Anne says clip into a nail vein to collect blood for testing, and Bob Martin disagrees. But Bob, what you forgot to tell us in your post is how we SHOULD collect the blood. How do you do it? Clipping a nail is how the vets do it. I've never had a nail clipping accident that drew blood, but I have had them flinch and jerk when the clipper compresses the live area. My husband is diabetic so we have several stick kits. Is this a better way? How much blood is needed? I'm a whizz at exacto-knife surgery, will that work? Will it help if I say "This will hurt me more than it does you"? I wonder if this isn't a 'comfort area' thing. Anne and I may be more accepting of the fact that not everything in life is pain free. I've given shots to animals larger than myself, trimmed feet of the cloven hoofed, (it's done with a sharp knife) and if any of you has a cow needing a caesarean - hey, I'm your woman! I believe I'd rather inflict a small amount of pain than have a dead ferret. But I'm open to suggestions. Georgia - the left coast one... [Posted in FML issue 2918]