I know what you’re thinking.
You’re thinking this might be one of my satire posts.
It’s not.
You’re thinking maybe I’ve gone nuts.
I haven’t. (not yet at least)
You’re thinking I may have started to dabble in witchcraft or naked moon dancing rituals.
Occasionally, but not today!
The practice of raising healthy goats.
If your goal is to keep your goats in optimal health, then once a year you’ll need to test for disease. When we decided to raise goats for milk and well, drink said milk, we also decided that we’d better make sure these here goats aren’t carrying diseases that could harm us goat milk drinkers.
Goats are some of the hardiest animals around. They are extremely resistant to diseases naturally, but they can still catch diseases from other goats. That’s why it’s so important to test your goats at least once a year to make sure they are free from common goat diseases.
Since we occasionally bring in new goats from other herds or send our female goats to be bred, there’s a chance they may contract something.
So, we test. And here’s how we do it.
Disclaimer: It’s true, I am not a vet. But before you claim that normal, everyday people aren’t qualified to do this, realize that farm life includes being connected to the animal’s care in a way that most people don’t understand. ANYBODY is capable of learning how to draw blood from an animal. Most people don’t have large animal vets available in their area and small animal vets many times won’t care for large animals. In my area, we have one large animal vet who is extremely busy and encourages us homesteaders to draw blood ourselves. I was taught how to draw blood in nursing school and in my experience animals are a thousand times easier to draw blood from than humans. Their veins are very large and they barely flinch when they feel the needle. Take a deep breath, everything will be okay, nobody’s gonna die. At least not from goat blood drawing.
How to Draw Blood from a Goat
Supplies you’ll need:
- 3mL 22 gauge Luer-lock syringes with needles – where to buy
- Red top blood collection tubes – where to buy
- Hair clippers – here’s the brand we use
- Alcohol swab – where to buy
Where to send your blood sample:
My favorite laboratory to test our goat blood samples is UBRL labs. Their website has all the info to help you get started.
We test for ALL (yes all diseases), but we only test a sampling of our herd, not every single goat. We usually test the milking mothers since they’ll pass on anything they have to their babies.
How to Draw Blood from a Goat VIDEO
It looks like the amazon link for the red tip tubes is broken and all I found was outrageous priced tubes when I searched Amazon. Do you have another recommendation on where to buy?
Hi Kara-
The link has been fixed. If you do not want to buy in bulk you can try your local farm supply store or online with Valley Vet or PBS Animal Health, as they sometimes carry smaller quantities.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi DaNelle
I only have two goats,and need blood tubes .I don’t go through Amazon . Do you know any place I can buy them as single tubes? I would like to find a resource soon because my goat is about to kid and she is not tested.
Hi Gabby-
You can try a local livestock/feed store or contact your vet.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Do the red top tubes expire?
Hi Olivia-
Yes, they do. Always check the expiration date.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Is Pan American Labs ok to go though still for blood test on my goats?
Hi Gabby-
DaNelle now uses UBRL. http://ubrl.universalbiopharma.org/
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Are there any reliable blood test labs in Phoenix Arizona?
Hi Gabriella-
To find a local lab, it would be best to contact your local county extension office and they may be able to help you.
DaNelle now uses UBRL. http://ubrl.universalbiopharma.org/
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi, was looking into testing my goats. Thank you for the awesome information. I was wondering if you still use Pan American Labs. I followed the links and they dont seem to have anything updated since 2017 and tried emailing with no reply. Just wondering if you use someone else now. Thank you
Jessica
Hi Jessica-
DaNelle now uses UBRL. http://ubrl.universalbiopharma.org/
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
hey amazon isn’t letting me add the syringes with needles to my cart because i don’t have a business account???
Hi Jill-
Check out the link now. It’s been rerouted to syringes that don’t require a business account or certification.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi Danelle,
Just printed some of the forms off of their website & noticed a space for your vet’s signature. Do you have your vet sign off on your form before you mail it off?
Hi Brittany,
No, you don’t need to do that:)
Great Info! thank you! I’ve been meaning to do this for a year now but haven’t because it was really expensive for two goats through our vet.
Hello! How much are the tests? Do you send them a check? I’m a bit confused by their simple and vague website design.
Go ahead and call them, they are happy to answer any questions:)
Pan Am is good for some tests like CL, but my experience is that their CAE test is not accurate. I had a false negative years ago and someone else had a false positive. For accurate CAE tests, BioTracking or WADDL are the best.
Thanks for the tip, Kathie! I’ve never had issues with them, but it’s nice to know of other options:)
Where do I send the blood off too? Thanks for the video super helpful!:)
Hi Kelly,
Above in the post, I link to where to send your sample:)
Thanks so much for this post! I started raising goats two years ago, and they all came from clean tested farms, but I want to do it for myself as well, since we may start showing, etc.
I was reading up about Toxoplasmosis, which is one of those icky things that scares me. Last year, we did sort of a trial with raw goat milk. My whole family loved it. I handle the milk carefully, so I’m not really worried about foreign bacteria, etc, and I LOVE everything I read about raw milk. But we do have two cats who live in / around the barn to keep the mice away. I’m sure there is poo around. I can’t seem to find definitive info about whether safe raw milk handling practices will prevent contracting it, or if it’s just already in the milk if the goat is infected. It seems like that shouldn’t be an issue, but I don’t know about these things. 😛 Maybe you can clarify?
I think you’ll be fine, I would just make sure that the hay that you feed your goats is away from the cats:)