Compute injection volume from body weight, dose, and stock concentration. Enforces Diehl et al. (2001) good-practice volume limits per route, flags impractical draws, and projects cohort stock totals.
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For mice, IP allows up to 20 mL/kg — twice the PO and SC limits. When a published protocol uses IP, you have headroom; when it uses PO or SC, your tolerance is much narrower.
A 5 mL/kg IV limit sounds generous, but the lateral tail vein in a 25 g mouse can only accept ~125 µL before back-pressure forces the bolus subcutaneous. The calculator flags the math, but real IV injections are technique-limited well below the Diehl ceiling.
A 10× more concentrated stock means a 10× smaller injection volume — which can drop you below the practical draw limit. When designing the study, work backwards from a 50–100 µL target injection volume to choose the right stock concentration.
The calculator shows the exact cohort stock volume. In practice, prep at least 10–20% extra to absorb pipetting losses, dead volume in the syringe hub, and missed injections.
Total dose (mg) = body_weight_kg dose_mg_per_kg. Injection volume (mL) = total_dose / stock_concentration. Volume per kg = volume / body_weight_kg, compared against the species/route entry in Diehl et al. (2001) Table 1. Below-practical-draw threshold is 10 µL based on insulin-syringe meniscus accuracy.
Last validated 2026-04-06. Calculations are designed for planning and documentation support; verify procurement decisions against manufacturer specifications or institutional SOPs.
ConductScience Rodent Dosing Calculator (v0.87.0). ConductScience, Inc. 2026. Available at: https://conductscience.com/tools/rodent-dosing-calculator
Diehl KH, Hull R, Morton D, et al. A good practice guide to the administration of substances and removal of blood, including routes and volumes. J Appl Toxicol. 2001;21(1):15-23.
Turner PV, Brabb T, Pekow C, Vasbinder MA. Administration of substances to laboratory animals: routes of administration and factors to consider. JAALAS. 2011;50(5):600-613.
The Diehl guide is the most cited source for rodent injection volumes in IACUC and AAALAC documentation:
These are *practical good-practice ceilings* — not toxicity thresholds. Some studies justify higher volumes when the vehicle is well-tolerated, but exceeding the Diehl limit always requires explicit IACUC review.
Standard 1 mL insulin syringes have a meniscus error of ~5–10 µL. Volumes below 10 µL cannot be reliably drawn — even an experienced technician will introduce 50%+ dose variability.
When the calculator flags a volume as "below practical draw," the fix is almost always to dilute the stock. A target injection volume of 50–100 µL gives a comfortable safety margin and matches what most published protocols use for PO and IP routes.
If the stock cannot be diluted (e.g. solubility limits), consider switching to a volumetric micropipette and aspirating from a small reservoir — but this is technician-dependent and should be qualified before the study.
Pulls live body weights from your colony and produces a printable dosing sheet for the whole cohort in one click.
Open app EquipmentInsulin syringes, micropipettes, and measurement tools
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