Blood tests for the goats

May gets her neck shaved so we can see her veins.

I think this is actually Hyacinth here. First you locate the voicebox (technical term!) in the middle of their throat then move to the side feeling for the ropey vein. Slide your thumb down the vein and apply pressure, making the vein bulge on top of your thumb. It's about the width of a pencil.

I used a 3/4 inch needle and very quickly, inserted it into the vein at a sharp angle. If you go in too straight, you can go right through the vein and out the other side. You will meet some resistance and it is hard if the goat moves. It is very helpful to have several sets of hands doing this.

I withdrew the blood as quick as I could. Once the goat moved and I got knocked out of the vein, the syringe would not move anymore. If that happened and I had not got enough blood, I would have to go get another syringe and stick them again because the blood would clot in the needle and/or syringe and it's no good for a second draw. You have to act quickly too because the goat loses patience in no time flat.

I labeled each of the vials and shipped them off to the Washington State University Diagnostic Lab for a pregnancy test. They are supposed to have them Monday morning, and I hope to hear back from them later in the week.