With the exception of cats, most animals have a total blood volume equivalent to ---- of their body weight.

With the exception of cats, most animals have a total blood volume equivalent to ---- of their body weight.

• A. 7%
• B. 15%
• C. 25%
• D. 40%

Answer: (A)

Blood volume is described as a percentage of body weight, indicating how much blood circulates relative to the animal’s size. For most mammals, the normal circulating blood volume is about seven percent of body weight, which translates to roughly 70 mL per kilogram. This standard helps estimate safe blood loss and guide transfusion decisions; for example, a 20 kg dog would have about 1.4 liters of blood. Cats are an exception to this general value, so their blood volume differs from the seven percent figure. The other options represent much larger fractions of body weight and do not reflect the typical baseline blood volume in healthy animals.

Blood volume is described as a percentage of body weight, indicating how much blood circulates relative to the animal’s size. For most mammals, the normal circulating blood volume is about seven percent of body weight, which translates to roughly 70 mL per kilogram. This standard helps estimate safe blood loss and guide transfusion decisions; for example, a 20 kg dog would have about 1.4 liters of blood. Cats are an exception to this general value, so their blood volume differs from the seven percent figure. The other options represent much larger fractions of body weight and do not reflect the typical baseline blood volume in healthy animals.