Blood collection from dead mouse - (Mar/16/2010 )

Part of my mouse protocol (IACUC approved) involves euthanasia by carbon dioxide inhalation to collect tissues. I recently decided to add an assay that requires a small (<20microliters) of serum.
I don't really want to submit another IACUC addendum just to get permission to do live blood collection.
So my question is: How can I get around 100microliters of blood from a mouse that has very recently been euthanized?

there should be some left in the heart.

So I did a trial run today. I nicked the liver and a gush of blood came out. I pipetted around 150microliters of whole blood. Plenty of serum.

This round's on me!

if U are already opening up the abdomen, why not cut the vena cava/aorta with scissors. U will get plenty of blood there. Or, I have not tried but U might be able to pull some out with a syringe after U expose these vessels is U want uncontaminated sample.