Taking blood

[GoldenSeal]

I'm looking for information or advise on how to take blood from goats. I was going to get the vet to just come do it to test for Johnes and CAE BUT they was 150 a goat and that's just insanely priced. They also want 3 dollars a KM and I'm 30 km's away from them.

Turns out I can't even send my own blood samples to a lab in Canada, they want me to go through a vet. I can't afford 1200 to take blood from my goats and then another 90 dollars for the vet to come out.

I did call the WA lab and they said I could send it into them so I want to do that instead.

Help, anyone?

[mygoat]

150 Per goat??? REALLY? Jeese, find a new vet! that's insane!

There are lots of tutorials on drawing blood. It's VERY easy. Get 1" needles (20ga is what I use) and a 3 or 6 cc syringe. Have someone hold the goat, straddling the shoulders and lifting the chin and turning her head. press the jugular so that it bulges above your finger. Insert the needle in but also pretty parallel to it. If you hit the vein it will be hard to get into - blood vessels are STRONG. Then just draw off a sample. IF you don't see blood entering the syringe, slowly retract while keeping a vaccum - you might have gone straight through the vein. If you pull into the vein you'll know b/c it will suddenly start filling. If you miss the vein completely simply withdraw and try again.

To ease you on your first does, I'd shave the side of the neck. The jugular is VERY easy to see when you pinch it off.

[valcwby01]

Do you have something in Canada that would be an equivalent to our extension agents in the US? We have one in every county in the entire country. I don't know if even then if and how they could help, but you could try. I know the extension services here are free or very low charge. Good luck.

[GoldenSeal]

It's against the law for them to accept blood samples that don't have a vet name on the paper work. Either I find a vet that will let me stick their name on the sheet, pay 1290 for the vet to do it, or I ship the blood to the US. So far the vet said no way no how, and another said 100 bucks for me to put his name on the sheet..

[GoldenSeal]

Can someone um...walk me through the form that I need to fill out for the blood samples..? Send me a message or something? Please?!

ETA - I talked to the laboratory because they called to make sure I got the form via email. I asked her what I needed to fill out. I wasn't sure if I needed to fill in the vet info considering I wasn't going through a vet

Thank you for your FAST answers!!

[madness]

Holy moly, that's a lot!!! We had the vet come out, do a wellness check, draw blood, do fecals and send off of for the tests for 5 does - all for about $250.

I don't know the forms, so I'm no help there! Sorry!

[ragingbull]

check this site,heres how i do it
goatconnection.com/articles/publish/article_151.shtml

[nehimama]

http://www.biotracking.com/testingandfeeschedule.php

Maybe this site will be helpful?

[rosepetalwi]

You tube has this video:

YouTube

[kitty]

Why don't you let a vet do one and watch the procedure so you can do it yourself next time.