I have been reading over the site Deb mentioned she uses for her bloodwork, but I don't see anyplace to purchase kits or anything for what you need to send in. Am I missing something?
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I know! I was disappointed about that too.
I ordered my serum tubes from Jeffers because a pack of 100 of them was less at Jeffers than 30 of them were from Bio tracking. Thanks again for your help with this! I'll get the hang of it all one day.
Well, that's a bummer that they don't give you their FedEx account number for the shipping any longer! That was a great deal!
I talked to WADDL today and got all my questions answered so I thought I'd post them here in case anyone else is new to this and maybe it will save them a phone call.
1) The can do the toxoplasmosis screening on the same blood that they use for the Biosecurity Screening so you only need one sample from each goat.
2) They accept the red-top serum tubes as well as serum separator tubes, whatever that is.
3) They need one millimeter of blood to run the tests on.
5) They do not have a preferred shipping company at this time. Overnight is the best option this time of year. They no longer have a shipping code for FedEx so to find out shipping prices you have to contact the companies individually.
6) She was not very helpful with the best way to ship samples, all she said was that you have to talk to the shipping company and find out what they recommend.
Hope this info is helpful to others :) I'm both excited and nervous about this first round of testing!
I've never done toxoplasmosis testing, so I don't know the answers to those questions. I'd contact WADDL directly and ask them.
When you call WADDL, also ask them for their FedEx number. It's been a couple of years since I shipped to them, but it was $15 for overnight. I asked at the FedEx place what it would cost if I paid them directly, and they said $32. When I told her that the lab would only charge me $15, she checked the rate for their account number and said they would only be paying $13, so they'd get a couple extra bucks from me, but I'd save $17 by paying the lab $15!
We use a 20 gauge, 1-inch needle for blood draws on adults.
I haven't priced out the supplies, but I bought all my stuff separately before BioTracking had their kits.
I rubber band the tubes together so they don't clank against each other. Then I wrap them in several layers of paper towels, then I put that into a ziploc bag and zip it, then I put that into another ziploc bag and zip it. And it's always survived the trip. FedEx will also give you a plastic bag that seals and says something about it being biological but non-hazardous and exempt or something like that.
Okay so I'm about to do my first round of testing on my herd but I have a few questions so I'm resurrecting this thread.
I'll be Using WADDL and doing their Caprine Bio-security Screen (CAE, CL & Johne's) But I'm also going to test for Toxoplasmosis in my does because of the fact that WADDL deemed the raw milk unsafe if the goat has been exposed to it. Since I don't know if my goats have ever been exposed to cats I figured I may as well test them for it so I won't worry about it later.
I'm not sure if my questions can all be answered here or not, so if I should just contact WADDL directly I will.
1) For the toxoplasmosis screen I need to send the sample in a separate serum tube, but I only need one sample for the biosecurity screen for each goat correct?
2) Do I send the samples in the same red-top serum tubes as I would send to bio-tracking?
3) Exactly how much blood should I draw from each goat and what size syringe do you use?
4) I was just going to purchase one of the kits from Bio-tracking if they'll work for WADDL too since they already have them nice and ready to go. Is there a better place to buy it?
5) What do you do for your shipping? Is FedEx, UPS or USPS the best option? Should I pay for over-night shipping or would the samples last if I chose 2-day shipping?
6) What is the best way to package the samples? I was going to tape them inside a Tupperware container or small Styrofoam cooler, then surround the container with paper towels or news paper and put that inside a regular box to ship them in. Is that enough?
Thanks for any and all suggestions!
When drawing blood on people you do have to use a fresh needle. I drew blood for 8 years, never once did we reuse a needle if we need to redraw. One for safety/infection reasons, two because the needle become dull once it's been used.
That makes sense. I plan to shave, at least at first, so I can see well. :)
Maybe because people have bare skin that has been sterilized with alcohol, and if you are doing livestock, even if you use alcohol, the chances of the needle not encountering something on it's journey are probably slim? Unless you have shaved the goat bare...but I never shaved mine, and I have been told by large animal vets that using alcohol in all that hair does no good and don't bother. Sometimes I use it, sometimes I don't. But I do always get a fresh needle if it pops out
A fresh needle? Why is that? They don't do that for people...?
I held 30 horses at a sitting for blood draws for Coggins every year. When it came time to do the goats my husband couldn't get it, and I was like, "let me try". I did just fine after watching a youtube video a few times. If you're not squeamish you can get it done if you've got someone strong to hold the goat so they don't squirm. If they do fight, sometimes the best thing is to just let go of the needle and let it hang out of them for a minute, you can pick up where you left off when they settle down. If you pull it out when they fight then you've got to get a fresh needle before you can try again.
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