Surveillance 1985 Vol. 12 No. 2 Page 3
Technique of bleeding pigs from
the jugular vein
Introduction
safe alternative to the techniques mentioned above.
This method consists of bleeding the pig in a standing
position from the jugular vein.
Taking satisfactory blood samples from pigs has, in the
past, been a very daunting exercise. Ear and tail
bleeding are time consuming and often the final sample
leaves a lot to be desired. The alternative has been to
take a blood sample from the anterior vena cava. This
last method produces a very good sample and the
technique has been well documented. However the possibility of having the pig drop dead on the end of the
needle has deterred many people from using the
technique.
‘The materials and equipment needed for this technique
are simple and readily available. The animal is restrained
by means of a rope secured through the mouth and
around the upper jaw and snout. ‘The other end of the
rope is wrapped around a post or railing (Figure 1).
The objective of this article is to outline a very practical,
The materials needed for bleeding the pig vary
Equipment
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Page 4 Surveillance 1985 Vol. 1 2 No. 2
Figure 1: Position for bleeding
according to personal preference. The most successful
apparatus is the common 10 ml vacutainer tube and
holder with a 1% inch needle". This combination will be
sufficient for most adult pigs, except in a small percentage of cases where the vein is deeper than 1 %
inches, or in cases where the neck is shortened and the
muscles are bunched because the animal is not leaning
back against the snout rope. In these cases a 10 ml
syringe and a 2% inch 14g needle will be sufficient to
overcome the problem. A vacutainer needle-hub
adaptor is available which can be used in combination
with the normal vacutainer and a larger, longer needle;
however, with this combination there is more risk of
losing the vacuum in the tube because of the possibility
of leakage at the needle-hub joint.
:?
Venoject 18gauge x 1I,% inch (1.2 x 38 mm) needle, Terumo.
Catalogue number VN"1838. Supplied by Ebos Dental and
Surgical Supplies Ltd.
Technique
The technique itself is simple. Only minimal restraint of
the animal is required; the snout rope is quite sufficient.
It is very important that the animal leans back against the
pull of the rope because this straightens out the neck and
prevents the neck muscles from bunching. Fortunately
the pig has a natural tendency to pull against the rope and
usually stands quite still for the whole procedure.
The pig can be bled from either side depending on the
personal preference of the bleeder. The best position
for the bleeder is up against the pig's shoulder, either
facing the same direction as the pig or with the back of
the bleeder's legs against the shoulder of the animal.
The vacutainer is held in the most convenient hand, in an
inverted position with the tip of the index finger on the
bottom of the vacutainer tube, as shown in Figure 2. 'The
manner in which the vacutainer is held is very important
because the bleeder is bent over and working very close
t o the ground. By holding the tube in this way, the
bleeder is allowed free movement and good control of
the needle.
Surveillance 1985 Vol. 12 No. 2 Page 5
Figure 2: Correct position of vacutainer
Figure 3: Cross section of neck
Point of entry of needle
Once the bleeder is in position against the shoulder of
the restrained pig, and the vacutainer and needle are
properly held in the hand of choice, the bleeder bends
down and places hisher free hand in front of the pig’s
shoulder, with the fingertips in the jugular groove
(Figure 1).It is questionable as to whether this free hand
can actually reduce the flow of blood sufficiently to cause
the jugular vein to fill any more than it already has, but
this position is necessary to locate the site for inserting
the needle. The jugular lies against the medial surface of
the bulk of the muscles in the neck (Figure 3 ) . Therefore, placing the fingertips of the hand in the jugular
groove will give the bleeder the approximate position of
that medial surface.
The needle is inserted with an upward thrust perpendicular to the plane of the ground and about half-way
along the length of the neck. If the pig is leaning back and
the neck is fully extended then the needle should enter
approximately perpendicular to the neck as well. ’The
jugular vein will usually be at the full depth of the 1 %
inch needle.
\
Conclusion
This bleeding technique is usually simple and the stress
on the animal and the bleeding crew is minimal. The
principal disadvantage is that occasionally the needle will
become blocked with a plug of fat. In many instances
when this occurs, the needle has penetrated the jugular
vein and damaged it. This results in a haematoma and
the vein seems to collapse. If a larger gauge needle and
syringe are used subsequently, then a sample can be
obtained but it would be of doubtful quality for a
haemogram study. It does seem that the larger the
gauge of the needle the greater the chance of getting a
tissue plug in it.
C.J . Boland
Veterinary Staff Officer
Head Office