Substance Administration - Recommended Volumes (Informational Sheet)
Recommended Volumes for Administered Substances (Informational Sheet)
Informational Sheet: The Office of Animal Resources has provided a set of guidance documents (Policies, Guidelines, and Informational Sheets) for use when planning animal procedures at the University of Iowa. This Informational Sheet provides the current guidance on recommended testing of research biologics for pathogens.
Purpose:
This document provides information about administration volumes and needle sizes for commonly employed routes of fluid administration in various animal species. The volume limits are consensus figures based on published literature and are set up to maintain animal welfare and prevent potential complications, such as muscle damage with high volume intramuscular injection, or aspiration & pulmonary injury with high volume oral administration.
Procedures:
- Give injections at a constant flow rate
- No resistance should be encountered during injection
- Do not apply overt pressure on the syringe’s plunger
- See below for maximum recommended volume and needle size
- Compare the weight in the table to the weight of the animal being used in the procedure and alter dose accordingly
- Max limit with oil-based vehicles should be half the listed max limit and may require a larger gavage needle
- Always use the smallest needle size (largest gauge) that is applicable to the procedure
Precautions:
- Do not inject into inflamed or damaged tissue unless medically indicated
- Injecting relatively large volumes of solutions that are below body temperature may lead to hypothermia
- Inject separate drugs/compounds at different sites to avoid cross reaction of chemicals
- Limit subcutaneous administration to 2-3 sites per day
- Limit intramuscular administration to 2 sites at one time
- Intravenous volumes listed are for slow injection over 3-10 minutes. Bolus volumes should be less, typically 10-50% of the slow injection volume.
- Exceptions apply when medically indicated or scientifically justified, consult with Office of Animal Resources (OAR) veterinary staff for guidance
Recommended Maximum Volumes and Needle Sizes per Route, per Site, and per Species
| Species & weight | Per os (oral) | Subcutaneous | Intramuscular | Intraperitoneal | Intravenous | Intranasal
| Intracranial
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mouse 25g | 0.5 ml 20 ml/kg 18 G | 0.25 ml 10 ml/kg 20 G | 0.1 ml total/site - 23 G | 0.5 ml 20 ml/kg 21 G | 0.625 ml 25 ml/kg 25 G | 30 – 50 µl per animal | 1 µl per injection 3 µl per hemisphere |
Rat 200g | 4 ml 20 ml/kg 16 G | 1 ml 5 ml/kg 20 G | 0.2 ml total/site - 21 G | 4 ml 20 ml/kg 21 G | 4 ml 20 ml/kg 23 G | 30 – 50 µl per animal | 2 µl per injection 6 µl per hemisphere |
Hamster 100g | 2 ml 20 ml/kg 18 G | 0.5 ml 5 ml/kg 20 G | 0.2 ml total/site - 21 G | 2 ml 20 ml/kg 21 G | 2 ml 20 ml/kg 25 G | 30 – 50 µl per animal |
- |
Guinea pig 800g | 16 ml 20 ml/kg | 4 ml 5 ml/kg 20 G | 0.2 ml total/site - 21 G | 16 ml 20 ml/kg 21 G | 4 ml 5 ml/kg 23 G | 30 – 50 µl per animal | - |
Rabbit 3kg | 60 ml 20 ml/kg
| 15 ml 5 ml/kg 20 G | 1 ml 0.5 ml/kg up to max 1 ml 20 G | 30 ml 10 ml/kg 20 G | 30 ml 10 ml/kg 21 G | 200 – 500 µl per animal |
- |
Cat 5kg | 75 ml 15 ml/kg | 25 ml 5 ml/kg 20 G | 1 ml 0.5 ml/kg up to max 1 ml 20 G | 100 ml 20 ml/kg 20 G | 50 ml 10 ml/kg 21 G | 200 – 500 µl per animal |
- |
Dog 10kg | 150 ml 15 ml/kg | 10 ml 1 ml/kg 20 G | 3 ml 0.5 ml/kg up to max 3 ml 20 G | 200 ml 20 ml/kg 20 G | 100 ml 10 ml/kg 20 G | 200 – 500 µl per animal |
- |
Pig 25kg | 375 ml 15 ml/kg | 37.5 ml 1.5 ml/kg 20 G | 5 ml 0.5 ml/kg up to max 5 ml 20 G | 500 ml 20 ml/kg 20 G | 250 ml 10 ml/kg 18 G | 200 – 500 µl per animal |
- |
Ferret 1kg | 15 ml 15 ml/kg
| 5 ml 5 ml/kg 21 G | 1 ml 0.5 ml/kg up to max 1 ml 23 G | 20 ml 20 ml/kg 21 G | 10 ml 10 ml/kg 21 G | 200 – 500 µl per animal |
- |
Goat/Sheep 45kg | 900 ml 20 ml/kg
| 225 ml 5 ml/kg 19 G | 5 ml total/site - 18 G | 450 ml 10 ml/kg 19 G | 450 ml 10 ml/kg 18 G | 200 – 500 µl per animal |
- |
References
- https://az.research.umich.edu/animalcare/guidelines/guidelines-administration-substances-laboratory-animals/
- IQ Consortium. 2016. Contract Research Organization Working Group. IQ 3Rs Leadership Group. Recommended Dose Volumes for Common Laboratory Animals.
- Morton DB, et al. 2001. Refining procedures for the administration of substances. Laboratory Animals. 35: 1-41.
- Landeck N, Conti Mazza M, Duffy M, Bishop C, Sortwell CE, Cookson MR. Stereotaxic Intracranial Delivery of Chemicals, Proteins or Viral Vectors to Study Parkinson's Disease. J Vis Exp. 2021 Feb 18;(168):10.3791/62128. doi: 10.3791/62128. PMID: 33682858; PMCID: PMC8981414.
- Turner PV, Brabb T, Pekow C, Vasbinder MA. Administration of substances to laboratory animals: routes of administration and factors to consider. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 2011 Sep;50(5):600-13. PMID: 22330705; PMCID: PMC3189662.
Last Reviewed by the IACUC 3/11/2026