- Resources and references
- Schedule 1 stunning followed by decapitation sampling in other animals
- All blood sampling techniques in the guinea pig
Please read the general principles of blood sampling page before attempting any blood sampling procedure.
The primary reason for carrying out this technique is to obtain a large volume of blood which has not been affected by anaesthetic drugs or carbon dioxide. A large volume of blood can be collected from the trunk if necessary.
Suitable for all strains, this technique should only be used in rare circumstances and with exceptional scientific justification. The ASPA limits its use to rodents of body weight 1 kg or less. The guinea pig must be determined as dead before decapitation can take place (see Section 1(4) of the ASPA).
This is a Schedule 1 method of euthanasia and should be carried out by people competent in this method. Training for stunning and decapitation should be undertaken on dead animals.
|Number of samples||One|
|Blood volume||10 - 20 ml|
|Equipment||Suitable sharp instrument to decapitate, (e.g. guillotine or sharp scissors).|
|Staff resource||One person is required to take the blood sample.|
|Other||A high level of expertise is required for this technique.|
For more information on this protocol and whether it is appropriate for your scientific purposes, please consult your department's named veterinary surgeon