We did it!

[Blackbird]

I was feeling lucky this morning when I woke up; luck of the Irish perhaps?

I decided to draw blood from the goats today.

I first tried drawing blood on Jenna. I figured putting her in the milk stand would be best for easier restraint. I poked, prodded, palpated, and could NOT feel a definite vein. I stabbed (ok, not really) in a couple times and wasn't getting anything. Then we tried straddling her with her head up and STILL could not find anything. After a while I gave up because Jenna was NOT cooperating.

A couple hours later we went out to try again - this time I was straddling and my mom was drawing the blood. Within thirty minutes we were able to to Jenna, Libby, Poppy, Blanche, and Ann Robin! My mom is pro =P

We ran out of the right kind of syringes and need to pick up a couple more needles. We ended up with the really short ones and couldn't get into Nota's vein so we will finish her and Blossom another day. We also may need to draw more from Blanche as she jerked and the needle came out after one CC and we couldn't find the vein again.

So we have 5/7 done! I am a bit disappointed in myself that I could puncture any veins when I tried, but over-all I'm proud of us! It was definitely a learning experience!

 

[redux]

So, what do you do with all that goat blood?

 

[Blackbird]

We are going to send it into WADDL and have it tested for Caseous Lymphadenitis and Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis. That way I will know, when they have babies, who should be bottle fed right away, if any - just a precaution so they do not transmit anything.

 

[redux]

Whew. I thought you were part of some kind of weird cult.

 

[Occamstazer]

Congrats! Getting blood from a finicky vein can be a headache.
Couple things that worked for me when I was a vet tech:
-grip the leg you're trying to get blood from high up by the joint and press down hard. This blocks the vein and makes it bulge up. You can also loosely tourniquet the leg, that works too.
-SOAK your stick area in alcohol, that vein will be much easier to find.
-If the vein is rolling away when you try to insert the needle, gently lay your finger alongside it to stabilize things.

You probably already know this, but just in case, there you go

 

[Blackbird]

Leg?!

I'm talking jugular vein! Sorry! Maybe I should have mentioned that.

I'm thinking the leg would have been even harder.

Would have helped if I shaved the area first, but I can barely even shave my own face, so we just dealt with all the hair.

 

[Occamstazer]

Ooh, jugular sticks are HARD, you guys are braver than I am. I only did those on giant hairy cats.
My favorite draws were on things like Boxers and Labs with nice long leg bones and fat, visible veins.
Dachsunds and Bassets, with their bowed little legs made me

 

[freemotion]

Yay, BB, yay!!!!! Definitely a two person job. Definitely easier if the area is clipped, too, but now you won't have to look at a clipped acre of naked skin on your goatie's necks until they shed out, like I have to....

Occ, did you ever draw blood on a large animal? It is very different. The neck bleed isn't as scary to me as trying to find a leg vein on a cat or dog! No sharp teeth or claws....

 

[Occamstazer]

Yay, BB, yay!!!!! Definitely a two person job. Definitely easier if the area is clipped, too, but now you won't have to look at a clipped acre of naked skin on your goatie's necks until they shed out, like I have to....

Occ, did you ever draw blood on a large animal? It is very different. The neck bleed isn't as scary to me as trying to find a leg vein on a cat or dog! No sharp teeth or claws....

I have never *deliberately* drawn blood on a large animal. The first time I vaccinated cows, I hit a vein and blood squirted out at me. I started having a cow of my own, thinking I'd hurt the animal. My more experienced cow friends (including a vet) laughed their butts off, told me it happens sometimes, and reminded me that it was not a Chihuahua.

 

[Blackbird]

-beams-

Now I just need to figure out how I should mail it in. WADDL needs to organize their website for .. well, for people like me who see something cool and click that instead and never get to the main destination.
Monique, did you use biotracking for your tests?

Occam... big hairy cats???