPLEEN CONTRACTION IN SOME ANIMALS LEADING TO INCREASED RBC, PCV, AND Hb |
| SOME CAUSE RELAXATION SUCH AS XYLAZINE, ACETYLPROMAZINE, DIAZEPAM, AND BARBITURATES |
| SOME CAUSE CONTRACTION INITIALLY AND LATER RELAXATION SO TIME OF |
| |
COLLECTION AFTER INJECTION IS IMPORTANT |
|
|
| ANIMALS HIGHLY REACTIVE - CATS, DOGS, SHEEP, AND GOATS |
|
| ANIMALS WITH UNREACTIVE SPLEENS - PRIMATES, BIRDS, REPTILES |
|
| 3COMPARATIVE CLINICAL HAEMATOLOGY (1977) ARCHER & JEFFCOTT |
|
| 0.5 ML/KG OF BLOOD IS NORMALLY SAFE TO TAKE |
|
|
|
| NORMAL HEMATOLOGICAL VALUES1 |
| SPECIES |
PCV (%) |
RBC (1012/L |
Hb (G/DL) |
RETICULOCYTE (% RBC) |
WBC (109/L) |
CLOTTING TIMES (SECONDS) |
| FERRET |
35-51 |
11.3 |
12-17.4 |
|
2.5-15.4 |
|
| G. PIG |
35-42 |
4.5-7.0 |
11-17 |
1.8-6.1 |
10 |
|
| GERBIL |
48 |
7.0-10.0 |
12-17 |
|
4.3-21 |
|
| HAMSTER |
39-59 |
4.0-10.0 |
2-30 |
|
7.6 |
55 |
| MOUSE |
35-45 |
7.7-12.5 |
10-20 |
3.3-13.3 |
8 |
120-600 |
| RABBIT |
30-50 |
4.5-7.0 |
8-15 |
2.9-8.0 |
9 |
60-360 |
| RAT |
35-45 |
7.2-9.6 |
12-18 |
1.7-21.1 |
14 |
20 |