VNJ Articlesbacteriacanineclipdisinfectionhygieneskinvenepuncture
18 February 2025
To clip or not to clip? A study on the necessity of clipping before venepuncture
Authors: Linn Ekberg, BScVN. Linn obtained her bachelor’s degree in veterinary nursing in 2021 and is now working at AniCura Värmdö Djurklinik. Her interests include wound care and dentistry.
Josefin Lindskog, BScVN Josefin graduated with a bachelor’s degree in veterinary nursing in 2021 and is now working at Djurhälsan Veterinary Clinic. Her interests include wound care, radiography and dentistry.
Lena Olsén, PhD Lena is an associate professor with a PhD in veterinary pharmacology. She is a senior lecturer in anaesthesiology at the Department of Clinical Sciences at the Swedish University of Agricultural
Sciences (SLU).
ABSTRACT Clipping is often recommended before venepuncture in dogs because it is considered hygienic, but studies on the subject are scarce. Studies on clipping have shown that it can cause dermatological problems, such as micro-wounds and erythema. The aim of this study was to compare the amount of bacteria on the skin of dogs with and without clipping and disinfection. Samples were taken from each forelimb of 20 beagles; one forelimb was clipped and the other was left unclipped. The samples were taken before and after disinfection with chlorhexidine. The samples were surface plated on blood agar and Sabouraud agar. The blood agar plates were incubated at 37°C for a total of 48 hours and the Sabouraud agar plates were incubated at 30°C for 120 or 144 hours. After incubation, the agar was examined for fungi and bacteria. The results showed no difference in the number of bacteria on the samples taken from the clipped forelimb compared with the unclipped forelimb. In general, the results showed very little growth from samples taken after disinfection, on both the clipped and the unclipped forelimbs. No fungi were detected. The conclusion of this study was that clipping before venepuncture of the cephalic vein is not necessary from a hygiene perspective, when hygiene is measured by the amount of bacterial growth. However, the importance of disinfection to maintain good hygiene was confirmed. Clipping before venepuncture should therefore be considered optional.
Keywords canine, dog, clip, disinfection, venepuncture, hygiene, skin, bacteria
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56496/UMIU7085
To cite this article: Ekberg, L., Lindskog, J., and Olsén, L. (2025) To clip or not to clip? A study on the necessity of clipping before venepuncture. VNJ 40(1) pp30-35.
To access this article, select one of the following links: