Frequently Asked Questions
2 to 8 weeks old - 4mm point
2 to 6 months old - 5mm point
Over 6 months old - 5.5mm point
POINT LENGTH FOR MICE
Take an Albino (White) mouse and put some Vaseline on a Q-Tip. Swab the Vaseline on the rear of the jaw bone area and use the Q-Tip to separate the fur. You should be able to see the veins beneath the skin.
If you’re still having trouble finding the right location:
SCROLL DOWN THIS PAGE TO FIND THE ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
If you’re not getting enough blood, you may try the following technique. Always remember to consult the PHS Guidelines for the recommended safe amounts of blood that can be drawn from your size mouse.
When you scruff the mouse, hold the skin on the back of it’s neck between your thumb and middle finger. When you want more blood, put your index finger on the top of it’s head and gently move it’s head up and down. This will keep the wound open a little longer and pump more blood into the Submandibular area and out the puncture site.
Remember, you can always stop the blood flow at any time by gently pressing the puncture site with a compress for a short time. Blood flow will stop quickly for the following reasons:
1.- The animal is experiencing only a small thin puncture wound, there is no cutting or tearing of blood vessels as with Tail Clips or R.O. Bleeds. Goldenrod Animal Lancets are only seven thousandths of an inch thick(.007”).
2.- Only the very tip of the lancet actually enters the blood vessels, the rest of the length of the lancet is to get beneath the fur and outer layers of skin and tissue.
3.- All furry animals have a natural coagulant in their fur as part of their survival mechanism. When you apply a compress to the puncture site, some of this coagulant enters the opening and helps stop the blood flow.
Always remember to consult the PHS Guidelines for the recommended safe amounts of blood that can be drawn from your size mouse.
You can draw blood at lease four (4) times within a short time period without hurting your animal as long as you follow the PHS Guidelines for the amount taken in that time period.
Use the following procedure for multiple draws within a short time interval:
1.- Make the first puncture on one side of the animal’s face.
2.- Make the second puncture on the other side of the face.
3.- Make the third puncture on the side you made the first puncture but enter a little higher or lower than the first one. Goldenrod Animal Lancets are only seven thousandths (.007) of an inch thick and the cluster of blood vessels is large enough to enter a little higher or lower and still draw blood.
4.- Repeat #3 above on the side you make the second puncture
The facial muscles of a mouse or rat run fairly parallel to the bottom of the jaw line, that is, along the face from the nose/ Whiskers towards the ear.
If you alien the Goldenrod Animal Lancet with the striations of the muscles in the animal’s face so that when it enters the facial muscles it goes between the striations instead of across them, it will cause less damage to the muscle tissue and therefore cause less scarring and there will be less chance of hematoma formation.
The plastic vial shown in our Instructional Video that we use to collect blood from the Goldenrod Lancet puncture is made by Becton Dickenson and can be purchased from Fisher Scientific. MEDIpoint does not sell this product. You can use any container to collect the blood but we found these vials easy to use.
For your convenience click the link below to go directly to the web page of Fisher Scientific’s Website where you and see and purchase these vials. They are sold either plain or with chemical additives already in them. Please review the Fisher Scientific page before making your purchase so that you order the correct type of vial needed for your experiments.
We are currently experimenting with longer points for use on the submandibular area of rats and will post the results as soon as they are available. Meanwhile, you can use 5mm point length if you are using the Saphenous Vein
Goldenrod Animal Lancets cost only $45 per 1000 lancets in all sizes plus shipping. We do not break up a box of 1000 so if you need different sizes you must order 1000 of each size. Minimum order is 1000 lancets
YOU CAN TEST 1000 ANIMALS FOR ONLY $45
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Scruff the mouse and then find the tip of the Mandibular bone using your finger or the back end of the Goldenrod Lancet. The correct spot is just behind and above the tip of the Mandibular bone. |
Tip of the Mandibular Bone
Cluster of veins
The correct spot is just behind and above the tip of the Mandibular bone
If Blood comes out of the ear of your mouse, you made the puncture a little bit high towards the ear. Try a little lower, towards the jaw line. Your mouse will be fine, there will be no negative effect on the mouse.
FOR MICE
FOR RATS
For Taking Blood Samples from small animals
NEW SIZE avaliable
All Ages- For 1 or 2 drops - 3mm point
If you only need one or two drops try our new 3mm point length
FOR THE HUMANE TREATMENT OF LABORATORY ANIMALS, WE RECOMMEND ALWAYS USING THE SHORTEST POINT YOU CAN TO DRAW THE AMOUNT OF BLOOD YOU NEED
MEDIpoint, Inc.
MEDIpoint International, Inc.
