Community Corner
Soule: The Best Way to Draw Blood from a Cow
The internet assured me the easiest spot to draw blood was from the cow's tail. What could go wrong?
Visit Carole's cows on July 25 from 1-3 p.m. for the Cow CrewExperience.
"Get ready for a little pinch," BJ, my nurse, said. I gritted my teeth. A whisper of pressure, and it was over.
"Did you get a vein?" I asked.
"Of course."
First try. I know how impressive that is, because I've tried drawing blood myself, except my patients were cows. It did not go well.
I discovered my incompetence twenty years ago, when I needed a blood sample to determine whether a cow was pregnant. It looked easy when I watched my vet draw blood, but vets cost money, so I decided to do it myself. What could go wrong?
We coaxed our first cow into the squeeze chute — a contraption with adjustable sides that holds a bovine still for exams, vaccinations, or, in this case, an amateur phlebotomist.
The internet assured me the easiest spot to draw blood was the tail. Cow number one proved it. I lifted her tail, slid in the needle, and — like magic — blood flowed into the tube. Easy peasy. I labeled my prize, feeling confident, while my team escorted the next victim into the chute.
Cow number two took exception to being stabbed with a needle.
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Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm in Loudon, N.H., where you can visit her cows on July 25 from 1-3 p.m. for the Cow CrewExperience. Carole can be reached at carole@cow-coach.com.
