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Rhino Resource Center: Rhino Forums > Rhinos in Captivity > Diets > how do you collect blood samples

Posted by: irek Nov 12 2007, 06:15 PM

Hello I would like to ask ahow and from what part of rhino's body You collect blood? Do You use any cream spray to make that part of body less sensitive? What kind? Do You train rhinof for purose like that? How, how long? I will be thankful for any informations Best regards Irek

Posted by: cydneyp Nov 12 2007, 07:38 PM

Irek I pull blood from the radial vein of the foreleg using 21G 3/4 vacutainer butterfly tubing. I also use vacutainer tubes which work quickly if the vein is stand out well. Some people use a syringe to pull the blood from the tubing. It is all a matter of preference though. I used positive reinforcement training to obtain the behavior. It took 8 sets of approximately 10 min each from start to finish (blood collection). I bebegan with reinforcing location and positioning. Then moved on to introduction of pressure on the vein with my finger, then the tip of a pen, then a blunt needle and finally a brief poke with a needle. From there it was a matter of getting into the vein. Most rhinos respond well when given the opportunity to work for something they really want (i.e. bread, bananas, apple sauce), but they also have to trust the person who will be sticking them with the needle. Another way to draw blood is from the ear. If the ambient temp is on the cool side it can be hard to raise the vein and pulling blood with a syringe can take longer and could also collapse the vein. I have also heard of draws from the tail. My suggestion would be to go for the leg, the vein is obvious so it is an easy target, but that is just my preference. Good luck.

Posted by: adam Nov 21 2007, 01:58 PM

We at Columbus also go with the leg vein. There is good pictures and tips at rhinokeeperassociation.org in the training section. adam

Posted by: irek Nov 21 2007, 02:39 PM

Hello I've just found that photos and text. I hope our rhinos will cooperate with us. Cheers Irek

Posted by: jing Jun 4 2012, 08:10 AM

um...we collect the blood from the vein on the ear.