Comparative hematological evaluation of jugular venipuncture and medial coccygeal venipuncture in cow

Abstract

Concern for animal welfare and rational management are no longer just objective studies but have become topics inserted on daily work of veterinary practitioners and in the context of food animal production. The increase of techniques focused on animal welfare was the purpose of this study that compared the differences between blood samples collected from the medial coccygeal vein and the jugular vein in dairy cows. Twenty cows from the metropolitan region of Londrina were randomly selected to perform this study, which was composed of a physical exam followed by sample collection. Each sample was measured for total protein, fibrinogen activity and complete blood count. After laboratorial and statistical analysis of the data collected, no significant results were found comparing hematological values from the two different collections. Hence, this study allow us to conclude that the medial coccygeal vein has a lower impact on the wellbeing of animals, so the procedure can be adopted as a standard pattern for blood sample collection from dairy cows. This is a less invasive technique that does not require intensive animal handling, causing less stress during the procedure and making the animal more comfortable.