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Animal Blood Transfusion Volume Calculator

Work out animal blood transfusion volume instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Animal Blood Transfusion Volume Calculator

Applies the standard veterinary transfusion formula, using species-specific blood volume factors and an assumed donor packed cell volume of 40 percent.

Formula

Veterinary transfusion volume

Volume (mL) = species factor (90 dog, 60 cat) x weight (kg) x (target PCV - current PCV) / donor PCV

Worked example

With the default values below, Animal Blood Transfusion Volume Calculator returns Whole blood volume required of 675. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Animal weightaccepts 0.5–200 kg
25 kg
Current packed cell volumeaccepts 5–50 %
18 %
Target packed cell volumeaccepts 10–50 %
30 %
Speciesone of Dog (90 mL/kg factor), Cat (60 mL/kg factor)
Dog (90 mL/kg factor)

Results

Whole blood volume required
675 mL
Volume per kilogram
27.00 mL/kg
Targeted PCV rise
12.0 %
Rate over four hours
168.8 mL/h

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Veterinary transfusion volume
  3. 3Whole blood volume required= 675 mL
  4. 4Volume per kilogram= 27.00 mL/kg
  5. 5Targeted PCV rise= 12.0 %
  6. 6Rate over four hours= 168.8 mL/h

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
  • Educational estimate only. Not a substitute for professional clinical judgement, and must not be used to make treatment or dosing decisions.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Educational estimate only. Not a substitute for professional clinical judgement, and must not be used to make treatment or dosing decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do cats need cross-matching?

Yes. Cats have naturally occurring alloantibodies, so blood typing is essential even for a first transfusion.

How fast should blood be given?

Slowly for the first 15 to 30 minutes while watching for reactions, then completed within four hours.

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Animal Blood Transfusion Volume Calculator | Calcrivo