I have written about testing for OPPV in sheep before. Toying with the idea. Last year, a buyer wanted all of his purchases tested, and was paying for it. So while the vet was here, I did mine too. I watched her carefully as she drew blood, hoping I could discover the secret to the quickness.
Before, I was using vacu-tubes to draw blood, which is the way we see doctors do it on us; but it is a struggle one-handed on an animal. If the animal moves and the needle comes out, the tube loses its vacuum, and you have to start over with a fresh tube. I saw that the vet chose to use syringes, draw the blood, and then empty it into the vacutainer. It’s an added step and expense, but it works much better.
I decided this year I’d master the practice. It’s too expensive to pay a vet to come out and do blood tests. Our local vet charges a $60 farm call, then hourly labor at $150/hour, then marks up the lab tests to boot. The tests are already expensive enough at WSU. A few months ago, I tested six ewes for pregnancy, and did pretty well drawing blood then. So a few weeks ago, I took the plunge and drew blood on all 32 adult breeding ewes here. A few of them gave me trouble and I had to stick them more than once, but for the most part, it went smoothly. I’ve got it down now. Straddle their shoulders, hold their heads in the crook of my left elbow and tilt to the left, use my right hand to pull the sample with a syringe. Done.
Off went the tubes in the mail to WSU and I waited impatiently for the results. All negative for both OPPV and CL. I tested a couple of thin ones for Johne’s, just to see- negative too. Phew.
It’s nerve-wracking, this testing. You’d almost rather not know. Such a management headache to deal with positives if they crop up. And there is the stigma. It’s one thing to tell buyers, I don’t know if I have it, but I don’t think I do. It’s another to say I do know I have it. Though buyers should really prefer people who know one way or the other, and prefer proven clean flocks the most; the truth is, many of them will stigmatize someone with known positive status the most.
It’s expensive, even with my own labor for doing the work. I may only test the whole flock one more year, then switch to sampling. But some discriminating buyers are asking for it. And, it gives me peace of mind. Now, if I have a thin ewe, or one with a sore leg, or one who singled when I thought she should twin, I can reassure myself a little more, it’s probably not that. These three diseases, OPPV, CL and Johne’s, I find terrifying, like a shark under the water waiting to chew your arm off.
July 27, 2012 at 3:16 pm
I tested my Nigerian herd for the first time this year for CAE, CL and Johnes. I paid a gal that does my disbudding/tattooing to come out and draw the blood at a minimal cost…though even that added to the cost of testing through WADDL was a fairly expensive endeavor. Then the waiting….I hated that part! It was a relief to get negative results on everyone and now I can say with a clear conscience that my herd is free of those diseases. It saved me some real “freaking out” when one of my does had a huge lump next to her mouth…ended up being a thorn had gotten in and festered…but if I hadn’t done the tests I would have panicked. I do need to learn to draw my own blood though…just nervous about sticking them in a vein….
July 28, 2012 at 3:03 am
Tammy, it turns out it’s pretty easy, the vein in their neck is wide as a truck. At first I shaved them so I could see it better, but now I can totally see and feel it through their coats. When I watched the vet do it, I realize you can kind of “fish around” once the needle is in to find the depth of the vein, and there is enough pressure in the vein that a slight pull on the needle and you have 3cc in a couple of seconds.
July 28, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Hello, I’ve enjoyed reading your blog. I am also writing a blog about my family’s farms in Derbyshire, England. If you’re interested, go to The Year of Living Englishly, theyearoflivingenglishly.wordpress.com, and click on the category “Crich and the Farms.” I write about wall-building, pleaching, muck spreading, winter barley, and more. Thanks for reading. Virginia Smith
July 29, 2012 at 2:57 am
Thanks Virginia, I will check it out!
July 29, 2012 at 3:47 pm
Thanks, Michelle! You might especially like the post called “Who Will Farm the Farms.” Virginia