How to Draw Blood from a Goat
A skill worth learning
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Learning how to draw blood from a goat is a valuable skill anyone breeding goats should master. Here’s how.
For many, the thought of drawing blood from a goat makes them nervous and maybe a little bit squeamish. With instruction and practice, this valuable skill can be mastered.
In our herd, we draw blood annually to test for diseases: Caprine Arthritis and Encephalitis (CAE), Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL), Johne’s, and Q Fever. Blood can also be used to test for pregnancy and general health status.
In a goat, blood is drawn from the jugular — the large vein in the neck. My first opportunity to practice drawing blood in a learning setting, I didn’t. I was too scared. I watched as learner after learner took their turn on a sweet goat named Snowberry as they learned how to draw blood. I don’t know how many jabs she endured that day, but I was sure she wouldn’t survive. She did and lived a good, long life afterward. I know for certain because she became part of our herd later.
It’s been many years, and many tubes of blood have been collected since that day. Patience and persistence are the biggest determinants of success. Rest assured, even professionals don’t always succeed on the first stick — even those with years of practice on thousands of goats. Be gentle with yourself, keep trying, and don’t give up.
Remember, goats are very sensitive to emotion; as unnerving as it feels, try to stay relaxed. Take a deep breath and talk to yourself and your goat in a soothing voice. You can do this.
Supplies
- Restraining device: We use a milking stanchion, two panels, or assistants. When learning, having two assistants can be very helpful.
- Clippers: To shave neck (optional, but helpful for beginners).
- Alcohol wipes
- Nitrile gloves: Recommended when working with bodily fluids.
- Syringes: We use a 3/4 inch 3 ml syringe with a 20-gauge needle.
- Collection tubes: Your lab will designate the tube required. Generally, for bioscreen samples, it’s a “red top.” Be sure to use the correct tube, or your sample may be invalid. Tubes do expire, so check the dates.
- Cotton: To staunch blood flow after the needle is removed.
- Permanent marker: To mark samples.
- A tube rack: Optional but helpful.
- Cooler: If samples must be kept cool.
Steps for Drawing Blood
There are two collection methods: syringe and vacutainer needle. We’ve tried both and prefer the syringe method if only one tube is needed. The vacutainer needle has merit if multiple tubes must be drawn. We’ll start with the syringe method.
Restrain the goat.
Restrain the goat so you’ll have access to the neck. If you have assistants, have one restrain the goat by straddling and holding the head, and the second apply pressure to the jugular, leaving your hands free to use the syringe. While using a stanchion can work if you don’t have an assistant, it’s not ideal, as the goat has more freedom to move, and the head gate can interfere with access to the neck and positioning.
If you use a stanchion alone, sit next to the goat, facing the same direction. Wrap your holding arm over the goat’s shoulders and around the front of the goat’s neck, using that hand to apply pressure to the jugular and keep the goat from moving forward.
We use two connected panels for large bucks and hold their heads in the “V,” as shown in the picture. From the outside, reach between the rails to access the neck. An assistant must restrain the head. Practice your method of restraint for safety and security before attempting to draw blood.
Find the jugular.
We recommend practicing this before the day you plan to draw blood. The trachea, or windpipe, runs down the front of the goat’s neck. On each side of the trachea is a groove between the trachea and the muscle. The jugular is in that groove. If you apply pressure to the groove with one hand, the vein will bulge, and you can feel it just above the pressure point with your other hand. We take our samples about midway down the neck.
Optional: Using clippers, shave a small area over the jugular where the needle will be inserted.
- Wipe the needle insertion site with an alcohol prep. * Apply pressure to the jugular with one hand. The key to success is applying enough pressure to make the vein bulge.
- Press all air out of the syringe. DO NOT introduce any air into the vein — only pull the plunger once the needle is inserted. Never push.
- Insert the needle above the pressure point at an angle almost parallel to the neck, with the needle pointing upward.
- Draw back slightly on the plunger. If you see blood, gently pull the plunger to allow blood to fill the syringe. Pulling on the plunger too fast may collapse the vein and restrict blood flow.
If you don’t see blood, you’ll need to reposition the needle. You don’t need to withdraw the needle fully to reposition it. Repositioning isn’t easy to describe, but it’s something you will learn with practice. You may need to go further to the left or right or at a different angle to go deeper into the neck, especially with mature bucks. If repositioning doesn’t work, you can try reinserting.
Sometimes, changing the angle of the goat’s head can help better position the vein. Relax, be patient, and keep trying. If you haven’t succeeded after several attempts at one goat, try another goat. Some goats are easier than others.
- Withdraw the needle. Press a cotton ball or your finger against the stick site for a few seconds to stop the blood flow.
- Insert the needle through the cap into the collection tube. The tube has a vacuum and will draw the blood from the syringe. Do not attempt to open the tube.
- Mark the tube as directed by your lab’s instructions.
In some situations, you might need to be able to hold the syringe and pull the plunger singlehanded. It’s awkward at first but doable. We suggest practicing on a stuffed toy rather than an animal until you feel confident.
If using a vacutainer needle:
The steps are similar. The needle is double-sided — the exposed needle is inserted into the vein, and the needle in the hood is inserted into the collection tube.
Always remove the collection tube before removing the needle from the vein, or you’ll compromise the vacuum in the tube, and the sample will be wasted. With the needle inserted, you can collect several tubes. Place your pressure hand on the neck where the needle is inserted into the vein, and hold the hood to remove the needle and insert the tubes with the other hand.
If you don’t feel confident trying with only instructions, reach out to your veterinarian, veterinary assistant, or a fellow goat owner. Ask if they’re willing to help you as you learn. Don’t be intimidated; they were once learners, too!
KAREN KOPF and her husband Dale own Kopf Canyon Ranch in Troy, Idaho. They enjoy “goating” together and helping others goat. You can learn more about them at Kopf Canyon Ranch on Facebook or KikoGoats.org.
Originally published in the 2024 Summer issue of Goat Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.
Hi
i am from pakistan i have 16 goats one of my goats is having a lot of problem with scabies i am very worried please give me the solution
The Merck Veterinary Manual offers some solutions to those outside the U.S. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/integumentary-system/mange/mange-in-sheep-and-goats. Also, you might check into a tea tree oil solution, such as a shampoo with at least 5% tea tree oil, to bathe your goats.