Technical Note: Coccygeal vein catheterization for sampling of reproductive tract-derived products from the uterine-ovarian drainage

Abstract

Blood sample collection from the caudal vena cava at the site of uterine-ovarian drainage provides a more exact evaluation of the concentration and pattern of secretion of uterine or ovarian secreted products for studies of reproductive processes in cyclic and pregnant cattle compared with samples collected from general circulation. This paper describes a thorough and updated procedure for cannulating the coccygeal vein into the caudal vena cava for the collection of serial blood samples at or near the site of uterine-ovarian drainage. Concentrations of progesterone were quantified in cows of different reproductive tract sizes with an active corpus luteum to assess the distance for proper catheter placement compared with circulating concentrations collected from the jugular vein. This procedure has a low risk for side effects, can be used effectively in pregnant animals with no major consequence to the viability of the pregnancy, and provides means for frequent collections up to 12 d.