Additional Sites to Draw Blood on a Goat

By: Alicia Wingo

7W Goat Farm

At some point in our dairy goat journey, many of us develop the need to learn how to draw blood from our goats for the purpose of health testing.

In most of the videos or tutorials I have seen showing how to draw blood, the majority were done using the jugular vein in the goat's neck. Well, if you are anything like me, that is easier said than done. I have tried to draw blood from the jugular vein in a variety of ways, from putting the goat in a milk stand, to having someone hold the goat for me while I try to pull the sample, to holding the goat myself while someone else pulls the sample. For whatever reason, pulling from the jugular vein wasn't working for me. So I started searching for other areas to pull a blood sample from and found two additional sites to draw blood from: one in the back leg: the Lateral Saphenous Vein and one in the from leg: the Cephalic Vein.

Armed with this new knowledge, my daughter, Gracie, and I decided to give it a try. Success! We are able to obtain samples from multiple goats and we are going to show you how you can do it too! You can and will be drawing from these sites on your own in no time!

Supplies:

* a goat

*a milk stand ( or some way to restrain your goat)

*Clippers with a 10 blade

*Alcohol Wipes

*Syringes (I use 3cc Syringes)

*Needles ( I use 22 x 3/4 inch needles)

*Red Top Test Tubes

*Hobbles (optional)

*A Helper (optional but it really helps)

Step #1:

Once you have your goat in the milk stand, you want to shave the back of the rear legs.

( *Note: I normally just use a 10 blade; however, for the purpose of this tutorial, I am shaving with a 40 blade).

Then get your alcohol wipes, syringe with needle, and red top test tube ready.

Step #2: Finding the Lateral Saphenous Vein

I'm going to show you two different hand positions. You can use either hand position on either back leg.

On the back right leg, I put my hand under, then around the back leg as pictured. I then squeeze as I roll this area up towards me. It may take a second for the vein to pop up.

On the back left leg, I place my hand on the curve of their thigh and squeeze as I roll my hand toward the left side of the goat. As you can see, the vein will pop up! Clean the area thoroughly with an alcohol wipe.

Step #3:

Insert your needle into the vein.

Step #4:

Draw back and viola! You have blood!

Step #5:

Once you have enough blood, remove the needle from the vein. Then, while holding pressure, count to 20 to make sure it stops bleeding.

Now, let's say you have a goat that is not cooperating, like the goat pictured here. It is probably a safe bet that this guy is not going to just stand there and let you stick his back leg, so what to do now?

Well, now we are going to draw from the Cephalic Vein in the front leg!

On the front Left leg, shave above the knee up to their shoulder. I wrap my hand around their leg, then squeeze while I roll my hand towards the right. Once the vein pops up, you can clean the area with an alcohol wipe and then obtain your sample. Hold pressure for 20 seconds when done.

Now that we have seen how to draw from both locations, here are a few helpful tips and reminders from Alicia Wingo and Gracie Wingo of 7W Goat Farm and also from Sunni Florence of Flat Rocks Farm.

When drawing your blood sample, you may end up with blood that is dark or bright.

"Dark red or purple blood is deoxygenated (venous) blood. Bright blood is oxygenated (arterial) blood. There is no difference for the purpose of testing."

Sunni Florence of Flat Rocks Farm

While a helper is optional, it goes much easier with another pair of hands to help, especially when you are first starting out. Gracie and I will usually take turns, with one of us holding the leg to pop the vein up and the other pulling the blood. But we are both able to pull by ourselves if needed.

Be sure to have extra needles and syringes on hand, in case your needle or syringe gets blocked by a clot before you obtain all of your sample.

-Alicia Wingo of 7W Goat Farm

Don't get discouraged if you don't get it right away. Most goats are not going to stand like a statue, so have patience and start with whichever goat is most comfortable having their legs handled.

-Gracie Wingo of 7W Goat Farm.

When you pull blood on a goat, don't leave it outside, in the barn, or in a vehicle. Always send it within a week, as older blood samples can give inaccurate results.

-Sunni Florence of Flat Rocks Farm

I hope this tutorial helps those like myself who may be struggling to learn this valuable skill. Good Luck!